Whole Hog_NO SKIN...Ughhh

No skin? I would put the hams toward the hottest end and would shoot for 195 degrees as a guide. If you have thermometers in I could start checking it at about 185 degrees. Open it up and quickly start pulling on the bones and see it they are pulling away from the meat easily and cleanly. Some parts will cook quicker than others. For cooks like this it is good to have a hot zone and a cooler zone. It will be a judgment call whether you need to wrap or not. I would also plan to try to flip it about 1/2 way through the cook which will also give you an idea of how everything is cooking.

bacon wrapped whole hog?

deepsouth said:

bacon wrapped whole hog?

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That was my thought exactly.

Check out Cowgirl's skinless hog cook
http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2013/06/prepping-and-cooking-pig-on-cinderblock.html

deepsouth said:

bacon wrapped whole hog?

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Plus 3!!

Aren't there laws against skinless whole hog? :shock:

bluetang said:

Check out Cowgirl's skinless hog cook
http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2013/06/prepping-and-cooking-pig-on-cinderblock.html

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^+1! I actually prefer skinless, lets me get a good bark, etc. Cowgirl's above is on an old school concrete block pit. Here is my last one, a 60#-65# skinless wild hog on my reverse flow stickburner.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=168127

Believe it or not, A friend of mine smeared a wild boar that he was cooking with mayonnaise like you would a skinless chicken breast! He didn't feel like taking the hair off so he went ahead and skinned the whole thing instead. The mayo was only used on the back side while the cavity was prepped the normal way. The mayo actually helped to form a bark and seemed to help in keeping the pig from drying out. Of course he also had a couple of layers of aluminum foil under the pig throughout the cook and the pig wasn't that big, maybe 60 or 70 pounds. I'm not sure what temp he cooked at or anything but I thought that the mayo thing was a pretty good example of redneck ingenuity! Personally I like the idea of a layer of some cheap thick sliced bacon on top of a layer of foil for the pig to rest on. It seems like the bacon would slowly render and give a decent amount of protection to the pig? I personally have never done a whole hog but I thought that I would pass some info to you in case you could use any of it. Good Luck!:wink:

I prefer skin off also.. I would losely place foil on top of here with cool bacon about halfway through the cook.. once the desired color is reached.. This will help not give her a burnt look... The cool bacon will be your basting brush.. halfway through the cook.. if you add the bacon too early.. it will burn and turn bitter.. IMHO..

Peeled hogs are great. They need no outer protection. Cook the same way you do a non peeled hog, inject and season. You get a wonderful bark on the outside and the pig is moist on the inside.
Think one large "pork butt". I definitely wouldn't lay bacon on a pork butt... but to each his own. :-D

Good luck with your cook!

cowgirl said:

Peeled hogs are great. They need no outer protection. Cook the same way you do a non peeled hog, inject and season. You get a wonderful bark on the outside and the pig is moist on the inside.
Think one large "pork butt". I definitely wouldn't lay bacon on a pork butt... but to each his own. :-D

Good luck with your cook!

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You'd know much better than I would. :thumb:

deepsouth said:

bacon wrapped whole hog?

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yes please :clap: