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ANIMAL
04-07-2008, 01:16 PM
Down here in EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA we have these wonderful whole hog cook offs. I have been cooking in them for about 3 years now. And to this day I HAVE NOT figured out how to get the skin to "crack" when the judges get into it.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Transformer BBQ
04-07-2008, 01:19 PM
How hot are you cooking your hog?

I usually rub the skin with oil, and cook around 350... seems to result in skin like that.

ANIMAL
04-07-2008, 01:31 PM
Cooking it on a gas oil drum cooker at around 250-275 for 6-8 hours.i cook it skin side up for the first 6 hours then turn it.

Transformer BBQ
04-07-2008, 01:37 PM
Might want to crank the heat towards the end... I would think it would work the same way people put chicken on a hot grill at the end.

I don't cook a log of pigs, maybe 2 a year... but if you want crispy skin you need render out a lot of that fat that sits under the skin. I'm not sure if you're getting it all out at those times/temps. I typically end up with about 1 hour per every 10lbs hog cooking at around 325-350.

I don't do them for contests... just personal stuff, and for friends...

Also, "gas oil drum" does that mean its propane? Depending on the configuration, burning propane for that long in a closed cooker is going to generate moisture. You may have too humid an environment...

ANIMAL
04-07-2008, 02:39 PM
Ment to say an old fuel oil drum,,300 gal. it is in my pic as my avetar.

Mo-Dave
04-07-2008, 05:59 PM
Cooking it on a gas oil drum cooker at around 250-275 for 6-8 hours.i cook it skin side up for the first 6 hours then turn it.

Wow 6 to 8 hours at 250-275, if I cooked my chicken that long at that temp it would be jerky. I don't go for crispy skin although I am told it can be done I just shoot for bite through, cooked between 230-275 for approximately 2 to 3 hours. But if you find out how crispy is done let us know.
Dave

Sorry for my confusion. For some strange reason I thought you were talking about chicken not hog. Guess you can understand why I was amazed how long you were cooking chicken, until I reread your post.
Dave

Don Marco
04-07-2008, 06:10 PM
Cut a bit into the skin to the fat layer underneath in a crosswise pattern and rub salt into that.
The baste the outside with salted water every now and then and crank the heat up towards the end.

http://mybbq.net/forum/userpix/57_pork_033_Medium_1.jpg

Some people also throw a couple of buckets of boiling water over the pig just before cooking to give the skin a start.


DM

ANIMAL
04-13-2008, 04:07 AM
At the Newport pig cook off I tried a mixture of baking soda and olive oil and lemon juice,, seemed to work ok.