Pig Roast (Pics)

[@RCHER]

A couple years ago, I learned of the "Three Guys From Miami" style of roasting a pig and decided to give it a try. With a few adjustments here and there, it's worked out for us and should for a long time to come. 

I won't go into a lot of detail here, since the web site is chock full of step-by-step instruction and helpful tips. Site URL: http://cuban-christmas.com/pigroast.html

We started off by locating a pig rancher that had smaller butcher pigs from 50 to 100 pounds that hadn't been given worming medication within the past 2 weeks.

Dispatch: A ball bat and a boning knife later...

Hair removal: They've got a lot more hair than you might think. You'll want to burn it off. A little propane torch worked well.

Cutting: After a good cool down, it's ready to be split

The site has good information about splitting to butterfly, but here are some detail shots to help clarify.

Just some gently tapping on the sharp clever with the wood mallot was perfect.

Just cut through everything but a little flesh and the skin on the bottom side.

Seasoning: Here's where I got creative and rolled with my own spices and herbs. Mostly gobs of garlic cloves, olive oil, Cavender's, Johnny's, Sea salt, and prime rib rub.

I made a rub out of the mix and a thinner injectable version.

After injecting the marinade and rubbing it down, we wired the pig between the two grids. As they mention, this is so that you can flip the pig afer about 2-3 hours. Also, prior to placing the pig on the pit, the coals should be ready and moved into the corners.

Oven prep: Here we are following their recommendations and covering with aluminum foil. We were really trying to seal it up good, since one of the alterations I made was to add alder chips for a bit more of a smokey flavoring.

Let's Eat! It's hard to describe how tender the meat was. Too tender might be one way. It was awesome, but we probably could have cooked it hotter and longer to let more of the moisture out - a bit.

Overall, this was a great way to cook a pig. It's something we can re-use again and again, and continue to modify for other meats and cooking methods. I've even been thinking of turninig it into a large smoker. The bricks are cheap and you can use so many things as the cooking surface.

Take a read through their site. I'm sure you'll appreciate their cooking style and have fun with it on your own.

[@RCHER]

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[addicted]

That looks awesome

I'm gonna talk to my revier owner about putting together that set up where we're at.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Daing man that looks good!

Did you do that at your house?

[@RCHER]

Thanks Addicted. It's really slick.

Hi Michelle. No, I didn't have enough to share with all of Bellevue, so we kept this one rural.   

[WAPITIHUNTER]

That looks sooooo good. MMM MMM MMM. I love meat. Meat Meat Meat. AHHHHHHHHH!

[luvtohnt]

Where I grew up in Wyoming they had a party every year called the Green River Rendevous, to re-enact the fur trade. They would cook 16 beef quarters like that, the only difference was they buried them for like 28 hours. OH so GOOD!!

Brandon

[wrangler]

thats so bad ass!

[Jason]

Oh man thats looks awesome!!!

[robb92]

Looks good thanks for the info and link, e-mailed it home for the wife to read.

[@RCHER]

Thanks all. I'm making a few mods for this spring, but it really works slick, and it's a pretty cheap build. If you have the space to just leave it once installed, then you can cook just about anything on it.

I've done the pit style and big rented BBQ grills and this was every bit as tender and flavorful as any other way I've done it. Like I said, we cooked it till done, but it was so tender that some folks didn't like it and thought it was still raw. So, this next time it's a bit hotter and longer on the heat.

I'm gonna toss some other game and bison meat on there next go-round.

luvtohnt, you reminded me of the annual Yellowstone River Boat Float we used to attend and help organize in MT growing up. I lived in Reedpoint at the time.

[NRA4LIFE]

Ohhhhhhh Baby!  The ol' Spanfurkel.  Takes me back to my college days.  That looks awesome.  We used to do something very similar on my grandparents farm, but with the chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys that we raised.  Oh so yummy.  My dad and uncle would split them just like that.

One question, did you have to buy any special heat resistant cinder blocks to contruct that?  I have been wanting to build an outdoor setup forever like that.

[@RCHER]

Right on! No, I just bought the cheepo blocks. It doesn't get super hot. It's a slow cook with the charcoal. About 6 hours for this pig. I partially burried the first layer of bricks to retain heat, and just rebar for the grid.

Part of my mods are to build the grid and block arrangement so that the grid sits inside and below the top of the blocks. So I can use an aluminum sheet as a lid. Should be more heat efficient and easier to open and move meat around.

Yeah, I'm excited to try the waterfowl, turkey, etc...

[Wea300mag]

I've been to a few pig roasts, they are hard to beat. That little bugger looks tasty.

[bowsandhose]