Post by: @RCHER on February 14, 2009, 11:33:51 PM
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 (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.
Post by: @RCHER on February 14, 2009, 11:34:56 PM
Post by: addicted on February 14, 2009, 11:45:05 PM
I'm gonna talk to my revier owner about putting together that set up where we're at.
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on February 14, 2009, 11:45:40 PM
Did you do that at your house? :chuckle:
Post by: @RCHER on February 14, 2009, 11:57:57 PM
Hi Michelle. No, I didn't have enough to share with all of Bellevue, so we kept this one rural. ;)
Post by: WAPITIHUNTER on February 15, 2009, 06:22:54 AM
Post by: luvtohnt on February 15, 2009, 08:12:23 AM
Brandon
Post by: wrangler on February 15, 2009, 08:38:13 AM
Post by: Jason on February 15, 2009, 01:37:56 PM
Post by: robb92 on February 17, 2009, 01:36:10 AM
Post by: @RCHER on February 17, 2009, 12:55:56 PM
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. :EAT:
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.
Post by: NRA4LIFE on February 17, 2009, 01:06:16 PM
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.
Post by: @RCHER on February 18, 2009, 09:54:48 AM
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...
Post by: Wea300mag on February 18, 2009, 04:18:04 PM
Post by: bowsandhose on February 18, 2009, 04:22:30 PM
Post by: bucklucky on February 18, 2009, 04:23:10 PM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on February 18, 2009, 04:23:51 PM
Post by: bigdave on February 18, 2009, 07:55:49 PM
mmmmmm, crunchy
Post by: rasbo on February 21, 2009, 08:20:11 AM
Post by: @RCHER on May 24, 2009, 08:01:47 PM
Cheers!
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on May 24, 2009, 09:31:40 PM
Post by: NW-GSP on May 25, 2009, 12:05:43 PM
Post by: gasman on June 03, 2009, 06:15:08 PM
But i think i am going t dig a hole in the ground and put a single layer of bricks around it to keep it abouve the ground.
How deep should i dig the pit for the coals?
How long should i allow for cooking time?
Thanks for the advise.
Pete
Post by: @RCHER on June 07, 2009, 10:16:08 PM
1) meat should probably be about 12-15 inches up off the coals.
2) coals not too hot to start off - slow cook like a roast.
3) have a way to cover it with the foil - to keep the hot air circulating around in there.
4) should take about 4-5 hours to cook. Depending on the fire and size of pig.
~ Good eats
Post by: dp1175 on June 07, 2009, 10:38:41 PM
Post by: @RCHER on June 08, 2009, 02:02:42 PM
Then you can always counter-sink the rack and build a lid that seals better than the foil and rocks. Or even build a steel reflective box along the inside walls to reflect and seal even better. Or try flipping a bottom bick on it's side for air holes, or heck, build a smoke box out of a few more bricks that butts up against the air holes that pushes smoke into the cook box. Lot's of fun stuff to try. Anything beyond a pig on a stick over an open fire would be a bonus. :chuckle:
This really isn't a hot cook. It's a long and slow method that is great for tender, smoky, juicy cooking. Like I mentioned earlier, you can experiment to your heart's content. But no requirement to over-think this one. When you go low-temp, you don't break stuff or stress things out too bad.
Fortunately, these blocks are cheap and sometimes free on craigslist. Remember, the deeper you dig the hole, the fewer bricks to buy! :peep:
Post by: 257 Wby Mag on June 15, 2010, 10:01:07 AM
Post by: oldcamper on July 10, 2010, 10:56:00 AM
Post by: Wea300mag on July 28, 2010, 08:26:58 PM
Post by: rasbo on July 29, 2010, 04:18:12 AM
Post by: @RCHER on August 16, 2010, 11:55:32 PM
Post by: whitey on August 17, 2010, 06:11:45 AM
Should I bring My cooker over :drool:
Thats a real nice hog.
Look forward to seeing the hog on the pit.
Post by: @RCHER on August 28, 2010, 12:48:18 PM
This time we lowered the pig down to the heat by one layer of bricks and bumped up the heat considerably.
1) Day before...split the pig down the center to butterfly open on the grill, and poked about 60 garlic cloves into the meat - NOT from the skin side, you don't want any holes in the skin or it will rip open during cooking.
2) Created the marinade/rub to be injected into the meat the night before:
- fresh minced garlic cloves (used food processor and the large bag of peeled garlic from Costco)
- mixed 4 cups orange juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and Cavender's Greek Seasoning
- Injected about half into the large muscle groups (hams, shoulders, backstraps (through the ribs) and then let the rest sit in the fridge over night.
2) Started a good charcoal and alder log fire by 5AM.
3) Let the fire burn down to coals with almost no flame at all. Then divided the coals into four even groups and moved into each corner of the BBQ pit.
4) Tied the pig into the steel grid and rubbed the skin side with sea salt and the remaining marinade onto the meat side.
5) We placed Mr. Pig onto the pit and covered with the sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and pinned the edges down with logs and rocks to keep the heat in.
6) Finally, after flipping a couple times, by 2:00 we were ready to start diving in.
Cooking hot and closer to the fire was the ticket. As long as there aren't any flames, the skin stays golden brown and ends up crispy like a pig-tato-chip. And the meat was fall-off the bone, juicy, fatty... :drool:
Post by: boneaddict on August 28, 2010, 12:51:12 PM
Post by: Wea300mag on August 29, 2010, 08:58:51 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on August 29, 2010, 09:03:35 PM
Post by: mulehunter on August 29, 2010, 09:06:53 PM
Mulehunter :drool:
Post by: NW-GSP on February 27, 2011, 10:21:15 AM
Post by: dirty24d on February 27, 2011, 11:24:20 AM
me wants sooome!!
I've had this link for awhile if anyone is interested there is good info in it from ordering pigs to cooking as well.
http://www.askthemeatman.com/roasting_a_whole_hog_in_3_steps.htm (http://www.askthemeatman.com/roasting_a_whole_hog_in_3_steps.htm)
Post by: sneakyjake on May 09, 2011, 11:35:31 AM
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi144.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr179%2Fsneakyjake%2FSnapbucket%2F26FD96BF-orig.jpg&hash=de9ae3cb4b46675e2c20879767ed80ce373b2afb)
Post by: Hornseeker on May 13, 2011, 07:23:13 AM