Best Brine For Whole Pig Recipes

ROTISSERIE PIG ROAST

Steps:

• If your pig is frozen, you must give it enough time to fully defrost. An average-sized pig will require about 48 hours to completely defrost.
• Whether your pig was frozen or fresh, you will need to let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before you start cooking.
• Your meat will always cook better when it is at room temperature as opposed to being cold. Allow extra time if you intend to brine or marinate your pig. This must be done prior to your pig roast.
• You will also need to protect the more delicate areas of your pig. One of the most popular and delicious parts is the ears. If you do not protect them, they will burn.
• The best way to protect both the ears and the snout is to use a nonstick oil or spray on a piece of parchment paper. Use this to cover the delicate areas.
• You can keep the parchment in place by covering it with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. This will ensure your entire pig is tender, crispy and juicy without any burned areas.
• Brine the pig. For this method, you will use a solution of water and salt.
• This will not only tenderize your meat but moisture will be retained in the muscle fibers. If you intend to brine your pig, you will need to place your pig in a large tub, cover it with your brine solution and let it sit overnight.
• To make certain your brining solution completely penetrates your whole pig, inject your solution into the thickest areas of your meat.
• We also recommend basting your pig. This will ensure your meat has a dark, thick, caramelized coating on the surface of your pig. This will also prevent the superficial meat and skin from becoming dry.
• There are a lot of options for your basting mixture and the ingredients you use to add flavor. We recommend olive oil, fruit juices, lemon juice, wine and herbs. You can further enhance your flavor and improve your caramelization by using sugar or honey.
• Using a rotisserie is critical for cooking your whole pig. If you use a rack to support your pig over the fire, your pig will be stationary.
• The only way to make certain your pig is evenly cooked all the way through is by using a rotisserie. There is no way you will be able to turn over your pig while it is cooking.
• It is practically impossible to manually turn an entire pig by hand over a hot fire. Even attempting to do so will lead to a disaster.
• One of the most critical aspects of cooking your whole pig is making certain your pig is properly trussed to your rotisserie.
• Tightly and aggressively truss your pig to the spit.
• You also need to tightly truss the legs, thighs and hips so they are held securely against each other and your spit. Do the same with the head and shoulders of your pig. You need to prevent your pig from wiggling while roasting. Your pig must move along with your spit.
• Cook your pig slowly at about 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on your temperature and the weight of your pig, your cooking time can be anywhere from four to 24 hours.
• When you think your pig is done, check the internal temperature using your meat thermometer. Check the shoulders and hams since these will finish cooking last. The ideal internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

PERFECT CHICKEN BRINE

Steps:

• Mix water, kosher salt, white sugar, garlic, sage, basil, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a large pot over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar are dissolved completely, about 20 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and cover with a lid. Cool brine at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating to cool completely.

BASIC PORK BRINE

Steps:

• Mix water, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in garlic and ginger.

WHOLE HOG

Steps:

• Cut the top of the garlic bulbs off and tie them in cheesecloth. Place garlic bulbs, salt, olive oil, seasoning salt, black pepper, and hot salt, to taste, in the inside of the pig as well as the outside. Roast as desired. When temperature of pig reaches 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, it's done and ready to eat.

WHOLE SMOKED PIG (THE GUY)

Steps:

• Use a mortar and pestle to pound cilantro stems and roots, ginger, garlic, and shallots, to a paste, pounding each ingredient thoroughly before adding the next. Then add the fish sauce to create a thin paste. You'll probably need to work in batches. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the coconut milk. Grind the dried chilies and peppercorns together in a spice grinder. Add the lime zest and kaffir leaf pieces, and grind them all together until the mixture is fine and slightly moist. Stir the spice mixture into the coconut milk mixture. Rub the pig down and up (put it in a giant garbage bag or large plastic bin), inside and out with the kosher salt. Then rub the coconut mixture all over the salted pig, inside and out. Put the pig, belly up, in a large heavy-duty trash bag and pour any remaining marinade inside the cavity. Squeeze out as much air as possible from the bag and tie it. Let sit for 2 to 3 days in a large refrigerator.
• Get a large smoker up to 200 degrees F. Remove the pig from the bag, saving as much of the marinade as possible. Put the pig in the smoker, belly up, and pour the marinade into the belly cavity. While it's cooking, focus on stoking your fire, maintaining the temperature, and drinking. The piggy is ready when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the shoulder is at 170 degrees F. Any pig over 140 pounds or so will take the full 24 hours. If you're working with 50-pounders, though, it'll take closer to 12 hours.
• Remove the pig from the smoker and transfer it to a large table covered with a plastic tablecloth or tarp. Let it rest for about 20 minutes, but pork-mad people will undoubtedly start ripping into the fatty flesh before you can get it to the table. I know because I'm one of them. Use a heavy-duty, sharp knife to remove the primals, peel the skin, and chop the meat. Be sure to have a catch basin for the juice and fat that will be spilling out from the smoky carcass. Toss the reserved cilantro leaves over the chopped meat.

WHOLE PIG ROAST

Steps:

• Rinse the pig from the butcher.
• Butcher further, if necessary for it to lay flat.
• Remove the silver skin from the ribs and trim any extra fat off that will burn during the cooking process.
• Give one more rinse and move the pig to the brine bath for 10-12 hours.
• Inject the brine also into the pig in the hams, shoulders, and belly.
• About an hour before putting the pig on, give it a final rinse and dry.
• Season as desired.
• Place the pig in the pit.
• For indirect cooking, the coals were placed along the front and the back of the pit at a temperature around 250° F.
• To start the pig, lay it meat side down (stomach) for 6 hours.
• Then at the anticipated halfway point, flip the pig over to its back. Cook for another 6-8 hours.
• Baste the pig on the inside with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, hot sauce, crushed red peppers, salt, and pepper.
• Pull the pig off and prep it for serving. Remove bones and shred the pork inside.
• #enJOY!