Seasoning A Whole Pig Recipes

WHOLE ROAST SUCKLING PIG

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare the pig: Wash it, including the cavity, under cold running water, and towel-dry thoroughly, the way you would dry a small child after a bath - ears, armpits, chest cavity, face, legs, backs of knees.
• Sometimes there are imperfections remaining after the slaughtering and processing of the animal. Use dish towels or sturdy paper towels to rub away any dark spots on the ears, any little bit of remaining bristles around the mouth. Like that yellow, papery flaking skin you sometimes find on chickens, which can be peeled off to reveal tender, fresh skin underneath, a similar bit of crud can remain on pigs' chins and under their belly flaps. Clean this little cutie as if you were detailing your car! The purple U.S.D.A. stamp, however, is indelible. But not inedible.
• Bard the pig with all 20 garlic cloves, making deep incisions all over with a thin filleting knife and shoving the cloves into each pocket; include the cheeks and the neck and the rump and the thighs and the loin down the back and the front shoulders, all areas of the small creature that have enough flesh to be able to receive a clove of garlic. (Sometimes I find I have to slice the larger cloves of garlic in half to get them to slide into the incision.)
• Rub the entire pig in oil exactly as you would apply suntan oil to a sunbathing goddess of another era, when people still were ignorant of the harmful effects of the sun. Massage and rub and get the whole creature slick and glistening. I do this directly in a very large roasting pan.
• Wash and dry your hands. Take large pinches of kosher salt, and raising your arm high above the pig, rain down the salt in an even, light dusting all over. You can start with the pig on its back and get the cavity and the crotch, and then turn it over and get the back and the head and flanks. Or vice versa. But in the end, the whole animal is salted evenly and lightly, snout to tail.
• Arrange the pig in the roasting pan, spine up, rear legs tucked under, with feet pointing toward its ears and its two front legs out ahead in front. Sometimes the pig needs a sharp, sturdy, confident chiropractic crack on its arching spine, just to settle it in comfortably to the roasting pan, so it won't list to one side or topple over.
• Put the potato deep into its mouth, and place in the oven, on the bottom rack, and roast slowly for about 4 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your pig. (Plan 15 minutes of roasting time per pound of pig; if you have a 20-pounder, then you'd need about 5 hours total cooking time.) Add a little water to the roasting pan along the way if you see the juices are in danger of scorching, and loosely tent the animal with aluminum foil in vulnerable spots - ears, snout, arc of back - if you see them burning. For the last half-hour, raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees, and cook until the skin gets crisp and even blistered, checking every 10 minutes.
• Tap on it with your knuckle to hear a kind of hollow sound, letting you know the skin has inflated and separated from the interior flesh; observe splitting of the skin at knuckles - all good signs the pig is done. Or use a meat thermometer inserted deep in the neck; the pig is ready at 160 degrees. Let rest 45 minutes before serving.
• Remove the potato, and replace it with the apple. Transfer the pig to a large platter; nestle big bouquets of herbs around the pig as garnish. Save pan juices, and use for napping over the pulled meat when serving.

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.

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.

SMOKED WHOLE PIG

Steps:

• Prepare your pig for smoking by cutting through the backbone, cutting the ribs away from the backbone, and removing any excess silver skin from the ribs and interior cavity. Use a sharp knife to trim away some of the skin away from the hams and shoulders.
• Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F for indirect cooking. Use a mild hard wood like apple or hickory.
• Combine all of the injection ingredients in a large bowl. Using a syringe injector, inject the liquid into all areas of the pig.
• Place the pig on your smoker and close the lid. Smoke for 1 hour before opening the lid.
• Make the mop sauce by combining all of the ingredients. Mop the sauce on the pig once very hour until the internal temperature of the hams reach 165 degrees F.
• Use heavy duty foil the tightly wrap the pig and tuck the ends of the foil around the edges of your pig.
• Close the lid of your smoker and continue cooking until the internal temperatures of your shoulders read at least 195 degrees F and your hams are about 185 degrees F if you want some sliced/chopped pork. If you want to be able to shred your whole pig, cook until your temperatures in the shoulder read at least 200 degrees F and your hams read 195 degrees F.
• Turn off your smoker and allow your pig to rest for at least an hour (still wrapped in the foil) before slicing, pulling, and serving.

LOUISIANA - PIG ROAST

Steps:

• Prepare the meat:.
• Trim the roast leaving just a little fat on it.
• Prepare the meat:.
• Mix all the ingredients above except the Mustard. Bring mixture to a boil then let cool stirring every few minutes to release the seasonings.
• Draw mixture into an injector and inject the roast putting the needle as close to the center of each muscle as you can (doesn't have to be perfect). Rub the outside of the roast with mustard then sprinkle a little Old Bay seasoning all over it.
• Put the roast in a zipper lock bag or in a covered bowl. Put it in the fridge overnight (at least 8 hours).
• Light the pit and get a nice hot fire going. Add a bunch of soaked hardwood chips to the fire. Put the roast right over the fire. Let the roast get dark brown all over. Take it off the fire and put it in a covered pan. Use a disposable aluminum pan if you're going to finish it on the pit.
• Note: You have a choice here, you can finish it on the pit, or, in the oven. What's nice about this is that you can take care of the browning, remove it, and continue to barbecue other things.
• In the oven, set the roast in a pan and broil it until the browning completes.
• Now, here's the juiciness trick. Add about 3/4 cup of water to the pan, or, keep enough water in the pan to cover the bottom. Cover it well with aluminum foil and, on the pit, set it off to the side away from the fire. Note: The heat should be at least 275ºF in this section of the pit. Check the water content every half hour and flip the roast each time. In the oven set the temp to 275ºF and do the same.
• When is it done? Use a meat thermometer and test the thickest part of the roast, 160ºF is where you want it. Here's where you have a choice. You can take it out and slice it now, or, continue to let it cook. If you continue to let it cook the muscle sections will begin to pull away from each other, and become more and more stringy. It is more apt to be dry so you must baste it from here on out. If it gets too dry you won't get the moisture back in the meat immediately, you'll only have dry meat in a sauce.
• As you slice it dredge it in the liquid, or just leave it in the liquid. Taste the liquid to see if it needs any seasoning.
• After the first few taste testers visit be careful with the knife so you don't wind up with additional finger food.

"MARINATED AND SMOKED WHOLE HOG"

Steps:

• Marinate for 1 to 8 days. A hog that is 80 pounds on the hoof, 45 pounds cleaned, will fit well in a standard cooler. The acid cleans the meat, which is important when cooking.
• When ready to smoke, bring the wood coals to no more than 250 degrees F in a large smoker. Use a wood that is indigenous to your area. Pecan is great, so is mesquite, apple wood and hickory. Let the coals become nice and uniform so that you have even radiant heat.
• Smoke the hog from 6 to 12 hours, depending on its size. Once the densest part of the hog reaches 140 degrees F, add a pan of apples to the bottom of the smoker, sprinkle with cinnamon, and let them steam up under the hog.
• At this point, also blanket the back of the hog with bacon and pour on 2-4 cups of molasses. Be generous with it and pour most of it in the area where it will drip down into the pan of apples.
• The hog is ready to serve when the densest, deepest part is 160 degrees F. Under the front shoulder is usually the coolest part to test. Serve immediately table side as your piece de resistance.