Whole Pit Roasted 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 KAHLUA PIG ROASTED IN A SAND ENCLOSED OVEN FOR A LUAU

Steps:

• Dig a pit in the sand 2 feet deep and 6 feet in diameter. Add the river rocks and cover with enough of the wood to get the fire underway to heat the rocks. (You will add the additional wood as needed.) Start the fire (to heat the rocks to 800 degrees F). Add the metal panels on top of the fire to contain heat without smothering the fire.
• Using assistance place the gutted pig in the supine position on the stretcher-like platform and wrap the affixed chicken wire around to mostly secure the pig, but leaving enough room to be able to put the heated lava rocks inside the body cavity.
• Place some banana "stumps" in the body cavity of the pig to serve as a buffer between the hot coals and the pig meat to prevent the flesh from burning.
• Protecting your face, hands, and body with proper gear and using safe equipment, remove enough of the metal panels from the fire to retrieve the heated rocks with fire safe tongs. Someone will use heavy fire mitts to hold the rocks in a pair of tongs, while the other person uses the ti leaves "brush" to dust off the ash. The rocks with the ash removed are then placed one-by-one in the cavity of the pig so it will cook from the inside out with dry heat. Place some additional banana "stumps" in the body cavity of the pig to serve as a buffer between the hot coals and the pig meat to prevent the flesh from burning. The carcass of the pig is then closed with chicken wire and additional metal wire as needed to secure the chicken wire. Remove the attachments that have been holding the chicken wire to the stretcher. Transfer the pig to sit atop the metal panels of the imu, and use the additional ti leaves like aluminum foil, placing them dull side up, shiny side down in a cross configuration to steam the exterior of the pig with the moisture from the ti leaves.
• When the pig is cooked through, approximately eight hours, use assistance to remove it from the fire, let rest for 30 minutes, then carve it down. The cheeks of the pig should be reserved for the most honored guest.

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.

EARTH OVEN ROAST PIG

Steps:

• Additional Items you will need: canvas tarp (make sure it's big enough to anchor the tarp around the edge of the hole,) charcoal briquettes, one cord of wood, 40 cantaloupe-sized rocks (preferably lava rocks, but river rocks will work,) chicken wire, 30 or so green banana leaves, very sharp knives, 20 wet burlap bags, a metal chimney (I a 3 foot length of 6 inch diameter aluminum pipe,) green corn husks (cabbage or seaweed will work and you'll need quite a bit).
• You'll also need shovels to dig the pit, and some lengths of rope to lower the pig, and remove it. I used carabiners on the end of the rope.
• The first, and hardest part, is to dig the pit. For a 200 pound hog we dig a pit that is 5 feet by 7 feet and 3 feet deep. The dimensions will vary depending on the size of the pig, but you should dig it no less than 3 feet deep. Square walls help in lowering the pig and removing it.
• Once the hole is finished, place your chimney in the center and fill the hole with your wood. I recommend having a full cord of wood on hand, again depending on the size of your pig and pit, but it's a good idea to overestimate. The wood should completely fill the hole and pile up about 2 feet above the hole. On top of the wood, evenly space your rocks. You should have enough rocks so that when the wood burns down you'll have completely covered the bottom of the pit with hot rocks.
• Next, drop 10-15 charcoal briquettes down the chimney. To the briquettes, add a whole can of charcoal lighter fluid. Ignite the lighter fluid and get the charcoal going. The safest way to do this is to take a piece of newspaper or a brown paper bag, roll it up, put a bit of the lighter fluid on it, and drop it down the chimney. You can remove the chimney when you know the fire is going well, but we use aluminum pieces that simply burn away with the intense heat. Once your fire is going, it's time to prepare the hog.
• Score the skin and rub in salt and spices. Pig skin is notoriously tough, so you'll need extremely sharp knives and with a larger pig, you'll probably have to sharpen them as you go. I frequently use box cutters with razors. The onions and pineapples can be placed inside the hog. You can also inject your favorite marinade into the meat at this point.
• Now you need to wait for the fire to burn down. This can be a dangerous point of the project if you're using river rocks. Bubbles and moisture inside the rocks will expand with heat, and the rocks can (and probably will) explode and crack. You can minimize the problem by placing chicken wire over the fire which will keep pieces from flying all over the place. Once the rocks heat up enough, they'll stop cracking and it will be safe.
• Once the fire has burned down, you'll need to place a couple of the hot rocks inside the cavity of the pig. We use a post-hole digger to pick up the rocks. You can use heat resistant gloves but you'll likely ruin them. These rocks are HOT!. Place enough inside the pig to fill most of the cavity.
• Wrap the pig first in the green banana leaves, then in chicken wire. The leaves will prevent the pig from charring, and any parts left uncovered will burn. The chicken wire will help keep the pig together while it's cooking and will aid in placing the pig in the pit and removing it when it's done.
• Now you're going to make a bed of corn husks on top of the hot rocks. I mentioned earlier that you can use seaweed or cabbage for this. I have used both cabbage and corn husks, but seaweed is the traditional Polynesian way. Corn worked great, as did cabbage, though the cabbage was FAR smellier as it cooked. I think the corn husks impart a sweet flavor to the meat, so that's my preferred method.
• Lower your wrapped pig onto the bed of corn husks.
• Thoroughly soak the burlap bags in water, then place them over the pig, covering the entire pig. These will create a type of lid over the pig keeping the heat inches.
• Cover the pit with the canvas tarp, anchor the edges and corners, then moisten the tarp thoroughly. Use the dirt from the hole to cover the tarp completely, starting with the edges to prevent the tarp from slipping in on the pig. Once you've covered the tarp in dirt, soak the dirt and relax. You will need to occasionally moisten the dirt. There's no time schedule on this, but when the dirt starts to dry, hose it down.
• Your pig will be cooked in about 7 hours. Just remove the dirt, then roll back the tarp and take out the pig. At this point I find easiest to use a length of rope with a clip (carabiner) at the end. You just attach the clip to the chicken wire and pull it out. Works great!
• I cooked a 200# hog for my wedding. It cooked for 8 hours and was only slightly over-done. It was delicious, and the looks on peoples faces as it came out of the ground were priceless.
• You should not, however, underestimate the difficulties of a project like this. Hole digging is tough, and it can be difficult to find that many rocks. Allow yourself several weeks to plan, and at least a couple of days to dig the hole. This is not a last minute recipe.
• For proportions, count on 1 person 1 pound. So, 100 people, 100# pig.