Epic

[Layne]

Epic indeed!

 

[ETOHonboard]

If you offered classes I would seriously consider paying for it. I must now try to tackle smoking a pig. Subscribed!

 

[humann_brewing]

so, I got here late, are you passed out yet?

 

[Cape Brewing]

Uggg. Laaaaate night. Campfire and many bottles passed. My head hurts.

We'll see how this pig is going to actually come out. I'm pretty concerned actually. The pit is working pissa like it always does. The problem is the roasting pan. It is a really high sided pan and the entire pig actually fits in it (not sticking out the top).

We checked it last night late out of curiousity and the entire pan had almost completely filled will boiling fat so we basically deep fat fried the entire thing. I have the pit on super low temp as the thing looked done last night. This development has the potential to either be an even bigger epic win or epic fail. We are waiting for a few more guys to roll out of theor tents and we're going to see if there some way we can drain some of the grease.

And then we want to taste the meat and see how it is.

 

[passedpawn]

where. are. the. pics.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I have been taking video every stwp of the way and will post it all in a couple of days. Its too much of a pain to take pics, download to my kaptip, upload to HBT.. I got toomuch going on. We are attacking this pig situation in a couple of minutes and then we have to get yhe beer tent setup. (up to 28 kegs)

 

[jd3]

What is your plan to drain it? One potential way is to drill a hole at say an inch or 1/2 inch above the side of the bottom. NOt ideal, but it could be plugged with a bolt later on.

I once had to do this in a similar situation. You might have the rare problem of the meat being too moist.

 

[Layne]

You will have to 'scoop' it out or ladle it.

Hey, I wonder if a march pump would pump that lard......Just kidding.

Cant drain it onto the fire.

Hmmmmm

 

[HokieBrewer]

Well?

 

[Cape Brewing]

Welp... I'm not sure I would chalk the whole thing up as a fail but the hog was definitely not up to snuff. The outside of it was way over-cooked due to the "deep fat frying" of the entire thing but the center was still pretty damn good. The problem was folks just started tearing at it as soon as it came out and filled the serving pans with what was easiest to grab... or... the outer layers of the hog and that was the majority of what got served. If you were smart and just went right to the hog, you were able to pull off some really nice peices of meat.

I'm not really too bummed out about it though.... it was a great weekend all around. We ended up with 29 kegs on tap. I think everyone had a blast and next year, I am confident that the pig will be back up to its normal standards. All I'm going to do is drill a bunch of holes a few inches in the sides of the roasting pan, a couple of inches off the bottom so there is a little park fat in the bottom but then it drains off without deep fat frying the thing.

I'm still going to do the video and I'll post that some time this week.

 

[Bensiff]

We brine our pigs also, but I was thinking 5 days might be a bit much too. Have you done that long before?

You brine by thickness not weight; however, I wouldn't know where to begin with a whole pig of that size and that thickness. Did the 5 day brine end up being accurate Cape, or would you add/subtract from that next time?

Once I finish up my 12 hour day I'll get to go home to left over baby backs I did the other day...after reading this thread ribs just aren't as exciting anymore.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I don't think the five day brine was a problem at all. None of the meat tasted "over-salted" at all and in terms of thickness, this hog was effin huge. It was the largest hams and shoulders I've ever seen on a roasting hog.

I MAY cut it to four days next year but I don't think the five days were a problem.

Only issue is I gotta insulate the tank better. I was going through 15 or so bags of ice per day

 

[Hugh_Jass]

Sorry to hear that it was not up to par.

I gotta admit. When I read the pan filled with pig fat, I was thinking one great big pork confit. Any way to capture the rendered fat next year to preserve some left-overs?

 

[Bensiff]

At least that is good to hear, nothing worse than over salted meat. I tell you what though, reading this thread made me want to dig out my old "Wicked Pissa" DIPA recipe and brew it up to have ready for my next pork shoulder.

I like Hugh's idea of collecting the fat, almost a waste not to.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I ended up dumping a bit over 10 gallons of pork fat. I was way to concerned with trying to salvage things that I didn't want to be bothered with it. I know.. I know... it was sacreligious but I had too much going on already.

And... no, I don't think I can capture it next year. I'm going to pop a ton of holes into the pan so it drains and I don't want to just do one or two holes so I can then create some sort of "capture device" as I wouldn't want those two holes to get plugged with any loose meat or skin and fill the pan again.

Wait to you see the video though. It is literally 300 lbs of meat being deep fried.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Just an idea before putting holes in a nice pan. I'm sure it's probably too big but how about using it upside down in the pit and tacking some rods on the side leaving a little space between each to let the fat drip out slowly. Then again you could put rods rightside up and the pig on top (saving the fat). I'm sure punching holes in it will give it better air flow but if inverting doesn't work you can start punching holes. I'm sure the pit-a-saurus isn't quite big accomadate the height of pan-a-saurus and pig. Just thinking....

 

[Bensiff]

Use some homebrew tech...false bottom

 

[Cape Brewing]

The pan is about 16 inches deep and when we checked it, the fat was about 14 inches deep.

The entire pan had basically filled.

I have no real hardcore desire to save the fat THAT much that would start really messing with the set up.

I think it is a simple solution for next year to get me back on track with having really tasty pork coming out of that pit. I just need to punch some holes for the fat to drip out (about three inches up) and if I can save some of the fat in the very bottom, so be it but I've never saved fat before and never missed it. I just want the pig to come out perfect.

 

[Hugh_Jass]

Drill a few holes 1/8" lower than the rest to capture the fat. If they end up clogging, the rest of the holes will allow the fat to drain.

Don't quit now, Cape. Did we quit when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

 

[Cape Brewing]

Oh &%*^.... there's no quiting...

This year was my 11th year doing a hog roast and there's zero chance a minor set back like this is going to make me quit. Oh HELL no.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Use some homebrew tech...false bottom

Mega Tun? Mega Bottom?

 

[the_bird]

What did you do before you used the pan? Didn't you wrap the pig in chicken wire and cabbage or something? Do you really NEED use the pan? What's the benefit?

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

For the same effect as in the scene from Frankenstein when the Dr. raises the body.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Not really for effect... This year's hog was going to be a fair amount over 300 lbs all in and using the "stretcher method" for pulling this thing in and out of the ground was getting a bit dicey. I could have used the hoist to grab the wrapped pig but I juat thpught the big pan would be easier.

I also wanted to try to crisp the skin up a bit and see if I could pull some chicharones off of it.

But mainly... I did the smaller pig with the roasting pan over the winter and it was the best pig I ever roasted so I wantes to just scale it up.

On the small pig, the pan only went about 10% up the side of the pig... On the big one I just tried, it went about 98% up the side of the pig. That was really the only flaw.

Lesson learned. If you knew what you were doing and went for the "center meat" it was pretty good. And, most imporantly, the rest of the cookout was a blast so, over all, it was a win.

 

[paulthenurse]

I do have to agree, the party was a good time.

(With one notable exception. RR won Das Boot as Champion Club Brewer? Seriously? Obviously the election was flawed. The only bigger travesty would be if Robbnoxious were to win the title. Now we're going to have to spend the next freakin' year listening to you know who telling us how he battled back from his 'career threatening injury' and still managed to outgrew the rest of us. "Really, when you think about it, I brew with one hand tied behind my back..."

As far as sticking screwdrivers in anyones kidneys goes, that would be better than having to choke down a plate of that pork product we pulled out of the pit. I keep telling you, Cape, come over early for Masstoberfest this year and I'll show you the proper way to BBQ a hawg . You can thank me later.

 

[Tinga]

posting for video

 

[chefmike]

You had a 300lb turn out well Cape? I have been doing 100lb pigs the last couple weeks for parties. Talk is that bigger pigs are lower quality in the meat. Any views on that?

I am just butterflying them and roasting them indirect (coals in 4 corners). I can turn out a 100lb pig in 6-7 hours.

Skin good. Ears are the best!

 

[Cape Brewing]

I have consistantly had 200+ pounders come out insanely good the way I do them.

This is how I've done it in years past.



This year I changed up my process a bit and paid the price. It is an easy fix for next year but I still very strongly prefer the pit method instead of "grilling" or "smoking". I think the process is a ton easier and a ton tastier.

 

[dataz722]

So where is this years video?

 

[paulthenurse]

You don't want to see it. Trust me.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Blah blah blah. Folks know by now to ignore PTN. It'll be done soon. I am at a fam reunion in NY. We got here Weds afternoon and wont be home until tomorrow night. I'll put it together soon.

 

[bob1852]

I'm on to you Cape. You just have too many epic things "going on" at once, so there's never any time to share you videos, your 40% barley "barely" whisky, etc. etc. etc.

 

[friarjohn]

i love the home made slippin slide!!!

 

[DakotaRules]

Im editing some of the video now, but heres a teaser!

 

[Cape Brewing]

Well... 1) I guess I appreciate you capturing video of what I was saying about the center being pretty good. But 2) c'mon!? You had to post the eye bleach shot??? Payback is a ***** dude.

 

[DakotaRules]

I think the knife though the ballots is awesome! Plus if you would have maybe put your shirt on at all that day.... Every picture I have of you is shirtless, unless you count your fur sweater, talk about eye bleach, I had to go through 50 pictures of looking at that. I actually threw up last night because of it.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Dude... It was hot out. I kept jumping in ad out of the pool. The more important question is why you TOOK 50 pictures of me without a shirt on


(COUGH COUGH fruit COUGH)

 

[the_bird]

You went through fifty pictures of a shirtless Cape last night? Really? Did you make yourself a little slide show? You know, so your hands would be free?

 

[Cape Brewing]

(horribly disturbed)

 

[the_bird]

Cape, if you were a chick this would be like a terrible made-for-Lifetime TV movie. I think you've got a stalker!