How to Roast a Whole Pig

[Orfy]

I need land!

Then I can have broilers, pigs, goats, rabbit farm!
I'm pushing it with the chickens I have planned.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Hmmm... Mapquest says from Adams to Norton is, oh... just about three hours.

When's the next roast?

It's always the second weekend in July... except for this year, it was the third... it was easier for a couple of reasons.

Hey.. .like I was saying, just bring good beer and I'll send directions!

I think the only thing I'm going to add to the process next year is an in-pit temperature probe so I can monitor the temp out of curiousity. I probably won't change anything though since it's been perfect the last two years in a row.

 

[CBBaron]

That looks like a great bbq and and awesome party. I havn't seen many bars with a beer selection that good.

I am definitely jealous.


Now who's going to roast the steer? Thats the only chance anyone has of topping this one.

Craig

 

[Cape Brewing]

That looks like a great bbq and and awesome party. I havn't seen many bars with a beer selection that good.

I am definitely jealous.


Now who's going to roast the steer? Thats the only chance anyone has of topping this one.

Craig

I've thought about doing a side of beef... basically half a cow... the problem is I don't think it would be fatty enough and I don't know if the skin would seal it all up like a pig.

When I put the pig in, I put it feet/belly up so all of the fat, as it melts, basically bastes the meat and the skin seals it all in. That's why the meat comes out so incredibly tender and moist. It's basically steaming in pig-fat. I don't think beef would do that and I think it might dry out.

Last year I added a little bit of fancy-pants to the thing and stuffed the pig's chest with five or six ducks. That didn't suck. I didn't feel like it this year and believe me, we didn't suffer.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I hope to try this someday on a smaller scale.
I think I make build one on the plot for joints.

How much does a full pig cost?

I've always paid about $1.25-$1.50 per pound so obviously it depends on how big. This year, for some reason the price went through the roof and was about $2.40 per pound... so... the 135 lb pig in the pictures ran me about$350. It's still not too bad though if you think about it. That 135 lb pig fed about 75 people no problem.

I always go to this meat packing wholesaler up in Boston... next year, I'm just going to find a pig farm and hope it's cheaper.

 

[MrManTX]

I then had five of my beers on tap at The Cape (the Irish pub in my basement... pics in my gallery)

Dude.. That basement pub is probably one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. You are definitely my hero! I want to do something just like that! COME ON LOTTERY!!

 

[Cape Brewing]

Dude.. That basement pub is probably one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. You are definitely my hero! I want to do something just like that! COME ON LOTTERY!!

thanks... I did 100% of the work myself. That basement was bare concrete when I started and over the course of an entire year, I did the framing, electrical, plumbing (added a bathroom down there and a sink behind the bar), all of the bar finish work, floor, ceiling, etc etc.

There's NO CHANCE I could afford to pay someone to do it but since I did it myself, I was able to swing it. It's fun. I've gotta get some better pics up.

I'm working on my all-grain rig now (who isn't?) and once that's done, I was going to do a "from grain to my glass" thread showing the rig, process and then into the walk-in cooler I built, the insulated lines that carry the beer behind a wall, under the bar and up to the tap box.

needless to say I have one of the coolest wives ever born.

 

[Melana]

We'd happy to bring beer! That looks like a LOT of fun...

I have heard of a pig farm in Charlton, MA where you can pick out your own pig... i don't know exactly where though.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

Damn, I bet if the wind is just right I can smell that cooking from home. Thanks for sharing. I bet your pit would work awesome for one of those New England clam bakes too. Thanks for sharing.

 

[zoebisch01]

This year, for some reason the price went through the roof and was about $2.40 per pound...

Feed cost has almost doubled this past year . This is the reason why I am leaning towards free ranging as much of my animals as possible now and in the future.

 

[david_42]

Pigs could be put out to root in the forest

The lower 5 acres of my property is called "Hog Hollow". Full of oak trees and too steep for cows. I wonder if pigs eat blackberry canes? On the other hand, since the property West of my place was logged off, the stream drys up in the summer.

Great thread! Haven't done a whole pig in decades.

 

[zoebisch01]

Phil (pjj2ba) just did a pig roast this past month using the Cuban Box method (a commercial one is available called 'Caja China' aka 'Chinese Box', although I am guessing the Chinese part probably stems from the area of Cuba previously known as Oriente) and it was really nice. I especially loved the part where Phil, Clever and Mallet in hand, split the Pig Head in two halves. He and I tried the Brains. There was a wondrous look of horror on many faces . Damn, that's it. I'm going to build a fence and raise some pigs. See what you guys did!

 

[Revvy]

You had Piraat on tap? And Roast Pig?

I think I love you!!!
(In an assuredly heterosexual way, that is.)

 

[Cape Brewing]

You had Piraat on tap? And Roast Pig?

I think I love you!!!
(In an assuredly heterosexual way, that is.)

HA HA! Get in line big boy... I had about nine guys from my brew club say the same thing that day!

Ehh... it's fun. I like trying to go overboard with things (hence my brewing addiction). My buddies make fun of me saying, "Most people wuld just grab some burgers, dogs and a 30 pack of Bud Light cans... but you have to bury a 150 lb pig and get six kegs... three of which are from Belgium"

What the hell... go big or go home... that's what I say.

 

[SporkD2]

I have a friend that cooks a pig like this every so often. The chimney with the tin foil idea is great. We had to take shifts adding charcoal to the pit so we wouldnt lose a lot of heat. Maybe this way we can just get drunk and not worry about it

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Are you sure your not from North Carolina?

 

[findthefish]

Man that looks amazing. You have no idea how jealous I am. I have to do this at some point in my life.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I have a friend that cooks a pig like this every so often. The chimney with the tin foil idea is great. We had to take shifts adding charcoal to the pit so we wouldnt lose a lot of heat. Maybe this way we can just get drunk and not worry about it

That's another reason I do it this way... It's really... really easy (once you have the pit dug and all set up). It took my wife and I about 15 minutes to wrap the pig up and drop it in the pit. Done. No more work until it comes out.

I did that one year... staying up all night feeding the fire for a spit. Screw that. If you want to stay up all night with this method you can, but you don't have to.

 

[MNBugeater]

Not to highjack the thread, but we are having our annual Pig Roast/ Beer Bash the end of August.

All guests bring a 6 pack of Micro/Craft/Home brew in addition to the 4 homebrews I will have on tap in the keezer. We also roast a whole hog and its a great time to try many different beers. We usually have 100 different beers available.

Here is a link to a cook a few years ago
Hog Roast

If anyone is close by and interested in coming, send me a PM. All forum members welcome.

Warren

 

[conpewter]

Man I saw MN and thought "Hey not too far" dude... you live like 1 inch from Canada, I would so love to join a lot of beer lovers sometime for something like this. Awesome setup

 

[MNBugeater]

Yeah, Illinois to MN isnt too bad if you are thinking Minneapolis, but we are indeed inches from Canada.

Beautiful Lake of the Woods.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Thanks... it's a great time. Every March our friends start asking, making sure we're going to do it again for that year.

Hey... Toss a guys some Prosts!!!! The damn thread took me forever!!! Maybe I'll win a HBT sticker!!! LOL.

Prosted! Awesome thread, it will haunt my dreams!

 

[farmbrewernw]

I want to come to your parties!!

 

[niquejim]

I have the banana leaves in my front yard......woo-hoo

Then reality hits

If I dig down over 2' it fills with water. I'm 3' above sea level 1 mile from the Gulf and the soil is all sand

 

[paulthenurse]

Capebrew,
I know about half of the people you show in your pics, I gotta wrangle an invite to your next one. I do an annual BBQ but use my converted oil tank with an offset firebox to cook my hog. But I like the fire pit idea, very cool.

Here are a few pics of my stepdaughters graduation party last month.

Wilber just before I closed the lid for the day.

My friend Bill, my Dad, the guest of honor and the other guest of honor.

I like the look with the head still on. This sure looks appetizing to me.

Paulthenurse

 

[Cape Brewing]

yeah, I dunno... when I left the head on lat time in the pit, the skin shrunk up to the point where the eye sockets were about the size of my fist, the mouth all stretched open, the eyes themselves melted into the head. It wasn't good looking... at all.

Those folks are all South Shore Brew Club folks... I know I said it before but you should swing by for one of our meetings. Half of 'em are at my house.

 

[Revvy]

yeah, I dunno... when I left the head on lat time in the pit, the skin shrunk up to the point where the eye sockets were about the size of my fist, the mouth all stretched open, the eyes themselves melted into the head. It wasn't good looking... at all.

Those folks are all South Shore Brew Club folks... I know I said it before but you should swing by for one of our meetings. Half of 'em are at my house.

I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that you beheaded it yourself...so what did you do with it? Head cheese (ew)? Playing pass the pigskin? Acting out your own low rent version of the Godfather?

 

[Cape Brewing]

I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that you beheaded it yourself...so what did you do with it? Head cheese (ew)? Playing pass the pigskin? Acting out your own low rent version of the Godfather?

Well it was already dead and cleaned... all I had to do is take the head off. I have a nice big cleaver and it usually comes off pretty quick. Nah, no theatrics with it. In years past, we always put it on a pole next to the pit... very Lord of Flies style... but my wife and I now have a 2 1/2 and a 1 year old. A pig head on a stake probabaly wouldn't fly too well with them.

 

[VanWilder]

I joined this board just for this thread, my bro in law e-mailed it to me.

I've been wanting to do this for a LONG time & I think this just gave me the how to & incentive....you sir, are a pig pit legend....Thanks.

PS my wife hates message boards now. I keep talking about the pig roast. God bless pigs.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Well it was already dead and cleaned... all I had to do is take the head off. I have a nice big cleaver and it usually comes off pretty quick. Nah, no theatrics with it. In years past, we always put it on a pole next to the pit... very Lord of Flies style...

I've always considered myself an exemplary carnivore...many times I've plucked meat from a carcass that is looking back at me, and often tell people that the "cheeks" of any critter are the tastiest part. I've gleefully gobbled down brains, hearts, livers, kidneys, sweetbreads, tripe and other "nasty bits," (in the words of Anthony Bourdain) and come back for more. But tonight I stand humbled.

I wish I was your neighbor.