Conference turris::cooks

FIRST YOU BUY A PIG!

There is a butcher shop in Framingham that sells whole butchered pig.  I'll
have to ask my friends for the name.

You need a spit that will hold at least 100lbs.  A motor driven spit, with
a small hood over it (to hold in the heat) and an oil drum cut in half to
hold the charcoal and some wood.  The drum should be mounted on X braces 
so that everything is waist high.

You need about 60-70lbs of charcoal, a meat thermometer, someone to keep
an eye on this animal and about 10-11 hours of time. 

The pig should be wrapped in chicken wire after it has been spitted with
it's legs tied up under the belly.  Most pigs will be about 75lbs and will
feed appoximately 40 people.  You have to keep adding charcoal and have an
uneven distribution (you want more heat over the tail than on the ribs).

When the skin cracks open and the fat starts to melt the heat will intensify
and you will have some smoke.  This makes wonderful flavor.  You will notice
that when you take off the pig from the fire (allow 1/2 hour for cooling down)
and start to carve it will start to fall apart as you cut.  The chef gets
first choice!

I don't know where HARRY is but if you need help give me a call at:
289-1385.   Good luck!        

Barbara

I HAVE ALSO ROASTED A FEW PIGS.  ONE WAY TO KEEP THE FLAMES UNDER CONTROL
IS TO KEEP A WATER HOSE NEARBY AND USE A FINE MIST WHEN NEEDED TO CONTROL
THE FLAMES.

    I am doing a pig in about three weeks, and I have some questions.
    How did you season it? Did you use barbeque sauce, and if so when
    in the cooking cycle do you start applying it. How close do you
    have to watch it, will I have stay up all night? 
    
    I am figuring a half pound of meat per person, which says I should
    be able to feed at least 100 people, that seems like a lot of meat
    for 40 people.
    
    

    
    What will the dressed weight of the pig be? 250 lbs is awful big
    to cook whole. I would be afraid that the meat wouldn,t cook through.
    First trying to find a spit strong enough to hold it is a challange 
    in it self. I cooked a 75lb pig 2 years ago and it took 12 hours.  I 
    wrapped it in heavy duty foil and then in chicken wire before running
    the spit through it. I was warned that as the meat becomes cooked, it
    has a tendancy to fall off of the bone, the chicken wire prevented
    that.  I also borrowed these things that looked like giant hypodermic
    needles, and during the last 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I injected barbeque
    sauce into it. 
    
    If you have any questions send me mail.
    
    +pat
    
    
    It's a lot of work, but well worth it. 
    

    I just read to cook a "Suckling" pig.  Does anybody know how big is a
    "suckling pig"? I HAVE COOKED many suckling pigs and I have always done
    it in my oven... yes, a real suckling pig is a baby pig that has not
    eaten any solid food at all, only milk.  I used to buy them from the
    butcher split open, it'd feed from 10 to 12 people, the meat is fork
    tender, delicious, and the skin is crunchy, cripy and delicious!
    I usually clean it very well, add plenty of salt and pepper, quite a
    few gloves of garlic with about 6 bay leaves, the juice of one lemon
    and in "he" goes belly up into the oven, i douse it often with dry
    sherry and when done, we turn it down to crisp the outside, I add some
    whole small potatoes to roast with the meat.  that is the way it has
    been done for centuries in Madrid and Castilla, the region in central
    Spain.

    I've read a few notes in this conference that have discussed roasting a
    (whole) pig, but they were a while ago. My neighbour is faced with this
    daunting task and has delegated the job of chef to me. I have some
    questions therefore and hope you can help out. We have the mechanics
    and quantities worked out pretty well (from a previous note) but I
    still have the following questions:
    
    - How far above the coals should the pig rotate?
    
    - What marinade should I use prior to its fiery ordeal?
    
    -Can I supplement the charcoal with selected hardwood?
    
    - Any "really important" tips to prevent me making a fool of myself?
    
    Thanks
    
    

    	On the Frugal Gourmet last week in Hawaii, they showed them
    roasting a pig the traditional way. They cleaned and pig and slit it
    open, removing all the inards. They had good-sized lava rocks heating
    up in a fire (we're talking really hot lava rocks here) and dug a pit
    in the ground. The pit was lined with large leaves (I think they were
    banana or palm leaves). They then removed the hot lava rocks from the
    fire and stuffed them inside the pig. They didn't tie is shut or
    anything. Then then put it in the pit and covered it with more leaves,
    then several tarps, then a plastic sheet, and then dirt. Someone then
    kept the pile moist by spraying water onto it. The pig stayed in the
    pit for like 6-8 hours. It was then removed and deboned, the meat
    collected for serving. According to Jeff Smith, "It tasted just like
    candy."
    	Boy, am I getting hungry...

    Thanks.....but it took me a week to dig a hole for my rotating
    clothes-line. (Granite is not very accommodating). I'm afraid I will
    have to stick to the above ground method.
    
    Any ideas on a marinade?

My cousin did an above the ground roast with the help of a few friends who had
done it before.  They built a large hardwood fire, and let it burn down to coals
before putting the spitted pig over it.  They had also wrapped the pig in a net
to keep it from falling apart.  When the pig was unwrapped, it did fall apart,
by the way.  I don't know what they basted it with, but it was sweet and brown
and the end result was VERY delicious!

    
    
    We roasted a 90lb pig for Thanksgiving using a 'spit' which we
    rented from the slaughter-house.  We started a fire using hardwoods,
    about 40 minutes before we wanted to begin cooking so that we could
    have a good base for coals.  From then on, new wood was added only
    to the sides of the fire (not directly under the pig).  Porky was 
    elevated about 4 1/2 to 5' over the coals and was kept constantly
    rotating.  We used no spices at all and basting was not necessary. 
    It came out grrrreat!
    
    It think it took about 6 -6 1/2 hours but timing will vary based on
    size and temperature.  (It was below zero when we started the spit
    and it took a while for the pig to 'warm' enough to begin cooking).
    
    Be sure to secure the pig to your spit very securely as it will shrink
    some as the fats cook out and it won't rotate properly (it'll slip) if
    it's too loose.  In securing the pig, you might also want to wrap
    it with chicken wire or something similar to prevent it from
    falling off the spit and into the fire.  It does fall apart when it's 
    done.  
    
    Good luck!
    
    Chris
    

    Thanks for the info. Interesting to note .4 that you didn't need to
    baste the pig. I know that pork tends to be self-basting owing to its
    high fat content, but I was wandering if a mixture of soy sauce,
    garlic, honey, a little oil, sherry and caraway seeds might help seal
    in the juices and create a nice crackling on the outside.
    
    I think I'll give it a try and report the results. I'm sure it can't
    hurt can it?.
    
    thanks

    
    I would say to go ahead and baste with your soy sauce recipe.
    It sounds great!  Our family did a pig roast some years ago.
    Acouple things we did was stuff the pig with potatoes.  The
    potatos are supposed to absorb the fat. You don't eat the 
    potatos though - they will be too oily.  We also put an apple
    in the pigs mouth for looks.  And we did baste the pig and
    it does help create a nice crackling.
    
    Sounds great - have fun.
    
    Mary Coleman
      

    Having roasted so many pigs I can't remember the number, I can
    tell you the following:
    
    	1.  wrap it in chicken wire or
    	2.  have 4 steel bars with screws and place pig in between
    	    and tighten screw when pig begins to shrink
    	3.  don't baste untill the end - I usually pour some beer
    	    over pig and then pig cracks, lets out remaining fat
    	4.  put apple in mouth AFTER cooking
    	5.  don't put too many coals under the ribs, you want the
    	    heat under the shoulders and rump
    
    Last October I did a steamship round.  I got tired of pig.  It
    costs about the same, less time, no bones and feeds the same
    amount of people.  AND you don't need to pour beer over it.
    
    Barbara
    

    
      When you put the chicken wire around the pig make sure there's
     a small opening left in the wire; about 5"X5". This is called the
     cooks hole. It's purpose is to allow the cook to keep "testing"
     the pork as it cooks. The cook deserves this "special treat" :-)
    
      robin (who likes to do the cooking)

    Fill the body cavity with apples and oranges. Then wrap the pig in
    aluminum foil, then chicken wire.  If the pig weighs 150 Lbs it should
    cook for about 18 hours over charcoal keeping the temp. around 300
    degrees. Turn every 2 to 3 hours if cooked on a smoker.  Add a stick of
    Hickory about once an hour for smokey flavor.  Then enjoy!
    

    ALSO, I cook the pig about 6-8 inches from the coals.  On our rig
    we have set up a baffle that we can lower.  We also have made sides
    (like skirts on an old fashioned sports car) to keep the heat in
    when we want to sleep in the wee hours of the morning.  That way
    no one has to toss charcoal on for a couple of hours.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Barbara
    

    The last note posted here was 1991 so I thought I'd add an entry.
    
    I will be cooking my first pig in August and have ordered a 150 lb.
    pig, with appropriate equipment.  I will give an update after I
    actually cook the pig.
    
    Any additional hints from people that have recently cooked one would
    be appreciated; even hints like what's it take to get a 150 lb. pig
    off the spit, how do you slice it, etc.
    
    Regards,
    Jim

    I finally got around to having a pig roast for my wife's 50th birthday
    last week.  Every went great.  The people I rented the equipment from
    were great.  The pig was marinated for 2 or 3 days in a combination of
    garlic, peppercorns, ginger, salt, pepper, etc.  The cooking unit comes
    on a trailer and is basically a retrofitted oil storage unit like you
    would use for home heating, all steel and heats up really hot.  Inside
    the unit contained two separators so you would load the charcoal on
    on the left and right sides and place some sand in center and all the
    grease would end up in the center while the pig is turning, there was
    not a single flareup.  They delivered the unit, put the pig in it, put
    the first load of charcoal in, gave a good overview of what to expect,
    and would return the following day.  All I had to do was put some
    charcoal in every hour or so.  
    
    He also does steamship beef, lobsters, etc.
    
    Let me know if anyone wants details.
    
    Regards,
    Jim

    For starters, who is "he"?
    Where does he operate?
    Anything else you think worth sharing.
    
    thanks,
    \steve

Dennis and Sandra Martino      508-448-3020
56 School House Road
Groton, Ma. 01450
(Recommended by Margaret from Blood Farms)

He has multiple types of cookers, open and closed.  The closed cooker cooks
much faster.  Recommends the open cooker if the primary purpose is to 
'showcase' the cooking.  

He now has new cooker which works both ways open and closed cooking, has a 
section in the middle for sand (or dirt) which is used to absorb the fat 
drippings (need around 5 gallons).

He supplies the cooker, the product (pig or beef), full set-up, returns the
next day to pick-up.  Explains how to cook and slice.  Customer buys the
charcoal.

PIG - start with 100 lb. (available up to 300 lb.) pig 
      7, 20 lb. bags of charcoal
      cooking time 6 - 7 hours
      serves 35 - 45 people
      $50 - 60 deposit, 100 lb. $325, 150 lb. $350, 200 lb. $375
      Use an old table with cardboard for slicing the pig

BEEF - 80 - 90 lb. steamship beef
       use a closed cooker for shortest time
       5, 20 lb. bags of charcoal
       cooking time 5 - 6 hours
       serves 75 - 80 people
       $50 - 60 deposit, total $360
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recommended by Nancy and Peter

John Young, Canton Mass. 617-828-5079

Recommended by Neil White, Electrician