Does anyone have a recipe for a 130 lb hog roast ?!
Does anyone have a recipe for a 130 lb hog roast ?
Answers:
How to Cook a Hog In A Hole
Cooking a pig in the backyard seemed like a pretty big task when we first tried it. We were suprised to find out that it isn't that hard at all. The day goes something like this
6:00 - 9:00 am We light the fire in a pit that is about 6ft by 4ft and about 3 ft deep. The bottom of the pit is lines with bricks that we reuse every year. The "experts" will tell you that you need to cook with hard woods. We use whatever we can get, mostly trees that have been cut down when we cleared the backyard - oak, ash, eucalyptus, privit, fig, cedar as well as cement forms, old fences and whatever else we need to get rid of. As the fire burns we keep throwing in rocks. We've heard volcano rocks are the best, but again we use what we have. We have a collection of bricks, terra cotta and river rocks that we reuse every year. The rocks are important because they store the heat that you need to cook. The last of the wood and rocks go on at 9am. At about 8:30 someone has to go to the meat market and pick up the pig.
9:00 - 10:00 Let the fire burn down for a while and get the meat ready.
The pigs that we have done so far have all been between 85 and 95 lbs. They have given us plenty of meat for the party and lots of leftovers. We lay the pig out on his back and make small cuts between the ribs in the chest cavity. Then we put rock salt, soy sauce and garlic cloves into the chest cavity - don't really have any measurements here but I would say about 5 whole heads of garlic peeled, and soaking in a couple of quarts of soy over night and about a couple of pounds of salt. It all makes a slurry in the chest cavity and we make sure to work it in all the cracks. We then tie his front and rear legs together to keep the soy mixture from leaking out.
We then place the pig on a piece of rabbit wire that's about 5x4ft that has a layer of aluminum foil over it. Any kind of wire mesh (like chicken wire) would work, we use rabbit wire because it's the cheapest and usually a larger gauge than chicken wire. Bring the aluminum foil up and crease it across the belly of the pig. The foil is only there as a last barrier to keep the dirt out, so it doesn't have to be airtight. Then wrap the sides of the wire up and bend them together to make a wire cage for the pig.
We have also experimented with something like a meat thermometer on our pigs. My brother set up with thermo wire and a meter that converts the voltage to temperature. While we are salting and wrapping the pig up he is sticking the ends of the wire into the thick parts of the meat (usually the thigh). This part really isn't necessary, but it's a fun to check the meter and watch the temperature rise as the meat cooks.
The turkeys get prepared a little different. Add a stick of butter to the inside cavity of the turkey then wrap in aluminum. We have been concerned that they will cook faster than the pork so we have been wrapping the turkey aluminum ball in a wet piece of burlap and another layer of aluminum. The extra layer of moisture seems to keep the meat really juicy.
One year we tried corn on the cob as well. The corn turned out OK, though a little over done. It was an interesting experiment but not one we will try again. All we did was shuck the corn and wrap them up in a aluminum and wire cage.
10:00-11:00 By now the fire has burned down to hot embers and rock. We pull out any unburned wood pieces and rake it out a bit. The 3 foot original hole is only about one foot deep. Take the pig that is wrapped up in wire and place him feet up in the middle of a 15ft piece of the rabbit wire. This is so you can place it in the middle of the coals without getting too close.
Then the real action takes place and things get a little crazy. We try and have at least 5 people around for this part because there is a lot to do in a short time.
- Have two people lower the pig in the coals with the wire "stretcher".
-Throw the turkeys alongside the pig on the coals.
- Then we cover the pit with greens. The traditional Hawaiian thing to use is tea leaves (which we ordered from Hawaii for the first time) but we have used corn husks and clippings from fruit trees too. You want a lot of green stuff on the pig because it helps to contain the steam.
Cover the greens with a couple of layers of wet burlap, then cover that with a wet tarp. The burlap is there to contain the moisture, the tarp helps get the dirt off the top when you dig it up. We have been able to recover and reuse burlap and tarp from year to year with only a few scorch holes in them. Someone should be ready with lots of buckets of water and a hose. As soon as the tarp goes on lift up the corners and dump the buckets of water into the pit. This will cause a huge steam cloud to rise up. The goal of the guy with the water is to generate as much steam as possible. The goal of the people with the shovels is to put enough dirt onto the tarp to stop the steam from escaping. Keep spraying water under the edges of the tarp and shoveling dirt onto the top of the tarp until no more steam is coming out. The steam is what is really doing the cooking and keeping the meat from drying out.
11:00-4:30 This is the best part of cooking a pig in a pit. After everything gets buried there is nothing else to do - no fire to tend, no need to worry about the meat over or undercooking, nothing at all. Take a shower (you'll be soaked in steam and dirt) have a few beers and relax. We keep track of the progress with my brother's rigged up thermometer. When it gets to 140 C we know it's done.
4:30-5:30 Time to dig in. Clear away the dirt, tarp, burlap and (by now well done) greens. We use a long rake to hook he turkeys and the long piece of rabbit wire to lift out the pig.
When everything is unwrapped the meat is just falling off the bone and it's real hot. Wear rubber gloves and keep a bucket of water close by to cool hands down with. We have two teams of two on the pig. One person to tear off hunks of meat and pass it to a person with a knife and cutting board to cut it up. Be sure to leave some meat on the rib bones. They have been soaking in the salt and garlic and taste really great. Another team of two works on the turkeys. They are a lot easier because there is a lot less scrap on a turkey.
About a week later I go out and clean out the pit. The bricks in the bottom are still hot enough that you can't hold them for more than a couple of seconds. I save all the brick and rock and fill it all in until the next year.
Source(s):
http://www.banchieri.org/peatzoe/hoginah...
Brine it overnight, BBQ rub and smoke it.
For the Brine, add one cup salt and one cup sugar to about a gallon of water. Pickling salt will disolve well in cold water, so you wont have to simmer. Brown sugar, molases or maple syrup instead of sugar add a nice flavor.
for the Rub, here is Alton Browns all purpose BBQ rub.
8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Smoking is the hard part, that is a big roast, it will take time and a big smoker. if you dont have access to smoker, dig a pit in the backyard, about twice as deep, long and wide as your roast. Build a fire in the pit, or start a large bag of charcoal. when it burns down to coals, no flame and begins to ash over, lay down a layer of bricks, paver stones, banana leaves, etc. toss on the roast, cover with tinfoil and burry for about six to eight hours.
There is a YahooGroups sight(SmokeGrillin) that might have sime ideas on a trash can smoker.
good luck and good eatin.
try www.cooks.com or google roast hog recipe