Hog Roast?!
Hog Roast?
Have any of you had or been to a party where they had a hog roast? What was it like? We are thinking of serving this at our engagement party, but having never had one myself I don't know what to expect!
Answers:
We had a pig roast (or cochon de lait) for our engagement party 18 years ago. It was a blast! Dad started early w/ a young whole pig (about 40 lbs, NOT a hog!) and roasted him in the rotisserie section of a large bbq pit. Took probably 12 hours to cook. Dad pulled it all apart, leaving the skin intact, and sorta liad the crisp skin over the sliced/pulled meat for presentation. He put sunglasses on the pig and a carrot in his mouth. Then he just lifted off the skin/head and there was ready to eat meat.
I couldn't tell you what side dishes we had! But it made a complete meal and we all had a blast. We wore casual sorta tropical or Hawaiian clothes (nice shorts, nice flip flops) and had a grand time!
I've beent to two and haven't been impressed with either. The meat is always dry. Sure it's entertaining to watch and impressive to see, but for me the bottom line is the meal and the meal has always been a disappointment.
I agree with the above post, they are quite fun to watch but the meat wasn't all that good and was very dry. I was pretty disappointed to be honest!
my sister had one for her 30th birthday party. it was lovely. The people who supplied it also provided stuffing, baps and apple sauce. There was loads of meat, plenty of leftovers!
Yes I have been to one. Depends entirely on the guy doing the cooking. Takes ages to do before its ready and the fire pit damages the ground. Inside meat cooks as outside is sliced off so timing needs to be right if there is likely to be a rush (better as an all day thing) When done correctly it is really good and the smell is wonderful.
We've had pig roasts and they are awesome! It is impressive to have someone carving the meat right out of the roasting area. It is best to have a pro do it and NOT to use an in ground pit but a pig roaster. The meat comes out much better (extremely juicy) and the effect is still great. It can be an incredible amount of fun and the food is delicious.
Be prepared though you have to buy the pig and hire someone to roast and carve it. And it takes HOURS to cook, but it is well worth it in the end.
Ooh can you make me a roll with the hot meat and apple sauce. Can I have some coleslaw with mine?
I've attended several pig roasts, and it's a great idea for your party - My best friend chose a country themed wedding reception complete with a whole roast pig & chicken. It was fantastic.
However, it's an enormous amount of work, it starts 24 hours before you'll even have the party - it's not done quickly - it's absolutely necessary that someone with the proper bbq equipment and experience to do it for you.
Cheers & have a great party - congratulations on your engagement!
My family has a large reunion every year with a hog roast, plus our local fire department has a huge one. We use a pig roaster run by propane and yes, it takes hours to cook (plus basting), but the meat is always superb. I looked into having a roast for our company picnic this year and I found caterers that would do these duties. If you are wanting to provide most of the other food yourself, your best bet would be to find a couple of experienced people to pay to do the preparation and roasting and serving. If you just like the idea of having the shredded pork, another idea would be to do pork roasts instead of a whole hog (which is what I ended up doing for our company picnic).
Yep, I went to a charity thing which served it, big hit. It was beautiful. served it with stuffing and/or apple sauce. Absolutely loved it.
They are great, and something everyone remembers for a long time after the party, but get references and quotes from a few suppliers as they vary enoumously.
I went to a pig roast recently - the hostess hired someone to come and he had a professional roaster on a trailer attached to his truck. He parked it in the driveway and did his thing while we had appetizers and snacks in the yard.
When it was done cooking, he sliced the whole entire thing and put it in trays so that people who did not want to look at/eat off of a dead pig did not have to deal with that.
She had all the sides prepared and ready to go when the pig was done.
If you are going to do it, look into having it done for you - it seems like a lot of work and takes a really long time. Better to have a professional handle it so you can enjoy your day.
I have been to a number of outdoor events which advertise hog roast. However, I have nearly always found that it is sold out very early on in the day- enough said!!!! The only thing I would advise tho - not everybody eats pork, so dont forget to serve a suitable alternative so there is something for everybody. Good luck
my first encounter of a hog roast was at a friend wedding this summer.
it was really an unusual and indiviual part of the wedding breakfast.
it made it all a lot less stuffy than some wedding i have been to. totally relaxed.
it wasnt however served in a bun......it was on plates with salads etc. very nice really.
but being the uk you have to guarantee the ewather........and as it turned out it coiuldnt have been better.
it was perfect.