# Need help with smoking a whole pig



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

I got a 30 pounder and want to smoke it whole. I got a vertical smoker on the end of my pit with hooks so I have plenty room to hang it. I


----------



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

OK lets try that again.. Not real sure what happened there sorry guys.

I got a 30 pounder and want to smoke it whole. I got a vertical smoker on the end of my pit with hooks so I have plenty room to hang it. I've wanted to do this for some time just now pulling the trigger weather permitting. Are there any tips out there that would help? Not looking for family secrets just some pointers. I have smoked a plenty of pork in the past just never a whole pig. Should I try to take the hams to 190ish like puller pork? I was thinking that it would dry out the thinner meat to fast. Wrap or no wrap. I'm assuming that I should sop heavy and often. Ect&#8230;. What ever you guys with experience have to offer is great, I'm all ears. Thanks in advance. I'll post pics of the process from start to dinner!


----------



## bigl (Mar 3, 2008)

I think it will get too tender to hold together if it is hung. When I cook whole hogs I cook them flat or on a rotisery. You might be able to wrap it in chicken wire to keep it from falling apart.


----------



## Gilbert (May 25, 2004)

yeah, probably not a good idea to hang it.


----------



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

Yeah I thought that he might pull off if it got to done before I was ready to take him out. In my smoker I have several shelves that I can adjust to different locations so I should be able to support the weight of the pig but keep him vertical. I was looking more along the lines of time frames and temps. being that there are so many different types of meat and thicknesses all cooking at once.


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

ribs are gonna be done really quick

might cut it up


----------



## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

I'd section it out as it is easier to deal with. We have done them whole in our smokehouse (split length-wise actually) by sandwiching the halves in a frame with chicken wire. Last year we did one (about 140 lbs) It took about 16 hrs. and a lot mopping/rotating.


----------



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

Thanks guys for the info. I may just split it and smoke it sounds like that may cause less problems.


----------



## tooshallow17 (Apr 10, 2009)

For the superbowl party we had about a 20lb sow spread eagle on the pit and we wraped the whole thing in bacon. Yes it was awsome.


----------



## Gfish (Aug 31, 2009)

A hog wrapped in bacon........There is a God!!!


----------



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

That sounds awesome and like a whole lot of bacon! Have to try that next!


----------



## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

If you want to self baste with fat, you can use something called caul. It is a fat that is kind of "webbed". You can wrap the meat with it and it will melt away as the cooking process happens. Chefs use it all the time for leaner cuts of meat in order to keep them moist.


----------



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

Never heard of caul. Ill have to look into it. Can you get it at the grocerie store or do you need to go to a meat market? Sounds like the way to do long cooked meat insted of having to sop it all the time!


----------



## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

You may be able to get it at some specialty meat markets or an Asian market. best bet is probably online. Search Caul and you will find tons of listings. Comes frozen in blocks, thaws easily. May also see it listed as web fat. He is a link to one.

http://reliablebrotherssteaks.com/product/frozen-caul-fat-10lbs-60.cfm


----------



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

Thanks ill check that out. Sounds very useful for some smoking!


----------



## Bretticu$ (May 9, 2006)

I've always wanted to smoke a hog, I just can't figure out which end to light first.....


----------



## Gfish (Aug 31, 2009)

Bretticu$ said:


> I've always wanted to smoke a hog, I just can't figure out which end to light first.....


Yea right! Like you can finds papers big enough.


----------



## Hookem-n-Cookem (Jun 28, 2009)

I like to rub the inside with olive oil and coarse salt then stuff the cavity with whole apples,oranges,onions and garlic.I then sow up the cavity with butchers twine and bind the legs so the pig is siting on them, also I cover the snout and tail with foil so they don't burn. The last thing I do is put a wood block in the mouth so it stays open for the apple later and rub the outside with more olive oil. When you put it into the pit you can use wood blocks to shore it up so it will not fall over. Getting it out is a little tricky,sometimes it takes two people to lift it out of my pit so we can hold it together,if I use the bigger pit or the oven at work I cook it on a sheet pan so it just lifts out. When it is done, I shine it up with some oil and put a big apple in the mouth and some marbles in the eye sockets....this can freak some people out but I think it looks cool. Hope this helps.


----------



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

Thanks for the info. Sounds like you have done a few! I took the head off of this one but I did want to do the apple in the mouth, always thought that was pretty cool. Never thought tof the marbles though that would get some laughs.


----------



## Sweet Baby Cletus (Jan 18, 2010)

I wouldn't hang him, just as the others have suggested. Yes, the ribs will get done fast. If he is horizontal, you can pull the ribs as they are done. We always do whole hogs on an open pit sandwiched between two steel grids that are clamped together. They are attached to a steel shaft that allows you to turn the hog as it cooks. We keep a separate fire pit that allows the wood to burn down into hot coals. Then we shovel the coals into the pit. We baste a lot with vinegar, lemon juice and salt. If the skin is still on, you will have a hard time drying out the hams and butts. There is lots of natural pig fat in there and I wouldn't coat with any additional fat or oil. However, I haven't really ever tried that, so it may work just fine. Good luck how ever you do it!


----------



## Wiredhernandez (Mar 6, 2005)

I have been considering the same for sometime. In most instances I have seen of cooking.. The pig is laid out flat over coals...


----------



## oc48 (Aug 13, 2005)

Wiredhernandez said:


> I have been considering the same for sometime. In most instances I have seen of cooking.. The pig is laid out flat over coals...


sounds good. You make it, I'll be your taste tester


----------



## eastbayfisher (Aug 25, 2004)

I hung the pig and it turned out great. I didnt have problem with it falling apart prolly due to the grating/shelf below the pig supported the weight and just kept him basically vertical. I ran stainless wire deep in the back legs and it held. Turned out great. tried to get pics but missed the chance before the guys at work devoured it! I will do it again for sure! The ony thing I would do different is like stated above about removing the ribs as they get done.


----------



## MEGABITE (May 21, 2004)

eastbayfisher said:


> tried to get pics but missed the chance before the guys at work devoured it!


BOOOOO! HISSSSSSSSSS!  :cheers:


----------



## jdot7749 (Dec 1, 2008)

I would think a pig that didn't weigh but 30 pounds would cook in about 3 or 4 hrs. It's not gonna be like cooking a butt roast or a whole shoulder cause no place is thick. If you're not real careful you'll have meaty chicharones.


----------

