Roasting a Pig

Jearlpam0925
Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 17,548
edited September 2008 in All Encompassing Trip
Alright, so since I'm about to roast my very first this weekend. Has anyone ever done this? Have any tips? It's a 30 pound pig, and my cooker/spit it gonna be a simple rig-up that I'm doing. I'm sawing a burn barrel in half and putting some legs under it and then just putting a pole across for said porky. I plan on just using bags of charcoal for the burn. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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  • eyedclaar
    eyedclaar Posts: 6,980
    30 pounds? Are you sure that isn't a possum? I've only ever been to the giant pig roasts where the sucker is buried in the ground all damn day.
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  • mammasan
    mammasan Posts: 5,656
    Jearlpam0925 wrote:
    Alright, so since I'm about to roast my very first this weekend. Has anyone ever done this? Have any tips? It's a 30 pound pig, and my cooker/spit it gonna be a simple rig-up that I'm doing. I'm sawing a burn barrel in half and putting some legs under it and then just putting a pole across for said porky. I plan on just using bags of charcoal for the burn. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!


    Go to your local supermarket and get yourself some Mojo, it's usually in the same aisle as the Goya foods. Lay the pig on it's back and marinate the inside with the mojo and let it sit over night. It will be the best tasting lechon you ever had.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • Jearlpam0925
    Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 17,548
    eyedclaar wrote:
    30 pounds? Are you sure that isn't a possum? I've only ever been to the giant pig roasts where the sucker is buried in the ground all damn day.

    Nah, I'm only feeding 15-20 people, not a village. Those giant pigs 1)are mad expensive 2)feed A LOT of people & 3)take forever to cook.

    Mojo huh? Never heard of it. What's the flavor? I was actually gonna do a bunch of fruits with like a pork stuffing in the stomach. Yep, that's right. Pork stuffed with pork.
  • eyedclaar
    eyedclaar Posts: 6,980
    Jearlpam0925 wrote:
    Nah, I'm only feeding 15-20 people, not a village. Those giant pigs 1)are mad expensive 2)feed A LOT of people & 3)take forever to cook.

    Mojo huh? Never heard of it. What's the flavor? I was actually gonna do a bunch of fruits with like a pork stuffing in the stomach. Yep, that's right. Pork stuffed with pork.

    Ah, the ol' pork n' pork. Can't go wrong there...
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  • Blue11
    Blue11 Posts: 200
    I've done a few but I've always done it on ground.
    The key part to roasting it is of course the heat. Personally, I don't like the coals right underneath it and the fat dripping on the coals. I keel the coals on either side so it doesn't get too smoky. smoke tarnishes the taste of the meat. Once you have a nice amount of embers going, put the pig on make sure you have enough coals to last the whole cooking time. I usually use open fire so I always have a fire going on one side of the pit so I can have embers ready for cooking.
    Once the pig is on, you'd have to turn it fairly often in the beginning until the skins starts to go brown and let the fat drip. I would say 10-15 revolutiions a minute would do. Once the skin is nice an brown then you can turn it once a minute or so. Of course the revolutions would start slowing down once the skin starts cooking.
    this is how I personally do it, a full pig (about 80-100 lbs) usually takes me 6-8 hours to cook this way.
    " All the stars in the sky, thought you were up in mine
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  • Jearlpam0925
    Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 17,548
    Blue11 wrote:
    I've done a few but I've always done it on ground.
    The key part to roasting it is of course the heat. Personally, I don't like the coals right underneath it and the fat dripping on the coals. I keel the coals on either side so it doesn't get too smoky. smoke tarnishes the taste of the meat. Once you have a nice amount of embers going, put the pig on make sure you have enough coals to last the whole cooking time. I usually use open fire so I always have a fire going on one side of the pit so I can have embers ready for cooking.
    Once the pig is on, you'd have to turn it fairly often in the beginning until the skins starts to go brown and let the fat drip. I would say 10-15 revolutiions a minute would do. Once the skin is nice an brown then you can turn it once a minute or so. Of course the revolutions would start slowing down once the skin starts cooking.
    this is how I personally do it, a full pig (about 80-100 lbs) usually takes me 6-8 hours to cook this way.

    Yeah, I was gonna put coals toward the shoulders and the butt of the pig.(The longer cooking areas.) Also, because I was gonna put a drip pan under it to baste it in it's own juices. So, wait a minute, your turning the pig every minute for 8 hours??? That's a lot of turning. I figured I'd do a lower heat and turn it every 10-15 minutes.

    Does this sound right for spitting the pig - I was gonna put the pole through it's backside though it's mouth, then fasten it to the pole by securing wires around the pole and it's spine. Do you use coals or wood or what? And if coal, how many bags should I get for about 7-8 hours of cooking?

    I was gonna do it on the ground, but I figured this would be less labor and more controlled.
  • tybird
    tybird Posts: 17,388
    eyedclaar wrote:
    30 pounds? Are you sure that isn't a possum? I've only ever been to the giant pig roasts where the sucker is buried in the ground all damn day.
    If the internal organs have been removed, 30 pounds is respectable.
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  • Jearlpam0925
    Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 17,548
    tybird wrote:
    If the internal organs have been removed, 30 pounds is respectable.

    Yeah, I'm buying it cleaned from my butcher buddy down at the Italian market. 30 pounds is more than enough for about 15 people.
  • Blue11
    Blue11 Posts: 200
    Jearlpam0925 wrote:
    Yeah, I was gonna put coals toward the shoulders and the butt of the pig.(The longer cooking areas.) Also, because I was gonna put a drip pan under it to baste it in it's own juices. So, wait a minute, your turning the pig every minute for 8 hours??? That's a lot of turning. I figured I'd do a lower heat and turn it every 10-15 minutes.

    Does this sound right for spitting the pig - I was gonna put the pole through it's backside though it's mouth, then fasten it to the pole by securing wires around the pole and it's spine. Do you use coals or wood or what? And if coal, how many bags should I get for about 7-8 hours of cooking?

    I was gonna do it on the ground, but I figured this would be less labor and more controlled.

    Yeah, that sounds about right for spitting the pig.
    Turning it more ofter, in my case 10-15 times a minute or so, makes for even cooking. I usually slow down after the first hour and then leaving it on for a minute or so afterwards. I do have high heat when I do this that's why I turn it often.
    Leaving it in one spot for 10-15 minutes then turning it could burn parts of it and not cook evenly. Are you doing the turns manually or with an electric motor?
    I usually employ 3-4 of my cousins when I do this and take turns turning and tending to the fire.
    " All the stars in the sky, thought you were up in mine
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  • Jearlpam0925
    Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 17,548
    Blue11 wrote:
    Yeah, that sounds about right for spitting the pig.
    Turning it more ofter, in my case 10-15 times a minute or so, makes for even cooking. I usually slow down after the first hour and then leaving it on for a minute or so afterwards. I do have high heat when I do this that's why I turn it often.
    Leaving it in one spot for 10-15 minutes then turning it could burn parts of it and not cook evenly. Are you doing the turns manually or with an electric motor?
    I usually employ 3-4 of my cousins when I do this and take turns turning and tending to the fire.

    It looks like I'm gonna be starting it at about 7/8 am so it's done by like 4-ish. It's definitely not electric. I'm making this spit myself. It'll probably be me mostly manning the thing with some sparse help from my dad and uncle. I was told if you rub some olive oil on the skin and cover some of the tender-er parts of the pig with aluminum foil it should be alright to not turn it as often. And yeah I think the first hour I'll really turn it and keep the heat high and then bring the temp down and just have it slow cook for a while and turn it every 10 minutes or so. I gotta do this all while drafting my fantasy team so this will be quite the challenge.
  • Get_Right
    Get_Right Posts: 14,138
    try to find an electric or battery powered spit you can rent
  • Jearlpam0925
    Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 17,548
    Get_Right wrote:
    try to find an electric or battery powered spit you can rent

    I'd like to, but I don't think it's happening. I'll try, but I doubt it. I'll just keep the fire low and the pig high. I'll think it'll be fine.
  • mammasan
    mammasan Posts: 5,656
    Mojo criollo is a marinade made from orange and lemon juice with garlic and other spices. Trust me on this roast pork, or lechon as us Cubans call it, is a Cuban specialty. My family and I make it a few times a year.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • Get_Right
    Get_Right Posts: 14,138
    mammasan wrote:
    Mojo criollo is a marinade made from orange and lemon juice with garlic and other spices. Trust me on this roast pork, or lechon as us Cubans call it, is a Cuban specialty. My family and I make it a few times a year.


    mojo is awesome with pork
  • Jearlpam0925
    Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 17,548
    mammasan wrote:
    Mojo criollo is a marinade made from orange and lemon juice with garlic and other spices. Trust me on this roast pork, or lechon as us Cubans call it, is a Cuban specialty. My family and I make it a few times a year.

    Yeah this sounds about right for what I was gonna do. I was gonna cook a pork loin, ground it up and season it with oranges, lemons, salt & pepper, olive oil, garlic cloves, orange juice, some odds and ends as seasonings go and maybe a little white wine..Who knows...but this may be a little easier.
  • mammasan
    mammasan Posts: 5,656
    Jearlpam0925 wrote:
    Yeah this sounds about right for what I was gonna do. I was gonna cook a pork loin, ground it up and season it with oranges, lemons, salt & pepper, olive oil, garlic cloves, orange juice, some odds and ends as seasonings go and maybe a little white wine..Who knows...but this may be a little easier.

    It is basically the same thing just all bottled up and ready for you. I make sure I always have a bottle of mojo in the house. It goes good on chicken, pork and if I decide to make some thin steaks in a sofrito sauce I had a splash of mojo.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • Get_Right
    Get_Right Posts: 14,138
    mammasan wrote:
    It is basically the same thing just all bottled up and ready for you. I make sure I always have a bottle of mojo in the house. It goes good on chicken, pork and if I decide to make some thin steaks in a sofrito sauce I had a splash of mojo.

    stop it you are making me very hungry for spanish/cuban/latin food!!!!!
    :)
  • mammasan
    mammasan Posts: 5,656
    Get_Right wrote:
    stop it you are making me very hungry for spanish/cuban/latin food!!!!!
    :)


    I may have to grab a Media Noche for lunch with some yucca fries.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • Blue11
    Blue11 Posts: 200
    mmmm...lechon....man, makes me want to cook one up now.

    hope it works out wll for you. Let us know how it went.
    " All the stars in the sky, thought you were up in mine
    Still I wonder, I wonder......" "Black" tag 09-16-2005 Ottawa

    Toronto 2003, Kitchener 2005, Montreal 2005, Ottawa 2005, Toronto II 2006, Albany 2006, Hartford 2006, Camden I 2008, Camden II 2008, Washington, D.C. 2008, Toronto 2009, Chicago I 2009, Columbus 2010, Noblesville, 2010
  • Jearlpam0925
    Jearlpam0925 Deep South Philly Posts: 17,548
    Blue11 wrote:
    mmmm...lechon....man, makes me want to cook one up now.

    hope it works out wll for you. Let us know how it went.

    Yeah, definitely. Hopefully everything works out well. I know this is my first roast, but I think as long as I take it slow it should turn out good.

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