A master outdoor chef can roast a whole pig over a pit fire barbecue for a crowd of hungry people. The trick to getting the pork done--and pork must be cooked thoroughly for safety--is to cook the pig long enough and at the right temperature. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Start the Grill
Roasting a whole pig requires 75 to 100 lbs. of charcoal or suitable smoking hardwood, such as hickory. Your barbecue grill must be of a sufficient size to hold all the meat you plan to cook. For a whole pig, you want a grill the size of an oil drum. (In fact, your grill might even be made from an oil drum.)
Start with about 20 lbs. of charcoal, burning the fuel until it glows red with a layer of white ash. You will add more coals gradually during the more than six hours of cooking time it will take to roast a 140-lb. pig. Figure one hour of cooking time for every 24 to 25 lbs. of pork.
When your first load of coals is ready, close the grill cover to raise the temperature. Use a fire-safe thermometer (some grills have a built-in thermometer) and wait for the grill to reach 250 F.
Start Roasting
Place the roasting pig belly-down on the grill at least 12 inches off the coals, close the grill cover and open the vents about halfway to get the smoke circulating (this makes the meat succulent, flavorful and tender). You can add several cups of hickory chips or chunks, soaked in water for an hour, to boost the smoke and increase the taste.
Roast the pig at 250 F for about two hours. Higher temperatures will make the pork dry out quickly and may burn the outside of the meat, imparting a bad taste. Cooking at this lower temperature will tenderize the meat and seal in the juices as the pig skin bakes into a hard shell.
Increase the Heat
After two hours, shovel another 15 to 20 lbs. of charcoal onto your fire and get the temperature up to 350 F. Maintain that temperature and add more charcoal as necessary for the next 4 to 4 1/2 hours for that 140-lb. pig.
You can use a basting mop or brush to swab the pig with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and brown sugar. Try to baste only twice an hour because you lengthen the cooking time whenever you open the grill.
The pig is done when the meat pulls easily off the bone and the internal temperature in the thickest part is 180 F. By shoveling the coals to one side and lowering the grill temperature to about 150 F, you can keep the pig warm and ready to eat for hours.
Tags: cooking time, close grill, close grill cover, grill cover