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Smoking a whole hog

Rttoys

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Waller, TX
My buddy’s daughter shot a hog the other weekend at a youth hunt and it was a good size (about 30#) to keep for the pit. I shoot hogs all the time at the farm, but I usually only grill/smoke them up if they are small (3-5#) but anything bigger is left for coyotes. I haven’t smoked a hog like this before. What should be my game plan? I figure to rub it with my seasoning, put it on meat side up and slop it occasionally. I’m figuring 8 hours to get to 206 internal for a pulled pork type deal.

sound about right? Any particular sprits/slop/marinate that might work? Layer it with onions? What ya got?

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Sorry
will be in the middle “main chamber” of the smoker, running about 225-250*. I can hang it on the chamber on the left if that would help at all?
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Make a cage out of chicken wire so you can lift it on and off. If not it will fall apart when you are trying to work with it. I start by slicing the hams and shoulders and packing the slices full of kosher salt. Shake a basic rub all over the inside of the cavity but don't go nuts, just make sure it's there and stuck to the meat. The middle will cook a lot faster than the ends so if you can put some ice bags over the middle to stall it out a bit longer, you'll get a better rib product, if not, it will just be kinda gummy and fall apart. Mop it or spray it with the usual stuff but just let it cook until probe tender or around 195-205 in the ends. Skin side down.

I like to add shake seasoning and sauce to taste while eating it after it's done.
 
Sorry
will be in the middle “main chamber” of the smoker, running about 225-250*. I can hang it on the chamber on the left if that would help at all?
52731A46-DFB0-4104-ACC9-CAB2BEA9D7DD.jpeg
you're on the right path. i would not hang it if you're smoking it. the hanging cook with a good baste is good for de-hydrating the skin to make it crispy, but the skin wont like the smoke so its not worth the squeeze.

i've never smoked a pig that small, but i would still mind the skinny parts. the belly and loin should still cook quicker than the hams and shoulders. if you're just pulling the meat, you can pull the belly and loin when they are done and let the shoulders and hams go longer if needed. i'd watch a temp probe in the loin to judge the internal temp.

at 250, 8 hours might be a little long for a 30# pig. but my temps always dip a bit between fuel loading.
 
Make a cage out of chicken wire so you can lift it on and off. If not it will fall apart when you are trying to work with it. I start by slicing the hams and shoulders and packing the slices full of kosher salt. Shake a basic rub all over the inside of the cavity but don't go nuts, just make sure it's there and stuck to the meat. The middle will cook a lot faster than the ends so if you can put some ice bags over the middle to stall it out a bit longer, you'll get a better rib product, if not, it will just be kinda gummy and fall apart. Mop it or spray it with the usual stuff but just let it cook until probe tender or around 195-205 in the ends. Skin side down.

I like to add shake seasoning and sauce to taste while eating it after it's done.
i've never heard of the ice method - sounds like that might shock the meat.

in competitions, we will butterfly a brisket (pre-$16/lb pricing) and put it under the cavity to insulate the belly from the heat to cook more evenly.
 
I really like the Hardcore Carnivore line of rubs, especially red for pork. But I’d love to hear what you use in your homemade rub.
 

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i've never heard of the ice method - sounds like that might shock the meat.

in competitions, we will butterfly a brisket (pre-$16/lb pricing) and put it under the cavity to insulate the belly from the heat to cook more evenly.
When it comes out of the cooler to rest and come up to temp I just leave the ice on the middle part and throw it on the smoker. Same thing for Turkey breasts so they don't dry out while you're getting the dark meat done. It just starts the meat a lower temp.

Whole hog is usually more of a direct cook the way I do it. Just put coals under the ends and let the middle do it's thing.

Fall off the bone ribs are a 6 hr cook, so any more than that just makes them dust.

The meat under it to guard it sounds like a great idea, Pork Loin is still pretty cheap,
 
I really like the Hardcore Carnivore line of rubs, especially red for pork. But I’d love to hear what you use in your homemade rub.
Sometimes I use fresh ground Chipotle instead of Cayenne and I grind fresh Ancho Chili powder. White pepper if I have it, if not I'll add a little more black pepper. I spin it all in a Magic Bullet for a few seconds to thin it out and break up the brown sugar. If I'm cooking over 300, I'll use light brown sugar so the molasses doesn't try to burn. Always shake the rub on, if you try and rub it with your hands, it will clump up.
 
I really like the Hardcore Carnivore line of rubs, especially red for pork. But I’d love to hear what you use in your homemade rub.
1= normal size container, not weight. Like if you bought it off the shelf. Same sizes are different weights, depending on seasoning, so I just go by parts.

I have been making this seasoning for 20 years or more, to season my homemade deer sausage. To me it has just enough heat if you use it moderately. Want more or less heat, sprinkle more or less to the meat. I put it on everything.

1- black pepper
1- chili powder
1- garlic powder
1- season it all
1- McCormick’s garlic pepper with red bell and black pepper (see below).
1/2- Cayenne powder
1/2- smoked paprika

side note, this is good on veggies and chicken all on its own

 
Thanks for the advice. I didn’t think about it falling apart after cooking/smoking. :homer: We have plenty of chicken wire here to contain it.

Interesting about keeping the smaller parts cooler than the bigger ones. Something I didn’t think about. :homer:
 
You're gonna have a hell of a time getting the inside to render before the outside dries out unless you slice and dice or unless you keep the smoke box at like 240deg for three days straight. :laughing:
 
whaaaaaat?
The meat needs to get above the rendering temp for the fat (206F IIRC) to make the fat melt into the meat and get the juicy goodness people expect from smoked meat. Temperature and time in excess of that just dries the meat out.
 
The meat needs to get above the rendering temp for the fat (206F IIRC) to make the fat melt into the meat and get the juicy goodness people expect from smoked meat. Temperature and time in excess of that just dries the meat out.
ok,

so why are we cutting up a suckling pig for a 3 day cook?
 
ok,

so why are we cutting up a suckling pig for a 3 day cook?
I'm confused what you're getting at here. OP implied he was just gonna toss a pig in the smoker. I pointed out that he's gonna have a heck of a time getting it to properly render without being dry unless he butchers it into the usual cuts.
 
I'm confused what you're getting at here. OP implied he was just gonna toss a pig in the smoker. I pointed out that he's gonna have a heck of a time getting it to properly render without being dry unless he butchers it into the usual cuts.
and most of this thread is about how to do that without cutting it up
 
So that would bring another question. I would love to keep it whole, just cause, but is it best I separate the front quarters from the ribs/spine and separate the rears?

and an afterthought; what about injecting the hams to try and keep them from drying out?
 
So that would bring another question. I would love to keep it whole, just cause, but is it best I separate the front quarters from the ribs/spine and separate the rears?

and an afterthought; what about injecting the hams to try and keep them from drying out?
its definitely easier in pieces,

injection is a great way to keep stuff juicy and add flavor. but dont stop at the hams, do everything if youve got the needle and juice out.
 
Overall it was good. The blackstrap was awesome and tender. The 4 quarters were very tasty. Not dry but not moist either. Good though. Injected with my “slop” and seasoned with the seasoning posted above. Very tasty. Just the seasoning on the tenderloins was the noms. The ribs were like eating leather, but you can’t expect much out of those toothpick ribs like that :laughing: they will make good bone broth though.

smoked the quarters for 3 hours, then wrapped them in pink butcher paper for another 3 hours. Heat/smoke went well until the weather turned south and was a rainout and cooled off the pit a lot. :mad3: Couldn’t get it to pulled pork temps. But Made due though. It was all good.

the turkey was the bomb. Definitely Doing that again. As per this video here
 
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