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HOW TO SMOKE A WHOLE HOG
A whole hog is the apex of barbecue. As you climb
P4 the ladder of smoking enlightenment, at some
point you’ll want to try one. There are too many
variables (hog size, smoker design, weather, wood.
and so on) to cover in a single recipe. Here are the
basic guidelines.You pile lit charcoal on this metal lid. turning the box
into an outdoor oven. The result: amazingly moist
tender pork, but without a pronounced smoke flavor.
Attach a smoke generator (page 14) and you fix that,
and get competition-quality barbecue, to boot. Note.
You can also smoke a 50-pounder on a Weber Ranch
grill or Big Green Egg XXXL.
The fuel: You can burn charcoal and pimp the smoke
with wood chunks or chips. But for meat this big.
I like a straight log fire. Follow the instructions for
building a wood fire on page 25. You'll need at least
an hour to get a good bed of embers. Add two or
three logs an hour to maintain the heat and generate
smoke. Texans use oak; southerners use hickory;
midwesterners burn apple. Any seasoned hardwood
will give you great results. Make sure you have good
airflow so the smoke passes over the meat, instead of
smothering it.
The temperature: There are many schools of thought
here: low and slow in the style of traditional Southern
barbecue or hot and fast in the style of Texas. The
larger your hog. the lower the heat you need to cook
it through without burning the exterior. I recommend
a target temperature of 225° to 250°F. For a suckling
pig. you could go as high as 325°F.
Timing: The time it takes to cook your hog depends
on many factors: the size of the hog. the type and
temperature of the pit, the weather, and even how
much beer you and your crew have drunk. Your
goal is an internal temperature of about 195°F in the
shoulders and about 175°F in the deepest part of the
hams (the upper hind leg). Another test for doneness
is that the bones should pop loosely out of the meat.
As a very rough guide, figure on 1 to 1V2 hours for
every 10 pounds of hog. Thus a 50-pound hog will
take 5 to 7 hours; a 180-pounder needs more like
18 hours. (Note: For a really small pig. you need to
bump up the time—a 20-pound hog still needs
3V2 to 4 hours.)The hog: Hogs range in size from 20-pound suckling
pigs to 225-pound monsters. The first time you
smoke a hog. I recommend a 50-pounder (that's
gutted weight, by the way. but with the head on).
It’s small enough to handle by yourself, and it'll cook
in half a day—yet. it’s large enough to establish your
smoking bona fides. You'll need to order your hog
ahead of time. As always, look for organic or heritage
breeds from small farms. Ideally, you’ll pick it up
the morning you plan to smoke it. (The butcher's
refrigerator is bigger than yours.) In a pinch, you can
keep your hog chilled in a large insulated cooler or in
a bathtub filled with ice. (When
warn your spouse.) using^ the^ latter,^ do
The cut: Hogs smokedwhole with legs tucked
under the body are what you often see at barb
competitions. But l prefer a butterflied hog—split
through the belly to the backbone and opened up
like a book. Why? When you smoke a whole hog. in
effect you stew the meat in the skin. Yes, it comes
out juicy and tender— but sometimes with a stewed
quality. I like my pork with some crust and chew to it.
When you smoke a butterflied ho.
of the meat to the smoke and fire.
The smoker: You’ll need a serious smoker—especially
for jumbo hogs. That puts you in competition rig
territory: respected brands include Horizon. Yoder.
Klose. Lang. Pitmaker, Pitt's & Spitt's, Backwoods,
and Cookshack. One interesting alternative for
pig roasting is the “Cajun microwave" or its Cuban
analogue, the caja china (Chinese box). Picture a
wooden or steel box with an indentedecue
- you expose more
metal top.
92 | PORK