Been talking about having a pig roast for a few years with my buddies. This is the Spring to try it.

I have a large New Braunfels charcoal rectangle grill with lower and upper drafts that I installed an electric rotisserie unit. The grill is large enough to cook a full pork tenderloin.

What size pig do I need for 10 to 15 people?
Time to cook per pound?
Marinade?
Other good to know items.

There is an Asian market that has a great butcher shop, I need some info on what size to order.


Thanks

I would cook 4-5 Boston butts and forget about the rotisserie/whole hog. Pull the pork for sandwiches, and a good time will be had by all.

Mike

Was also considering the pork shoulder roasts. What cut of meat is the Boston Butt?

Thanks

Consider cooking a small pig (30 lbs or so)partially split down the middle so he lies flat. Smaller ones are easy to cook. Then on another grill, or the same one if its big enough, cook enough butts to feed the crowd. Now, use the small cooked pig as a centerpiece, and pull the butts apart and arrange the meat around him. Lots easier, and if the whole pig is cooked right (read cooked slowly) you can eat him too. If you mess him up, you still got the butts. Don't forget a red apple for his mouth (prop it open with a stick before you cook him) and some greenery to go around his head. Your guests will like it.

Mikem2,

Boston Butt is actually a front shoulder cut. Why it is named that, I have no idea.

Mike

Cooker look like this ??

http://www.deltablues.net/roast.html how to cook a pig.

Man, that's some hog cookin time.

Because Yankees don't know one end from the other?

High Entertainment Value (HEV) event!
Appreciate all the info....
Just need to find the time for a multi-day event based on the link!

Anyway, now I am tracking on the 'Front Shoulder Cut', that I can spot even if the sign in the meat case is in Korean! The counter guy and I get along just fine by pointing to what I want.

Mike--have a good cookout. Don

You could also do a cinder block pit if you still want to go whole hog.

http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2007/03/cooking-whole-hog-on-cinder-block-pit_19.html

ETA : I think when she talked about splitting the " spine " she was referring to the sternum

Actually you have to split the spine to get it to lay flat. You don't want to go clear thru the tissue as that's what holds it together.

Well, the first thing to do is get a pig.................

I stand corrected . Looked like they were just cutting the breast bone , I see now how the back would also need to be let loose so to get the flat spread .
Good blog anyways

Yes, gotta find a pig.....!
Have a solid option on that, if necessary will go with Pork Shoulder.
Really like that Redneck Microwave in the link above.

What about marinades, rubs or BBQ sauce recipes?

I'll bet if you can si habla espanol you can pick up a few south of the border reaaaaaal cheap right about now!

Dizzy Pig makes great rubs and are available in some Whole Food stores. If not you can get online. We do competitions and win with their stuff. Also good is the goyo mojo found in the Mexican food section of Walmart. More of a Cuban flair but really good. As for sauce I start with Bone Suckin as a base and add my own sourwood honey and vinegar. Good mop too. Lastly, I agree with those who suggest using butts instead of whole hog. Just make sure they are bone in and for best results cook using indirect heat at or around 225-240. I start mine at 6 in the evening on Big Green Eggs and let them go until about 10 or later into the next morning to an internal pull temp of 198. Important to know that a low and slow cook will create a cook situation whereby the pork will almost seems to stall at about the 160-165 internal temp mark and stay there until the plateau breaks and all the collagen is melted into the meat. I have seen this plateau break take up to 8 hours but it's worth the wait!!! Especially, when you pull the meat and find little-to-no fat.

If you're cooking pig then there's no other way than carolina style.

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/2199-how-to-make-carolina-bbq

I was born and raised a true Sandlapper from the great state of South Carolina and would agree that this is all good. Again, however lowwwww-and-slowwwwwww! Difference in BBQ to we Palmetto state natives are the sauces (4 kinds) not the pork. Oh yah and BBQ is a noun not a verb!

Mike you do not have to split the backbone. That is tough and un-necessart. Just take an axe, hatchet or cleaver and break the ribs up close to the spine. Lots easier and does not mess up the loin meat.

You have lots of good advice here already so no need for me to say much.

A forty pound pig will take you about five or six hours done right.

BCR

I would have agreed with this in the past but now I'm not so sure. I accidentally picked up some pork shoulder cryo's at Costco. I was a bit miffed when I opened them and realized my error. When they removed the bone they took out some fat, Still more than enough to keep the meat moist but a helluva lot less waste.
Every one here liked the flavor better because it wasn't as rich.
Cooking time was the same. I run mine on the BGE for 24 hours on average and I rarely go past an internal temp of 185. The product is well cooked before the conversion process starts and once the temp begins to rise again that process is completed enough to pull the Q.

I have bought and used those Costco boneless butts. What we found was the rub that got down in the butterflies did not bark-up. So we tried twine but still did not get what we wanted. Another benefit of the bone is the bounce test. For doneness we drop that sucker on the chopping table. If the bone falls away she is done. Also with the bone we get a couple of nice knuckles that look good at turn in. Not knocking the boneless butt because Lord knows I am the poster child for the Kirkland brand. I usually go to Publix and ask the butcher for that same cryo pack bone-in. Question for you. I have been cooking on Eggs for 20 years and my longest cook for butts has been 19 hours (but then they are done when they are done) at which point I always hit around 198, which again I believe to be optimum for pulling. How do you keep internal temp down to 185 after 24 hours? Do you cooler cook them from there, which would increase temps? What is your dome temp throughout the cook? You sure they don't hit higher temps and cool back down? On another note have you used the digi Q II Gurus? They work great!! About to order the Cyber II from BBQ Guru so we can push multiple cookers with one device, which should be closer to Rocks Stoker. I can still get one or 2 to 225 and they will stay there as long as I want. However, when you get 5 XL's running you need some element of control in order to get a good nights sleep.

When I used the boneless I didn't season the insides or tie them. To be honest I thought they were going to cook a lot faster and I had serious doubts about them.
I sure don't know what I'm doing differently with my egg and I was just as surprised about your faster cook times. Do you use a plate setter and liquid? I don't think I've hit 195 more than once. I just pull at 185 but my fastest burn was 18 hours and I've hit 26 a few times. When I pull them I do cooler cook em. As a general rule I always tell folks that temps rise an average of ten degrees when you pull a roast/turkey etc so I might just hit 195 in the cooler.
Whoops just noticed you are running XL's! I'm on a large so I have to think that's the difference.
5 XL's.....Wow, SWEET. Egg porn! LOL
I'm totally hooked on my egg.
I haven't tried any controllers but I would really like to get one and a small BGE so I could cold smoke.
Do you have any photos of your set up. I'd enjoy seeing that!

If you want to go the Boston Butt route, which is by far the easiest way to feed that many fresh barbeque, tell your butcher you want whole butts, not the 3-pound roasts. A whole butt will weigh from 6 to 8 pounds, so get three and you'll have meat left after everybody is groaning.

No need for the rotisserie, just put the butts on skin-side up (the layer of fat under the skin makes them self-basting) and keep the temperature hovering around the boiling point of water (220). I always cook with hickory coals from a separate fire (handle blank cutoffs are easy to get here), and add a hatful when the temp drops to 210, vent a little if it gets up to 230. Get the internal temp to 180 and hold it there for an hour, slice across the top under the fat (making a flap of the skin and fat) and you can dig out the sweetest, juiciest dead pig you'll ever see, and if you're not immediately using an entire butt just lay the flap back in place and keep the temp inside the cooker around 200, you can hold them for hours without drying.

Yes we use plate setters in all our cookers. Sometimes liquid in the drip pan but not found that it really makes a difference. I also have a large and do find that the LG cooks slower and produces more smoke. Probably due to the higher dome. I will post some pictures of our competition cooks after I watch the Caps win over the Penguins. Lastly, when Santa asks you what you want for Christmas tell her a BBQ Guru digi Q II with a 10CFM fan. You'll love it. I can lock onto any temp and it will stay dead on until the lump runs out!! The newer versions (to include The Stoker) even allow you to monitor your cookers from a PDA or laptop, which is nice during a competition when all you want to do is hole up in your hotel room away from the crowds.

When I first bought my BGE I thought about getting one against the advice of several other Egg Heads. A year later I'm glad I saved the $250. I can see why it would be great for competition but not something I need at home.
I set up the large BGE, adjust it once during the first hour and then I typically do not have to touch it again until the 16-18 hour mark and maybe one final time at the 22 hour mark. In numerous burns I've only had it go out one time. Besides I need the extra coins to fuel my new addiction to Japanese knives.

Testing.....


Made three Pork Shoulders on the New Braunfels, indirect heat, 3.5 hours 200 - 220 degrees. Done just right, almost fell apart, forked into pulled pork with sauce.....

Same time had on a Boston Butt with Skin, 4.5 hours, checked it, needed some more time on. 200 degrees. Cooked it skin up.

Used Stubb's charcoal, good solid heat level, 6 hours of red coals. Our local BBQ Galore closed, so I have no access to Green Egg chunk or their house brand of chunk charcoal. Using Stubb's or Kingsford Competition along with some Cowboy Charcoal.

Back to the results.

The three shoulders made 13 cups of pulled pork. The Boston Butt was about 5 cups of meat. Both tasted great according to my testers.

My daughters (13 and 5 years old) made the BBQ sauce by heating a cup of honey, mixing in a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays, and a good grind of fresh pepper. We tend to like coated BBQ in our house, the honey gets it to stick while cooking.

More testing to follow!

Thanks for all the info!

Agreed and like you -- those of us who have been cooking on Eggs for years and have them seasoned just right take pride in not using the CFM and controller. I live high up on a mountain and often the elements (especially wind) have an adverse effect on the cook so like any new toy the Guru makes for fun. Another nice feature is the ramp down, which will down size the fire as the meat reaches the desired temp. Again, a new toy that actually serves its purpose. Especially, as you say with multiple cookers. Holding temps on XL's is much harder than any other size. I also have a Primo Oval, which is what the XL should been designed after. Dome is too low on XL to ensure slow cooks like the large. Glad to see more Eggers on this site.

"Made three Pork Shoulders on the New Braunfels, indirect heat, 3.5 hours 200 - 220 degrees. Done just right, almost fell apart, forked into pulled pork with sauce.....

Same time had on a Boston Butt with Skin, 4.5 hours, checked it, needed some more time on. 200 degrees. Cooked it skin "


I cook pork shoulders overnight, and still have never cooked a butt at 220 - 250 in under 8 hours. I don't know how you're getting your meat up to temp so fast. I've sat and watched pork shoulders sit at 140 - 145 degrees for 2-3 hours before the temp starts to rise again. I've done butts for 16 hours at 220! Is it the cooker? I always figured heat was heat.

...Hey, Lots of good cooking advice here! I need it, since my wild hog hunt a couple weeks ago I've been wondering what to do with all this meat. See "Toomsboro Georgia hog Hunt" here on our forum for photos of myself and my sons with our hogs.Or search for "olhippie" posts....My son Elijah took a small one for cooking whole on the spit. I'll show him posts here on "how to"...I'm a venison man myself, a bit leery of pork..

I cook 8lb butts at 250+ and can't get 'em where I want 'em in less than 8 hours....figure roughly 1-1 1/2 hour per pound for pulling. Could easily take 10-12 hours for an 8 lb butt. Sometimes I get tired of tending the pit that long (if kids are around) so I generally finish in the oven wrapped in foil if I'm in a hurry unless I've got a brisket going at the same time.......

I agree! I have been cooking all varieties and cuts of hog for 20 years and entered and often won just about any competition out there and the only cooker I know of (non-commercial) that will cook a 7 lb butt in 4 hours is an Orion cooker and it's more like a cajun microwave that steams the meat. (Frankly, I do not like the Orion even though I own one). I used to fast cook butts before I moved into the over-nite slow cooks but even on the egg (for a fast cook) I would have to run them at 325 and foil for half the time, which still took 8 hours. Now having said that I have a La Caja China cooker that will roast a whole hog in 4-5 hours and cook butts in 4. However, there is no smoke and the meat is cooked at way higher fire temps than 225, which to me is optimum temp for pulled pork. In the case of the La Caja the fire is built on the top and again more of a steamed cook. They are amazing but again you sacrifice the smokey flavor. Like I said another option is the Orion cooker, which I only use when camping. It will cook a butt in about 5 hours and you can use wood chips. Not as good as the BGE but it works. So back to low and slow on indirect heat. I see NO way that you could fully cook a whole shoulder (assuming weight is 7 lbs) to a pulled state of internal temp of 195 using a fire temp of 250 degrees in 4 hours. As for that (140-145) plateau mentioned here I usually see it at 160 and the stall can set in for for sometimes up to 10 hours depending on the amount of collagen contained. 3.5 hours at a cook temp of 225 for a shoulder to reach 195. Just not possible IMHO. Maybe with the Orion but again that is a different method altogether (internal temps hit 400) and pales in comparison to smoked meats.

Good post, BYC.....the best pulled pork is smoked pulled pork. I smoke the butts during the entire cook and I"ve never over smoked pork, but I've come close to over smoking brisket. Always looking for that light blue smoke from oak....once I get the temp where I want, the Klose is easy to keep.

Thanks---yes you definitely want that blue smoke. I like David's cookers and in fact he uses BYC as his tag. BYC is our team name. I spoke to David several years ago about incorporating our 4 XL BGE's into one of his rigs. His reply was draw it on a napkin and we'll make it. Got to love that approach. He's one of the good guys

What's this place coming to? I'm surrounded by a bunch of butt smokers!
I used to fiddle around with a gas grill and wood chips and I could cook a 6# butt in 8 hours but that was very direct heat. It just doesn't compare to the smoked pulled pig off the egg not to mention it's a whole lot less work.

How about we start calling it N1H1 smoking??

About seven hours of cooking and turning and basting ever 15 - 30 minutes with salt, pepper, vinegar and oil mix. Some fine pork skins too!

Ours was cooked in a dug pit with the pig sandwiched flat between some welded wire and poles on two sides for flipping.

When I was a kid we used to run pipes through the pig and wrap it up with chicken coop wire and then smoke em under an old truck topper! LOL
The last time I did that was HS graduation on the football field. We even had a quarter barrel. Bet the kidos don't get away with that any more. I had a neighbor that used to do whole OX every year. Talk about a romin stompin barn dance & BBQ!

We dug a hole and used palmetto leaves from palmetto trees. Heck we even shot the pig. Right between the eyes. And if you missed you'd better run like hell!!

Thanks for the advice on the Boston Butts and Dizzy Pig rubs. Man it turned out great. Made 5 this weekend, added a few chunks of hickory.

Had an work BBQ, it was top notch and had rave reviews. Added in some Cole Slaw my daughter made!

thanks