Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation A Pig in the Ground?

Anyone cook a whole hog? How, and how was it?

I knew an old boy down in NV that used to put a goat in the pigs cavity and cook em in a pit wrapped in burlap.
The goat was better than the pig.....and I'm not a big fan of goat.
I never passed up an invitation to one of his pig roasts.

I hear it is very good pit cooked, but I don't want t to have to do all that digging. I built a pig rotisserie. Haven't used it yet, but it will turn a pig 4 times a minute. Adjusted height, should take 16-18 hours above ground. If you fill the cavity with chicken, you get a choice of meats, great flavor, and more even cooking. My motor is AC so it will be either off a generator or house current. Might change over to a DC motor in time, and go solar w/ batteries.

Yup pit roasted anything is good eats. Last one I went to though was over 20 years ago for a big Mexican Wedding that lasted three days out on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. No one does that anymore in my family or circle of friends. Seems like that was a previous generation or two. Everyone got educated and made money. Miss those days.

To much work and not enough expensive do dads and gadgets for today's generation.
Like you say Fats,,,,,it's different day and age.

Hard work is a reason a lot of things are not done so much.

I cook a 100 some #’er every year.

Cinder block cooker. 20 or so pounds of charcoal and some wood.

Always comes out nice. Feeds 50ish folks.

I do them for special occasions. I made the pitt about 12 years ago and do one about every other year. It's a lot of work so plan on missing the party. The hardest part is keeping a constant temperature
I buy the hogs from a local farmer. I tell him how big of one I need and he kills it and cleans it and has it ready to go in a couple days. I have him split the ribcage so I can wire the legs to the grate. I usely get a 125-200 pound dressed hog. I figure 4 pounds per person. I have tried a lot of different ways to prepare it and have settled on just lots of salt and pepper with about a gallon of Frenches mustard slathered all over it. It sounds weird but the mustard soaks into the hog and blends into the meat. I have a couple gallons of BBQ sauce on the side for guests to put on their meat as they see fit. Guests always ask what secret rub is and they are suprised that it is something so simple. I'll post some pictures when I get to my computer.

Richard, when I was younger we used to take turns swiping 100 lb pigs from our fathers and have a hog roast in the ground, funny thing is all the parents showed up to eat and drink our beer, wrapped in fence wire, a bed of coals, covered up with wet gunny sacks and dirt good times

We had better luck cutting the pig in to 1.5" chops and BBQ over red oak coals for about an hour.

Pigs in the ground make good steamed meat for burritos and tacos ....

I was stationed in Hawaii in the 80's, and our unit had quite a few true Hawaiians in it. Our Group parties always consisted of at least 2 pigs cooked in the imus (the pit in the ground with coals and the banana leaves, with the pigs cooked overnight and most of the day. I will say it produced the most succulent pig I have ever eaten. Cannot give you much more details than that. The only thing the locals ever let me have was a recipe for a marinade that is fantastic for ribs.

I've cooked whole wild pigs but not in the ground. I hear they are excellent that way, The whole pigs I cooked were probably some of the best meat I've ever tasted. These were about 20 pounders.

Did a 98 pounder yesterday. 93 pounder fixing to go in the roaster this AM.

I still smell like yesterday's roast pig this morning, after a shower. Lol.

I have a buddy that roasts a pig over mesquite every year for his annual Christmas party. GREAT STUFF.

I love the crispy skin. I always pull the head and eat the cheeks and tongue. Everyone always said "GROSS"
until one year when someone tired it.

GOOD STUFF right there !

Dad, brother in law, and I cooked one a few years ago. Our 'pit' was cinder blocks stacked two high to make a base, then I had a heavy steel grating that went on top of the blocks, pig on the graiting, another layer of blocks on the grating, and tin on top. Shoveled charcoal and wood chunks in from the end. Cooked all day and had relatives and neighbors over for supper. Was a lot of work, but turned out well.

If you were closer you would have an uninvited guest.

You must have "Big Do'ins" planned, have a good weekend.

You’re always invited!

We do a pig roast for the regulars at the brewery every year. We had about 120-130 or so folks on Wednesday.

Pigs came out great. Cooked one Tuesday, got it cut and picked and into the cooler. Cooked the second Wed morning.

We do one every year. Buddy has a trailer pit, so it really isn't in the ground.

Slaughter on Friday, in the pit by Friday afternoon, by Saturday at noon or so, we are usually chopping and pulling.

The whole dang neighborhood shows up. Plenty of keg beer and everyone brings sides. Good times.

It is a fair bit of work, this much is true.

I cook anywhere from 10-40 a year for different functions, churches and schools. Cooked for a Black Church event on one occasion. Should have seen the looks from folks as they arrived with a white man at the grill. Things changed when the eating started.

Got the beer on ice?

Are the Rowdy Friends coming over?



Been watching this thread for 3 weeks and no one stepped up.

I couldn't wait anymore.