Ladies and Gents.
I need to roast a pig for about 60 guys.
I am looking for input on the best procedure/instructions on how to bury and roast a full hog.
I appreciate the advice.
Robert

Dam Thought you where talk'in about nuk'in Bin Laden in his hole!

You need a lot of big rocks to line the hole. BIG rocks so they hold the heat.

Wrap the pig in heavy aluminum foil, then in wet burlap bags (or wet bannana leaves).

Start a blazin fire on top of the rocks and Let the fire burn until the rocks are very, very hot and the fire is reduced to coals. Of course, you want to use hardwood for this. Then put the pig on top, and cover with soil.

It won't overcook, but it takes about 12-14 hours to roast a largish pit. Probably longer for one to feed as many as you're going to feed.

Seasoning is up to you. Good luck.

I used to do pig roasts for that many or more up on Cumberland island in the 70's.

First you pick out a pig about 100 pounds, then shoot and clean the pig. The island was overrun with them back then. I stuffed the cavity with apples, onions, carrots, a bit of salt and pepper.

Down at the beach, dig the pit about three feet deep, just above the high tide mark.

Build a big fire with oak and hickory, and let it reduce to red hot coals. Throw a metal grate on the coals.

Wrap the pig first in heavy foil, then palmetto leaves, and on the outer side, wet burlap. Put the wrapped piggy on the grate, and cover with sand.

About 8 to 10 hours later, dig up the pig, set up the table with the side dishes, and go to it. Broach the second keg of beer about that time. The meat will be falling off the bones.

And what can you substitute for Palmetto leaves?

Keep coming with the input....I am getting a little famished just reading. I may have to take some ideas from all and put them together.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing more.

Here ya go my friend.Start digging

http://www.askthemeatman.com/pit_roast_whole_hog_answer.htm

I have gotten several ideas from this site and all were delicious.I'd bookmark it if I were you.Lotta good stuff inside.


Another place to go would be www.thesmokering.com those boys know how to cook and it is free just like the campfire.Tell them UpInFlames sent ya.

Here's some more.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458-001/458-001.html

Leaf options: It's probably too early in the season, but corn leaves would work. Any plant with big wide and long leaves. Their purpose is simply to supply a moist, non-combustible layer between hot coals and the morsel in question.

Cacc,
If you want to know how the Hawaiian's do it, PM me.

Aloha-
Heeman

What if the rest of us wanna know how the Hawaiian's do it?
Actually I know...

I've never personally done it but seen it done...so I can only provide you with what seems like a very good link:

http://cuban-christmas.com/pigroast.html

Jim

That is exactly what I was looking for. Just perfect. Thank you kind sir!!

The islanders use coals, rocks (basalt), palm fronds, and ti leaves (called "tea leaves"- also shredded length wise and used as the original grass skirts). Near colder water sources, kelp leaves will work too. 1Minute

more burlap? I don't really know. I was shown the method by an old black guy that lived on the island. He felt that the palmetto was important for some reason.

If I may add to 280Rems' post.
Should you use charcoal,look around and buy HARDWOOD charcoal.It burns about 150-200 degrees hotter than briquettes and is much cleaner.Less fly ash.JMHO

BTW 280 I added that to my BBQ folder on my desktop.Thanx

Mannlicher: I forgot about the wet burlap or wet cotton sacks. We've used those on pit beef, but not tried them on pork. Likely, they would work just fine. 1Minute

I have wrapped moose hearts in foil and then wet newspapers and buried them in a campfire overnight. Stuffed the chambers of the heart with onions. In the morning, unwrap the thing and you got some of the best eating in the world -- well, this part of the world, anyway.

Sorry Shreck,
Take no offense I just did not have the time to reply right away.
It's similar to all the other replies.
They dig a hole about three to four feet deep, and put the rocks in. Then they heat it up really hot with hard wood.(Mesquite) Then they prepare the pig with rock salt and they wrap it up with chicken wire.(They burn the galvanizing off first).
We use banana stumps slit in half, banana leaves and Ti leaves. A lot has to be used to fully cover everything and it has to be done quickly before the pig gets burned. Then we use wet burlap bags to cover everything up also.
Then you have to use a very thick canvas to cover up the burlaps.
After that you have to cover the edges of the canvas to seal the heat in. If steam is purging out, you have to put more dirt to weigh it down otherwise flames will be shooting out and the burlap will dry out and burn. In the earlier years, they did not use the canvas or burlap bags and they covered the entire pit with the banana leaves then covered with dirt. But now since we use the burlap and the canvas, it is easier to uncover and there is a lot less mess.
After ten to twelve hours, you pull it out by grabbing on to the chicken wire because it will be super hot and the meat will be falling off the bone! Some of the pigs that they cook weigh up to 700 lbs!(before gutting)
I am not sure what kind of leaf you can use in replacement of banana stumps and leaves because they have a lot of moisture in them. That is how the pork gets steamed and not burnt.
Remember, it is very important to keep a good seal around the canvas. It's like one big pressure cooker!
In Hawaiian, it's called an "Imu"
Aloha,
Heeman

What's the best short-cut for us guys in the burbs?

best shortcut would be to skip the various leaves, and use wet burlap or an old chenille bedspread. Something that will hold moisture, and not burn. As heeman said, the idea is to cover the pit well so that its not really burning, ie, cut off the oxygen, and provide moisture so the meat steams.

Our family reunion tradition was the pig in the ground. My grandad's technique was to dig a large pit and then build a fire in the bottom that was allowed to burn to a bed of coals. Large stones were then placed on the coals. It is important to use rocks that will not explode when heated. The pork was then wrapped in aluminum foil and then burlapped and secured with tie wire.The burlap was then soaked with water and the wrapped porker was then placed on rocks and then covered with soil and left to cook slowly all day while spirits were distributed.
The pork was always falling apart when dug from the pit. Thanks for reminding me of this! I might have to revive this tradition.

Justin Wilson had a cooking show about roasting a pig one time and he said that Cajuns were too lazy to dig and undig a pit so they made a cajun microwave. It was basicly a large steel top on legs that they built a fire on and a large wooden box on wheels that they put the pig in and rolled it under the steel top. You might do a search and come up with more about it. miles

Buy a smoker and learn how to cook low and slow
I haven't bought a smoker as yet but the low and slow bug has bit me hard.I have cooked beef briskets and Boston butts on my gas grill for as long as 12 hours.Sooooo good and tender as your mouth has never savored.

Here's a starter for you and probably the last word on Bar-B-Que.Go to forums and sign up for free.Awesome site.


www.thesmokering.com

The sheet tin on the hot fire I think produces what Jamacians called "jerked pork" which is also excellent.

Southern BBQ (which is the only kind fit to eat) is low heat, long long cooking time.

The Pig in the Ground is succulent, and of course does not rely on hot sauces for its flavor. A Carolina Pig-pulling is pretty close.

All the pigs I have done have been above ground over a big bed of coals on a homemade rotisserie- it is way too much work. I have pit bbq'd a bunch of lambs though. I even took one on an elk hunt and slaughtered it halfway through the hunt when we ran out of meat reserves.

Dig a hole about 3' deep. If you can put some rocks in the bottom, great, but not crucial. Build a hot fire with hardwood (I use mostly mesquite and whatever local ornamental tree can be salvaged)

I prep the sheep by cutting into 15# chunks, season heavily with dry seasonings, wrap in laundered cheesecloth or thin, cheap white dish towels (I get them at Smart&final) and then in, again, laundered gunny sacks. It is important to either wash them in the washing machine or soak them OVERNIGHT- otherwise they don't absorb sufficient water.

Wrap the meat in gunny sacks and then with tie wire with loops for grabbing. Have all the meat ready to go at once- you need to get it in the pit and covered fast so you don't lose your steam.

Drop the meat right on the coals. place tin over the hole and then cover with dirt. When no smoke or steam is coming out- you have it good enough.

Let it cook for about 8 hours.

Meat should be falling-off-the-bone-tender.

In a small suburban pit- we cast them out of concrete with fire clay mixed in. I made an expanded metal grate that fit perfectly in the hole. I would pack the boneless meat in 5-10# bundles rolled in double thick layer of foil, heavily seasoned with a homemade mixture of salt and spices.

Prepare the fire as above and then lower the grate stacked with meat into the hole. I would usually add fatty pork roast to lean meats such as elk.

I could then drop the foil packets into an ice chest and transport them to whatever shindig they were slated for.

If, you do it like Heeman says,

Guarantee fo' come out ono (delicious), I promise!!!

We do it all the time !!!!

Aloha,

Late-Bloomer

I used this method last year with very good results. The marinade is good (more garlic, though and lots of black pepper) and the roasting technique works great. Materials and pig (dressed and scalded, 80 lbs pig for 50 people) ran about$120 in NM. If you do it, don't get impatient or worry about having enough fire. I started off with too much fire and ended up getting the skin too dark. Just keep a little fire going in each corner of the roaster and figure on an extra hour or cooking if you're worried about getting it fully cooked.

Stacking up a couple of rows of cinder blocks is much easier than digging a hole in the ground.

MDM


280Rem. wrote:
"I've never personally done it but seen it done...so I can only provide you with what seems like a very good link:

http://cuban-christmas.com/pigroast.html"