Pig pickin' advice - where to rent cooker, buy pig?
I moved to SF from NC last year, and I miss NC barbecue. It's time for a pig pickin'! The trouble is, (1) my local NC friends and I have never cooked a pig before, and (2) we don't know where to rent a pig cooker.
* Where can one rent a pig cooker around here? (Can they be rented?)
* Where's the best place to buy a pig?
* Any recommendations on locations? I'm thinking one of the picnic areas in Golden Gate Park or maybe Ocean Beach / Montara Beach, but I've never tried to reserve an area. Advice?
Many thanks!
Geoff
By geoff314
on Aug 11, 2008 10:27 PM
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Some friends of mine (2 NC boys and fella from New Jersey) did a pig pickin' last summer at Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley (a unit of the East Bay Regional Park District). They got the pig from Verbrugge Meat in Oakland where they were told it was "about as close to organic as you can get without being organic".
They built their own cooker contraption, which I believe was essentially an enormous grilling basket made from expanded metal lath, which they placed atop one of the large grills at the picnic area--see attached pictures of the grill used at this year's pig (shoulder) pickin'. Unfortunately, I arrived at last year's event well after the cooking happened and never had a chance to see the apparatus in action.
I might be able to put you in touch with these guys, so you can get the straight dope. If you think you might be interested, contact me at the e-mail address in the Blog field of my profile.
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Verbrugge Meat-Fish Poultry
6321 College Ave, Oakland, CA
East Bay Regional Park District
2950 Peralta Oaks Ct, Oakland, CA
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I got a small pig from Clark Summit Farms west of Petaluma last year. Marin Sun farms probably sells whole pigs too. You can specify how big you want--15 pounds, 50 pounds etc.
The one I got was just small enough to fit on my smoker. But we really wanted to get some cinder blocks and make a fire. Never quite figured out how to rig a spit. Probably need to wrap it in chicken wire so it doesn't fall apart as well.
I can't imagine doing this at a park now, given the fire danger. I was thinking on my back patio, with the fire surrounded by cinder blocks.
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Many thanks! I will shoot you an email.
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