640755 Thu Jul 30 13:09:59 -0700 2009 14 31 Home Cooking 0 4904129 I am cooking a whole pig this weekend. I've borrowed an amazing cooker from a friend and will pick up le cochon, a 60 pounder, tomorrow. I am looking for any advice, tips and words of encouragement (especially the latter). My inclination is to cook it slowly for six-to-seven hours and then start taking its temperature. Any help is much appreciated. Thu Jul 30 13:09:59 -0700 2009 164367 Ichabod 1 4904833 Did you borrow a Caja China? I'm dying to get my hands on one. Your pic should only take 3-4 hours in one of those. I alsways do whole pigs in a cuban mojo marinade - cumin, garlic, sour orange juice (or 50/50 lime and sweet orange), olive oil, S & P. People will absolutely love this so relax! Thu Jul 30 16:59:35 -0700 2009 4904129 23451 Junoesq 2 4905259 3-4 hours for a whole pig?? At what temp, 900? I just slo-roasted 6 lbs of a pig shoulder roast, with skin, for 8 hours at 300. Don't you need it to get to at least 190 temp so it's fork tender and all the girstle & tendons have melted into the meat?? I've never roasted a whole pig, so I'm just wondering.......why would it take less time?? Thu Jul 30 20:10:22 -0700 2009 4904833 90755 Phurstluv 3 4906363 Raichlen cooked his 50 lb pig for about 5 hours. The recipe linked below is for a 30 lb pig and calls for 3 1/2 hours. He did say the internal temp should be 190. Maybe it's the rotisserie thing. Fri Jul 31 09:14:24 -0700 2009 4905259 80667 janetms383 4 4906415 Wow, must be. I would love to know how hot it gets! Fri Jul 31 09:27:54 -0700 2009 4906363 90755 Phurstluv 5 4906504 I was trying to find the answer inside his cookbook - How To Grill. For the rotisserie, he was using hardwood charcole and it was shooting flames. In his book, he say a hot charcoal can be about 650 degrees. But I would think that if flames were licking the coals, it would be hotter...... Fri Jul 31 09:53:31 -0700 2009 4906415 80667 janetms383 6 4907713 Thanks for the research, janetms383!! Somehow I don't think my weber could handle that!! Fri Jul 31 16:44:36 -0700 2009 4906504 90755 Phurstluv 2 4907775 What's your recipe for the marinade? I used the one that came with the Caja China and I thought the brine watered down the mojo too much. Pig mostly tasted salty... Was actually kind of disappointing. Fri Jul 31 17:16:09 -0700 2009 4904833 18705 emily 1 4905453 OOhhh you should cook it hawaiian style in a big fire pit! Hehe. Thu Jul 30 22:04:43 -0700 2009 4904129 1098090 stickyfarm99 1 4906257 I just saw Steven Raichlen do a whole pig on his show Primal Grill. Here is a link to the recipe. http://www.primalgrill.org/season2/Recipes/209_recipes.html#anchor2 scroll down the page about 1/2 way Fri Jul 31 08:47:11 -0700 2009 4904129 80667 janetms383 1 4906334 A caja china would make your life a lot easier. The other method I know would involve building a pit from concrete blocks that will serve to house your coals and wood. Fill the cavity of the pig with aromatics (lemongrass, garlic, onions, peppers, s&p, etc.) and sew it shut. Spear through the pig with either a sturdy tree branch or a metal pipe. Cook the pig over hot coals, replenishing as necessary, rotating the pig so that the skin cooks evenly without catching over any hot spots. Fri Jul 31 09:06:41 -0700 2009 4904129 68363 JungMann 2 4933636 A bunch of us went in together and bought a CC. We have roasted many pigs to the delight of ourselves and the neighborhood. The included instructions have worked well and you can roast other critters and pieces of them too. It cooks so fast that the first time we didn't believe the pig was done (which it was ) and overcooked it. We have a medium (or small I can't remember) and it is very portable in a small truck, maybe even a big station wagon. Mon Aug 10 11:53:30 -0700 2009 4906334 17282 missclaudy 1 4907509 If you do get a China Box, here is a whole series of videos for prepping and cooking. I am so jealous. I would prefer JungMann's open pit, and sitting with the pig for 5 or 6 hours ... along with friends and a good variety of summer cocktails. A whole pig is an event, both the cooking and eating. http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_1086_roast-pig-china-box.html Fri Jul 31 15:15:59 -0700 2009 4904129 140436 fresnohotspot 1 4909158 Maybe the most mouth-watering, why-wasn't-I-there articles I have ever read about how to cook a whole pig: http://gardenandgun.com/article/going-whole-hog The photos alone made me hungry... Sat Aug 01 12:50:52 -0700 2009 4904129 32444 MakingSense 1 4933819 Next time we do one, we are going to debone and stuff like in the link below. Batali has done some great seasoning for porchetta, similar too Zuni mock porchetta seasoning, but adds feneel pollen and uses a serious amount of coarse sea salt. We all f ight over the cracklling skin and the salty stuffing. http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/05/frascati-italy-isabella-the-queen-of-porchetta-sandwiches.html Mon Aug 10 12:41:40 -0700 2009 4904129 79652 itryalot