Whole hog on a spit.

[jus smokin 1]

Thanks for all the info and pics. Bet it was well worth all the work.

 

[cdldriver]

yes please on  more details on roster you b arrowed looks interesting to build

 

[ak1]

Thanks for all the info and pics. Bet it was well worth all the work.

Was it worth the work? If I looked at it in dollars & cents... no, not at all. I could have brought the pig to a local bakery and they would have roasted it in their oven, I could have picked it up when it was done, and in the end, I could have saved maybe 50 bucks.

On the other hand, My friend & I put the roaster together, stuck the pig on it, and had a great time together while the pig was cooking.  

That time we spent together was absolutely priceless. 

In the end, yes... it was worth every single moment.

 

[roller]

That pig looks great!

 

[uhmgood]

hey ak , wheres the rest of the pics , how long did it take , looks great

 

[uhmgood]

sorry ak , i wasn't paying attention on how many pages ther were to your post

 

[vosser78]

Yeah post some details! I think I could make it!

 

[ed briney]

Looks greate  how long did take...

 

[hoity toit]

What did you say the total cook time ended up being.?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Thats FREAKIN

AWESOME

 

[redclaymud]

My last experience with a full hog (not mine), they wrapped the hog in chicken wire and let me tell you, the pig pickings off that chicken wire, once they removed it from the hog were pretty tasty.   Good luck with your smoke.  I'm anxious to keep on reading about it.

AK, morning... If this is your first, I learned to slit the skin as fat pockets formed... my buddy said it keeps the skin from falling off the hog.... which is not good.... and it keeps the meat from falling off the hog as it cooks too...  we also wrapped the skin on the hog with butchers twine to keep it in place.... ain't pretty but it did the job... the twine had to be tightened up throughout the cooking process as the meat shrunk....  It was the best pig I ever ate.....  Dave

I'm in.... 

 

[ak1]

Looks greate  how long did take...

What did you say the total cook time ended up being.?

Total cooking time was about 4 hrs.

 

[ak1]

Yeah post some details! I think I could make it!

It looks fairly simple to make. I haven't had a chance to go to my friend's place to take pics of the details yet.

The bottom is basically an H frame with the ends framed off so it looks like a squared off B. A sheet of steel is welded to the top. One side is a boxed frame with the motor assembly, and is attached by 2 bolts to the bottom.  A sheet of steel is welded to the side of the frame that attaches to the bottom, and there is a hole where the spit fits through. 

The other side is a simple frame with sheet steel welded to it. It also attaches with two bolts to the bottom. The back is designed to hook onto the frame tubes of each side and then is just clamped near the bottom so it doesn't flap around in a wind.  The top piece is made the same as the back but it just sits on top to help keep the heat in.

The spit was made with stainless steel tube with holes drilled through at several places to allow anchoring skewers used to hold the pig steady. These holes were then sleeved and welded to the spit so that no "goop" could get inside the spit..

The charcoal tray is just a simple tray made out of stainless with 2" high sides, and it just sits on the bottom raised by a couple of interlock bricks to keep it a few inches of the bottom of the roaster.

 

[redclaymud]

Total cooking time was about 4 hrs.

That's a fast smoke in most smokers and yours was wide open in front.  That must have been one very hot fire.  Any tradeoffs that you saw or tasted in the results?   If you were to do it again, what would you change?

We have a guy in Fairbanks that builds his pit on site.  He comes in with a flatbed loaded with builder's blocks.  Lays the floor and walls, then sets down a piece of steel sheeting and lays the pig sprawled on top and finishes with enough blocks to put a lid on it.  He took second in pork one year.  It's the only category he ever entered.  Does the whole pig and has a great family reunion at the same time.  Someone figured out what he was doing one year and mentioned it to him.  That was sad because he stopped coming back and didn't need to stop.  Anyone and their families competing at the Alaska State BBQ Championship are welcome to free camp sites for the weekend. 

 

[ak1]

Yeah, I was surprised it was done that quick, especially since the temperature was just above freezing with a bit of wind. I was expecting 5-6 hrs.

As for changing things, no there isn't anything I would do different. The meat was really tender & juicy, nicely cooked through. Even the leftovers were good a few days later and not tough & dry.

 

[smokin vegas]

Question:  How many people were you feeding?   That is a lot of meat!!!

 

[ak1]

There were 16 people that night, plus everyone took home some leftovers. 

 

[ak1]

Looks like my friend & I are going to do it again in June. At least that's the plan. We may do another one in April/May depending on schedules.

 

[waucedah]

nice

 

[ak1]

Thanks.  I may be doing another in mid November.