what size whole hog

Whole Hogs are Pretty and Showy for a Picnic but the Yield Sucks...40%! A 100Lb Porker will give 40Lbs edible portion at Best. That includes picking the Meat from the Head (BEST PART!) and all the Bones, there are A LOT!. I found out the Hard Way that although not as Fun, Whole Shoulders or Butts are far easier, higher yield and no Dry Loins waiting for the Shoulders and Hams to get done. Best bet, Cook it to 200-205*F IT and Pull or Chop all the meat and mix everything together with a Finishing Sauce. This way it don't matter if some gets dry. The Charts below are pretty accurate but add 2-4 hours to CYA...JJ

Info from the Pork Counsel...http://www.porkbeinspired.com/CookingMethod_WholeHog.aspx

 Chart 1
Chart 2

Estimating serving sizes from dressed pig.
A good estimate is 1 ½ lbs serving size per person raw weight.

As long as you got plenty of help it's Fun. You need a lot of Gloved Hands pickin' the meat off the bones and removing Fat and Cartilage to be able to serve quickly. It's wierd seeing a bigger pile of Pig Parts going in the Garbage than Meat going to the Table. If you are the only person into getting Elbow deep in Pig Grease, go for the Whole Shoulders or Butts. The Folks at the party are more into the eating and the Party than the " Show " of a Whole Hog. Not to mention that some people, my wife, are freaked out by seeing Meat on the Hoof. They prefer to think of meat coming on Pink Foam Trays than the fact that meat comes from a Dead Animal...JJ

I had a TON o'fun when I smoked a whole hog for my ANG unit. 87 pound oinker fed at least 40 people with just a little leftover...I would do it again in a heartbeat!