Pig Roast

[Dane Wilson]

Hey guys/gals, I am hosting a pig roast for ~50-55 people or so in a few weeks. I have rented a trailer grill with rotisserie from a local place and plan on cooking (5) 10 lb. pork shoulders. A good buddy of mine owns a pork focused butcher shop and suggested doing the shoulders as opposed to the whole pig to save on cost and not spending unneeded cost on the carcass.

I will be picking up the shoulders on Thursday afternoon and the grill/smoker on Friday afternoon. I was thinking about rubbing the shoulders with a mustard and wrapping them in saran wrap on Thursday, then seasoning them and/or injecting them on Friday. Then up and at it early on Saturday to get it going on the grill.

I would greatly appreciate any advice from you experts on things to think about, approximate amount of cooking time, rubs to use, lump charcoal and/or wood, etc.

I have a MES that i have done a few pork roasts in, but this is ramping up my hosting skills. So any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[chilerelleno]

If you're doing shoulders and not a whole pig it ain't a Pig Roast.
You're doing a Pork Roast.

What's the mustard wrap supposed to do by itself?
Save time, money and mess, forget the mustard.
Forget injecting too.
If you need a binder for the rub, a gallon of inexpensive vegetable oil will do just as well.

I'd make my own rub from bulk spices/brown sugar.
Make at least 2cups of rub per Shoulder, I like a lot of rub so I'd double it.

I'd recommend rubbing them and going directly to the smoker.

Lay out two 50gal trash bags, oil on one and rub on the other.
Makes cleanup easy.

Do make a gallon of good Finishing Sauce and use it on all of it.

I'd buy a bunch of SBR BBQ sauce and let people sauce it as they please.

I'm cook them Hot & fast 275°-300°.
I'd allow 12 hours cooking time.
If they're done before that, good, wrap them in foil and put them in coolers with towels or blankets for added insulation.

 

[tx smoker]

Uh...I had a few recommendations when reading the original post but it appears that Chile has the bases covered. Chile is a sage so pay close attention and you'll learn more than you ever thought possible. I'm proof positive of that

Totally agreeing,
Robert

 

[JC in GB]

What Chilerelleno said.....

JC

 

[noboundaries]

Trailer grill with a rotisserie? Does it have a cover to retain heat? Or will you be cooking over hot coals/wood on an open grill?

If the latter, hmmm. I've never done shoulders over an open fire. Would be curious if the process above would still work.

 

[Dane Wilson]

This is what i will be cooking on.

 

[noboundaries]

Yep, that will work perfectly as outlined above. Just needed to check that lid detail because a lot of rot. grills in my neck of the woods don't have a lid cover.

 

[chilerelleno]

And make sure they include enough .forks to load five Shoulders, that five sets, 10 forks.
What is it working load capacity?

 

[Dane Wilson]

And make sure they include enough .forks to load five Shoulders, that five sets, 10 forks.
What is it working load capacity?

180 lbs

 

[chilerelleno]

180 lbs

Good, balance will be a non-issue.

 

[browneyesvictim]

I like where this is heading. If I had a large crowd like that I would rather do shoulders vs a whole hog also, for various reasons. Chile has you dialed in with good advice. I look forward to your results!

 

[Dane Wilson]

Noobie questions:

Make my own finishing sauce or buy it to keep it easy?

I am just planning on getting lump charcoal bags from GFS or something similar unless there is a better way?

 

[chilerelleno]

I'd make my own rub and finishing sauce, but buy the BBQ sauce.

SoFlaQuers Finishing Sauce is super easy.
See my Recipe Index for my basic pork rub and SoFlaQuers Finishing Sauce.

 

[chilerelleno]

Thinking about it being Rotisserie and not Smoked, I'm thinking a no-sugar Rub might be the way to go.
That direct heat could potentially do a number on the sugar.
Plenty of salt and other spices with herbs.

 

[noboundaries]

Lump will work perfectly. And listen to Chili about the sugar and direct heat. Dark bark is one thing, but burnt sugar bark...yuck.

 

[tx smoker]

SoFlaQuers Finishing Sauce is super easy.

This is really good stuff but you may also want to take a look at a finishing sauce posted by chef jimmyj I've made his before and it is outstanding. You have a lot of options to choose from. Read through them and decide which is best suited to your tastes.

Robert

 

[Dane Wilson]

Thanks for all the input and advice!! You guys think it will be around a 12hour cook for the 5 shoulders?

 

[chilerelleno]

My initial recommendations were done thinking the cook would be a normal smoke.
My 12hrs was based on a hot-n-fast cook and allowed extra time for unforeseen delays, cooling and then pulling/chopping.

You're going to be doing a direct heat rotisserie cook, I expect the cook time to be different, and I don't know what to expect as I'm not experienced with rotisserie cooking.
A lot will depend on your fire management.

I'd Search through the Pork forum and try to find past rotisserie cooks to get a good idea.

 

[tx smoker]

You're going to be doing a direct heat rotisserie cook, I expect the cook time to be different, and I don't know what to expect as I'm not experienced with rotisserie cooking.
A lot will depend on your fire management.

Chile is very much right with his assessment. I have done a lot of rotisserie cooking and cook time will be totally dependent on how you manage the fire. Lots of wood and a high fire close to the meat, it's gonna cook faster. Lower fire a bit further away from the meat, it's gonna take longer. I'd recommend trying to get your fire as level as possible so the heat is more consistent and after a few hours start checking the IT of the meat. With a high fire, you could be done in as little as 4 to 6 hours. A lower fire, you could easily be looking at 12 to 16 hours. Overall cook time is going to be entirely up to you how you manage the fire. There is no way for anybody to make a recommendation on how long it's gonna take but at least you have some things to consider while cooking. Personally, I'd do a no-sugar rub that has a lot of depth and complexity, run a high fire, and keep a close eye on things after a few hours. The high fore will create a great bark that really adds to the final flavor of the meat. It will also give you some wiggle room if things run longer than anticipated.

Robert

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

As Robert said chef jimmyj finishing sauce is outstanding as is all his sauces. SBR is was easier trying to feed that many people and I totally agree going that route but if you have extra time to throw any of his other bbq sauces together that will take it up a notch while serving! As mentioned above you will end up cheaper and better making your own rub. Looks like Robert and John have you covered I was just throwing in my 2 cents. Good luck with the cook and take some pics!