what size whole hog

[cwalk]

Im Looking to smoke à whole hog for memorial day in my newly aquired old country pecos smoker. Whts the best size or lbs for this cook. And How long of à cook should i expect. This will be my first whole big cook so help is needed

 

[chef jimmyj]

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

Weight of Pig	Charcoal	Amount of Gas	Wood	Cooker Temperature	Estimated Cooking Time with Closed Lid
75 lbs	60 lbs	40 lbs. Cylinder	1/3 Cord	225-250	6 to 7 hours
100 lbs.	70 lbs	40 lbs. Cylinder	1/3 - 1/2 Cord	225-250	7 to 8 hours
125 lbs.	80 lbs.	40 lbs. Cylinder	1/2 Cord	225-250	8 to 9 hours

Chart 2

Estimating serving sizes from dressed pig.

75 lbs. dressed pig:	30 lbs. cooked, chopped pork
100 lbs. dressed pig:	40 lbs. cooked, chopped pork
125 lbs. dressed pig:	50 lbs. cooked, chopped pork
14 lbs. uncooked shoulder:	10 lbs. cooked
6-7 lbs. uncooked Boston Butt:	3 lbs. cooked
14 lbs. uncooked ham:	6-7 lbs. cooked

A good estimate is 1 ½ lbs serving size per person raw weight.

 

[cwalk]

Wooooow, the cook is mainly à reason to smoke meat all,day and hang out with friends but i want a tasty and edible finish. Would smoking à whole hog be worth the trouble

 

[chef jimmyj]

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

 

[cwalk]

Gotcha, ill stick with à pit load of pork butts

 

[leosmith78]

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!