9 Step Process To
Cooking A Whole Hog Pictures and Step-by-Step instructions on slow-smoking a Whole Hog
We give you the step-by-step guide to cooking a whole hog - competition style. The steps go a little farther than your typical backyard BBQer, but if you take the extra steps you WILL have better hog meat and better presentation. Below the video you will find the9 Step Whole Hog Procedure.
And, as always, if you have any questions - email me at malcom@killerhogs.com.
This is a video we shot at Memphis In May 2010 of the whole hog we cooked, to give you an idea of what your whole hog can look like as a finished product.
Step #1: Order Your Whole Hog
Order your hog from your local butcher. I recommend ordering a hog that weighs between 140 to 165lbs. You will probably need to give your butcher at least one week notice before picking up. If you need help finding a good butcher, click the link.
Step #2: Trimming Your Whole Hog
Trimming the Hog is the most important step. You are going to need:
Extra sharp boning knife
Electric saw for cutting the legs, head and ribs
Small hatchet for splitting the backbone
First remove the spare ribs from the baby backs by cutting with electric saw. Then split the top of the spine just below the neck of the hog. This cut should only be about 10" long. This will allow for the shoulders of the hog to lay flat.
Next with your knife remove as much fat from the top of the shoulders, hams and bacon as possible. This will allow your rub and smoke to penetrate into the meat while cooking. My rule of thumb is if I don’t think it will taste good after it’s cooked, it should probably be removed.
Finally remove all four feet at the joints and discard.
Step #3: Coating Your Hog
Apply yellow mustard over entire hog being careful not to get any on the outside skin.
Apply the Killer Hog's BBQ Dry Rub. (for dry rub HIT THIS LINK) over all meaty areas again being careful not to get any rub on the outside skin of the hog. You can substitute my dry rub with your own creation or any store bought rub will be sufficient as long as it suites your taste palate.
Step #4: Injecting Your Hog
Inject the shoulders, hams, loin and bacon with a minimum of 2 gallons of injection
Killer Hogs Whole Hog Injection:
32oz Apple Juice
32oz Water
1/2 cup Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Lt. Corn Syrup
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup Dry Rub
1 TBS Worcestershire
1 TBS soy
Step #5: Clean your Hog
Clean off outer skin of hog using a white cloth and vegetable oil to remove any mustard or dry rub that may have gotten on the skin. Next spray all of the outer skin with vegetable oil using a spray bottle. This will keep the skin from burning during the cooking process.
Step #6: Start Smoking
Get your smoker ready to smoke for 17 to 20 hours. Your pit will need to be at a temp of 220 deg and you will need enough coal and wood to last through the duration of the cook - so plan accordingly.
I recommend a good quality coal like chef’s delight or chef’s select and I always use dried hickory and peach chunks with or without the bark. You can also soak the wood in water if you like.
Place the hog in your pit that is up to temp. Cook at 220 to 230 deg. for four (4) hours. During this time be sure to add lots of hickory and peach wood chunks to the fire chamber.
Step #7: Wrapping Your Hog
Next you want to spray the outside skin again with vegetable oil and then finally wrap the entire hog with aluminum foil. This will keep the hog from turning to dark and also trap all the juices inside so it will self baste.
Step #8: Second Injection
Once the shoulders internal temp has reached 170deg (and has probably been cooking for about 16 hours at this point) remove the foil and inject shoulders, loin, bacon and hams with injection #2.
Next continue cooking the hog without foil until shoulders reach 185deg internal temp and the hams 175.
Killer Hogs Whole Hog 2nd Injection:
64oz – Apple Juice
1 Cup – Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBL – The BBQ Rub.
Step #9: Glaze Your Hog
Once the hog reaches desired internal temp its time for glazing. Glaze the hog using the Killer Hogs Whole Hog Glaze ingredients. Cook the hog for another 30 to 45min. to let the glaze set. Mist hog with apple juice to give a nice shine then garnish and serve.
"When you get a group of guys together - and then put bragging rights and prize money on the line... weekend after weekend... the quality of BBQ is taken to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL!"
About HowtoBBQright.com
Here at HowtoBBQright.com, our goal is to provide you with the secrets, the methods and the techniques you need to produce competition-quality BBQ. We try very hard to give enough detail for BBQ novices, but still offer information that is useful for the professional BBQ cooks.
Here at HowtoBBQright.com we focus on cooking ribs, shoulder, brisket, chicken and whole hog... because that is what REAL bbq is...
We do not have any recipes for barbequed desserts. We do not believe that you can smoke meat in an oven. You will not find a recipe for "barbequed veggie burgers on this website.
Here at HowtoBBQright.com we only focus on REAL bbq. We take it seriously.
Here at HowtoBBQright.com we spotlight 4 very important factors in bbq...
The meat
The methods
The flavors
The smoke
Once you have these four factors mastered you WILL produce a perfect product... mouth-watering bbq pork, brisket and chicken.
We also talk about bbq equipment, smokers and grills here at HowtoBBQright.com. And we LOVE to keep up with and try the latest BBQ gadgets... so you can expect to get our reviews on that stuff.
HowtoBBQright.com is written by and run by Malcom Reed (with the help of his wife, Rachelle.)
Malcom and his brother Waylon are The Killer Hogs Competition BBQ Team. They have been competing in the MIM, MBN and Kansas City BBQ circuits for 10 years. They have won over 50 separate awards including grand champion and Patio Porkers Memphis In May Champion.
HowtoBBQright.com is written by and run by Malcom Reed (with the help of his wife, Rachelle.) 
