It’s finally here!  No I’m not talking about new bbq equipment this time….It’s the kickoff of College Football for the 2012 season.  And in SEC country it’s a big deal.

If you’ve wanted to try your hand at cooking a whole hog, I can’t think of a better excuse than football. 

So ice down a cooler full of beer, invite your buddies over and fire up the smoker! This week I’m going to share my tips on “Tacklin’ a Whole Pig”



The number one question I get about cooking hogs is “how long will it take to cook?”. 

On average a hog cooks about 1 hour for every 10lbs of weight.  This is a good rule-of-thumb but don’t cook on time alone.  For hogs you’ll need a good meat thermometer to watch the internal temps in the shoulders and hams. 

I use a couple digital probe thermometers, so I know exactly what the temps are at all times.  You can pick these up for around $20 if you shop around.

The first hog you cook doesn’t have to be 150lbs like the ones we cook for competitions.  I suggest starting off with a small pig in the neighborhood of 50-75lbs.  This size is more manageable, perfect for a small gathering, plus it cooks faster so you can get back to the game! 

You can count on about a 50% yield from a whole hog so even a 50lb pig will give you 25lbs of cooked meat. 

The next question I get is “how do you move the hog around?”  It’s best to plan this part out before you start. The easiest way is to remove the cooking grate and place it on a table. Now you can work around the hog and move it back to the cooker with no problems.  We use a “hog sled” fashioned out of rebar and expanded metal, but anything sturdy will do the trick.

The next thing you’ll need to decide is whether you’re going to cook the hog belly up or “runnin’ style”. Each has its’ own benefits.

For me, belly-up is the best choice.  The meat stays moist the entire cook time and it bastes in its’ own juices, but runnin’ style hogs have better appearance. 

You still need to do some trim work on the hog. 

Remove any thick deposits of fat and tough silver skin over the shoulders and hams.  I also split the backbone a little at the top and bottom, so the hog lays better. 



Once the hog is trimmed it’s time to add some flavor.  Slather a light coat of mustard on the cavity side and apply a good coat of dry rub. 

This builds flavor on the outside, but to get seasoning deep into the hog you’ll need an injection.  It can be as simple as a little fruit juice or you can follow my recipe here:

Make sure to concentrate on the hams and shoulders.  These areas are thick and to get flavor deep inside, they need a lot of injection.

Now the hog is ready for the cooker but before you place it on the rack lay out strips of aluminum foil overlapping one another. 

This is for wrapping the hog later in the cooking process.  It shields the heat from the outside and keeps the skin from turning to dark.  I also spray the foil with cooking spray to keep it from sticking.

Move the hog to the foil and roll up the strips along the side. (It’s easy to unroll when it comes time; just use a pair of insulated gloves)  Oil down the skin with vegetable oil and the hog is ready for the smoke.



Another question I’ve seen is “How do I get all of the parts done at the same time?”

This part is a little tricky.  You have to know how your smoker cooks to get it just right.  Just about every cooker has hot spots.  This area is where the hog will cook the fastest. 

The shoulders and hams need to spend time in the hot spot, so you have to plan to rotate the hog.  Start the shoulders out in the hot spot because they need to go the longest (198 internal). I rotate the hams to the hot spot when it’s time to wrap about ½ way through the cook.  This gives the hams time to catch up at the end.  Finishing internal temp for the hams is 190-195 degrees. 

You can’t forget about the loins during the cook.  The loins cook fast and are the hardest area to get just right. For added insulation on the loins I pack spicy country sausage along the backbone.  This gives the area more mass and you get added bonus flavor from the spices in the sausage.  I’ve also seen people pack the cavity with boston butts or even whole chicken.  Anything to add more surface area will slow the loins down.  Extra foil can also be used over the loins to help keep them from drying out.



When the hog is done, it can be transported to a table or broken down on the cooker.  If you really want to impress your friends transport it to a table and let everyone “pick” at it until there’s nothing left.  This might be a little too much for city folks, so you can always break it down into pans and serve. 

Here’s a link to video on breaking down a hog

Cooking a whole pig seems like a huge task, but I promise you it’s worth all the hard work and it's the most fun thing to cook. If you watch the internal temps, wrap for tenderness, and most importantly keep the door closed (so the cooker can do its job), you’ll have some of the best eating ever. Give it a try the next time you plan a gameday party!