Suzie'sQ@SuziesQ.comYou need 3 basic items. The first item is, of course, the hog. Next you need some method of cooking it. If you have no cooker, you can rent one, buy one, build one, hire someone to cook it for you, or dig a big hole in the ground. Third, but definitely not last, is a method of safely handling the hog. That means keeping it on ice, below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, until you're ready to cook. It also means using normal food safety guidelines when handing the hog.
The hogs pictured were around 90 pounds. The typical yield is around 40 percent. This size hog would produce around 36 pounds of cooked meat (or 144 quarter pound servings). This amount would easily feed 70 adults. If you add chicken, hot dogs or other meats, you can generally feed 100 plus, depending on the mix of the crowd.
We use an offset cooker and cook our hogs upright. Why? Because the people we cook hogs for want it that way. This gives the classic "Hog Roast" appearance. You see the result from the pictures. There are many other methods to cook hogs whole that work equally well.
We use a mixture of 25 percent hickory and 75 percent oak for hogs. The skin is so impervious, I would imagine you have a lot of lee way as to the mix you use. Fire up the cooker. You want a temperature range of 200 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
To prep, we start with the hog on it's back. We apply our rub liberally throughout the inside. This is the point where you can inject the hog (optional). We then take whole chickens (3 to 4 for this size hog) and coat them with rub. We place these inside the hog and apply more rub. These will help with even cooking and appearance. We use butcher's twine to sew the cavity shut. We flip the hog upright on the cooking rack and position it. Rub the hog down with vegetable oil. Cover the snout and ears with foil. Place a bottle or block of wood in its mouth. This will allow you to place the apple after cooking is done. Some hogs jaws are frozen. Short of a crow bar, you'll have to skip the apple.
Place the hog in the cooker with the snout toward the hotter end of the cooker (the shoulders take longer than the hams to cook). We put probes into the shoulder and ham to monitor the internal temperatures. We use remote thermometers to prevent having to open the cooker. (Don't forget to calibrate your thermometers.) If people want to see the hog, schedule 1 or 2 "Hog Viewings" so you're not repeatedly opening the cooker. Add about 15 minutes of cooking time per viewing.
We cook to an internal temp of 190 - 195 (F). At 200 to 250 (F) cooker temp, for this size hog, it typically takes about 16 hours. We want an hour of stand time after the cook as well. With prep time, we start about 19 hours before service time.
To serve the hog, take a knife and cut the skin across the back of the neck down to both shoulders. The skin is tough and leathery, so use a very sharp knife and be very careful. From the shoulder cut down across the upper leg. Continue down to below the leg. Cut parallel to the table and extend the cut along the side. Finish along the back leg. Do the same on the other side. The skin will peel back. The hog will be very hot. Use heavy neoprene gloves designed to handle heat. Once the skin is off, remove any fat layer. The rest is meat. We start picking at the hams and work toward the head. The meat should fall off the bone and pull apart. If you're allowing guests to pick their own, supply tongs. Separate out any bone, gristle, fat, etc. Sprinkle the meat with rub and sauce. We go light on each. Toss the meat to mix and serve hot. Don't forget the chickens in the cavity. We take these out and clean them also. The meat will be moist, incredibly flavorful and pull easily. The other area not to forget is the cheek meat from the hog's head. It is some of the best meat on the hog.
As with most cooking, this process involves heat and sharp objects. It also involves food which may contain bacteria, viruses, etc. Any or all of these things can lead to a variety of terrible outcomes. It is up to you to practice safety and to use common sense. We give this advice freely and cannot be held responsible for any problems that arise out of your decision to try this your self.