You'll need a whole pig for a great Southern pig pickin'.
Though cooking a pig is usually considered a Southern specialty, anyone with a little patience can do it. The key principle to remember is low and slow. Keep the temperature low, and take your time. You won't cook a pig in a couple of hours; it really is an all-day event. But when you've finished your day's labor, your efforts will certainly prove worthwhile. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
Preparing and Cooking the Pig
1. Purchase a 60-to-100-pound dressed (gutted and cleaned) whole pig from a restaurant or company that specializes in dressing pigs.
2. Cover a large picnic table with newspaper. Place the pig on the table. Slice the pig completely open from snout to tail. Open the pig up like a butterfly so both halves lie flat on the table.
3. Add 20 pounds of charcoal to the pig cooker. Light the charcoal and let it burn down to a white ash before spreading it out evenly. (If you are using a gas cooker, preheat the cooker to between 325 and 350 degrees.)
4. Season both sides of the pig with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Rub the spices into the pig with your hands. Use as much seasoning as you like, but use one part salt to one-half part pepper to one-eighth part cayenne pepper. (For example, one cup salt, one-half cup pepper, one-eighth cup cayenne pepper.)
5. Place the pig on the cooker, with the outside skin facing up. Shut the cooker lid. Wash your hands.
6. Cook the pig for at least seven to eight hours. Check the pig periodically to make sure flare-ups from dripping fat are not burning the meat.
7. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the pig after it has been cooking for seven or eight hours. Check the internal temperature. Flip the pig over once the internal temperature reaches 165 to 170 degrees. (This will help crisp up the skin.) Cook for an additional 60 to 90 minutes. Remove the pig from the cooker once the skin is crispy but not burnt, and place it on the picnic table covered with fresh newspaper.
8. Allow the meat to rest for several minutes before cutting. Pull the meat from the bones and then chop into chunks with two large metal spatulas.
9. Pour apple cider vinegar on the meat and serve.
Tags: cayenne pepper, eight hours, eight hours Check, hours Check, internal temperature