soup -- there are a lot of ways to smoke a pig. Wrapping in damp burlap is a minority view for a modern smoker.
phil -- IIRC, the Raichlen recipe in How To Grill is for a very different kind of cooker.
rzona -- Times, temperatures, ear wrapping, all depend on whether you're going butterfly or racer and a few other things. What's your plan?
I like to sauce with a dijon version of a Carolina Mustard Sauce and a very basic Memphis style tomato based barbecue sauce. I'm sure you have your own recipes, but I'll go into more detail if you want.
The rub I use for whole pig (and for shoulder and even sometimes for spares) is:
2 cups brown sugar (or ground piloncillo, if you know what that is)
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup fennel seeds toasted and ground
1/2 cup coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup granulated onion
1/4 cup granulated garlic
1/4 cup ground ginger
1/4 cup ground mulato chile
2 tbs rubbed sage
2 tbs marjoram
2 tbs fresh chopped rosemary
The slather I use is:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
I don't mop frequently, and don't start mopping until halfway through the cook. The mop I use is:
2 cups real maple syrup, or 2 cups peach preserves
1-1/2 cups decent bourbon (Rebel Yell, e.g.) or Captain Morgan spiced rum
I fool around with a lot of different smoke woods. My favorite is oak (hey, I'm from California). But for whole hog, I like maple, pecan or a mix of pecan and any fruit wood.
If you're burning chunk and charcoal, I recommend discontinuing the chunk about halfway through the cook so as not to over-smoke. If you're burning sticks, you got to do what you got to do.
Everyone loves apple with pig, but it gets old. I like peaches, nectarines, pineapple, cherries, you name it. Anything juicy. The combination of peach, maple, ginger, pig and bourbon is magic.
My dos centavos,
BDL  |