Out here we call anything less than 125# a pig... that having been said:
First thing I'd suggest is getting on the National Bar B Que News Forum and asking your questions there too. They've got some guys that have done a lot of pigs on that forum. Especially Doc.
If you're going racer style, you'll want to foil the ears, mos def. I like to put the pig facing the heat. That way the shoulders get a little more heat than the hams.
50# racer style, I'd figure about 6 hours-ish at 225 - 235ish. The way to figure times on big pieces -- whether in the smoker, or the oven, is not based on weight, but on the thickness of the biggest piece. I figure you're looking at hams and shoulders in the neighborhood of 5# each. But leave major fudge time and a good rest.
If it's an offset, I find the best thing is keeping a loaf pan full of hot water, on the cooking rack as close to the firebox wall as you can get it to keep temperatures more or less even end to end. Keeping the water pan going also helps get good texture on the skin.
If you've got an offset, the time and the inclination, and it hasn't.already been done, you might want to think about putting in a manifold over the opening between the firebox and the cookchamber on the cookchamber side to get the heat and smoke flowing evenly -- and extending the flue at least down to the cooking grate to get a complex convection going. BUT, since I get the idea your cooker is a stick burner, you're probably well past this point.
Again, you're probably past this point but one thing I recommend to everyone is to invest the change to get a Maverick ET-71 "Redicheck" thermometer. It's got two probes -- one for the meat, and one for the cookchamber; and it's wireless so you can work, mill around, and otherwise do stuff that you can't do when you're tied to the cooker. There are actually a few systems that are better, but the ET-71 is by far the most reasonable.
Anything big -- it's all about fire management. I mean heck. Rubs, slathers, all that stuff doesn't do nearly as much for the taste as the smoke and the low and slow process. Try and keep your temps steady. A small pig like yours is really a fast enough cook that it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
As always with smoking -- the most important thing is keeping the cookchamber and firebox door closed unless absolutely necessary. NO PEEKING!
BDL  |