Oinkfest #1

If you haven't already heard, this weekend, for the Fourth of July, my friends and I will be slow smoking a pig in an event called Oinkfest 2004. This will be part narrative, part recipe, as I detail the preparation for the event tomorrow.

Basically, while I've been into slow smoked BBQ for some time, I've never attempted a whole hog. And while a 22 1/2 lbs suckling pug isn't really a hog, it is the whole animal, and I figured it should be an interesting experience to attempt to smoke it. The first step, of course, is procuring the pig.

The WSJ had a great article this week on cooking whole animals. We got out pig by ordering it through our local butcher, John Dewar's in Newton, MA. We got a 22 1/2 lbs pig, and it cost us about $120, or roughly $5.60/lb. I took the pig home, unwrapped it, and snapped a picture, since neither you nor my guests would be seeing it in this state ever again.

Oinky the Pig

The pig came in triple wrapped plastic pags. I opened all three bags in the sink, and removed and inspected the pig. I should tell you right off that this is not a job for one person alone, and if I had it to do over again, I would request the assistance of a friend. This is an elongated animal, as opposed to a more round sort of creature like a turkey, and so handling it, picking it up, moving it around, is a bit difficult for one person. So definitely, get a friend's help.

The other thing to keep in mind is the smell. Having a whole pig in your kitchen can make your house smell like a butcher shop. There was still some residual blood in the bag when I opened it, and there was what appeared to be an artery that I needed to cut out as well. The liver appeared to have been left inside, and while I considered keeping it and using it for some purpose, I eventually decided to just discard it.

Normally, when preparing ribs, you are supposed to remove the tendon that covers the inside of the rib cavity because it becomes tough when cooking, and interferes with the smoke penetrating the meat. I have seen this done with whole hogs as well. I attempted this with the suckling pig, but the tendon was so fine, it was virtually impossible to remove. I tend to think that on such a young animal, this won't matter much anyway.

Finally, I had been wondering how they would remove the brain while keeping the animal in tact. There is, on Oinky's forehead, what appears to be a drill mark or bullet hole, and I suspect that the brain was sucked out through that hole.

Ok, on to the brine. I decided to brine the animal for about 24 hours before sending it to the smoker. The brine I decided to go with was a Coca-Cola based brine. Be certain if you do this not to use a diet soda, but rather one with real sugar in it, as artificial sweetners don't always cook well. I got this brine recipe off the Internet, and it seems to be a commonly used one.

Ingredients:

• 2 liters Coca Cola
  
• 3 cups Kosher Salt
  
• 2 heads garlic
  
• 10 bay leaves
  
• 1/2 cup black peppercorns

Basically, just mix everything together wither in a container large enough to hold it and the pig, or in a giant garbage bag. If you use a bag, you may want to put that in a container anyways, as the bag may leak, and if it does, you'll have a mess. It goes without saying that I was unable to accomplish this feat myself without making something of a mess. Flip the pig over in the brine after 12 hours, to ensure even marination.

Oinky brining in my fridge.

And that's it for now. Stay tuned as I make BBQ sauces and cole slaws for the event, and as we put a rub on the pig and smoke it!

Check back often.