How to Make a Pig Roaster

Roasting a pig is a traditional method of grilling in the South for large get-togethers. A weekend pig roast is a great way to spend time with family and friends. Usually, while the men are preparing the pig and cooking it, the women prepare all the other traditional dishes. A typical Mexican-style pig roast will include several types of salsas, tortillas, beans, potato salad, chips, pork rinds from the roasted pig and Spanish rice, among other dishes. The traditional way to roast a pig is cooking it in the ground. This will take two days to allow for preparation and cooking. You will want to get your buddies together to prepare the pig and pit.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Whole Pig weighing 60 to 80 pounds Three wet sheets Straight razor Shovel Large quantity of dead wood or firewood Large sheet of metal approx. 3 feet by 4 feet Large deep fryer Oil Hot towels

Instructions

1. First purchase a 60- to 80-pound pig from a farmer, auction or meat market the day before you want to eat. Keep in mind that if you purchase a live pig, you will need to kill and gut it, so if you are squeamish, you would be wise to purchase a dressed-out (cleaned) whole pig from the local meat market.

2. Clean and gut the pig. It will be your choice if you want to keep the head on the pig or not. Lay the hot towels over the pig to soften the hair. Take the straight razor and shave the hair off the pig as much as possible. At this point, you will need to cut all the excess fat and skin from the pig. This will be what you use for frying homemade pork skins.

3. Wrap the pig in the wet sheets very well. If you need more than three, use more. This will keep the pig from getting dirt on it. Set the wrapped pig aside for now.

4. Pile the firewood up as you would if you were making a bonfire. Light the wood so it can be burning down to coals.

5. Get several people to dig a hole approximately 3 feet deep and just longer than the pig.

6. When the firewood has turned to coals, shovel them into the bottom of the pit about 8 inches thick. Cover the coals lightly with dirt. Place the pig into the hole on top of the coals with the ends of the sheets sticking out over the ends of the hole. Cover the pig with approximately 4 inches of dirt. Add another layer of coals approximately 8 inches thick. Lay the sheet of metal on top of the hole and put dirt around the edges of the metal to seal the pit.

7. The pig now needs to cook approximately 14 to 15 hours. You will need to remove the metal and check your coals approximately every 4 hours. Add new coals as needed to keep the temperature of the pit very hot. Always remember to replace the metal and dirt around the edges to keep it sealed when not checking it.

8. Cook the pork skins in the deep fryer and hot oil to snack on while you are cooking.

9. 

   When cooking is complete, remove the metal, have someone on each end and grab the edges of the sheet that is sticking out of the ground and pull. The roasted pig will come up out of the pit and you can lay it on a picnic table. Unwrap the sheets, taking care to keep the dirt from the meat. The meat will be juicy and fall completely from the bones. Enjoy.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use chicken wire on the outside of the sheets if you prefer. You can add seasonings and/or barbecue sauce to the meat before wrapping.
• Never leave the bonfire unattended. Be sure to wear gloves as everything will be hot

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