How to Grill a Pig

While many people are put off by the challenge, grilling a whole pig is an impressive and fun way to cook. Due to a surge of culinary exploration, grilling a whole or suckling pig has become more popular in recent years than perhaps ever before. With a little bit of time, patience, and adherence to a few golden grilling rules, you can experience what famous chef and writer Anthony Bourdain calls "the divine mosaic of pig parts."

Things You'll Need

• Whole pig (cleaned and butterflied)
• Large grill
• Grill seasonings
• Meat thermometer

Instructions

How to Grill a Whole Pig

1. Purchase a whole pig from a trusted, local butcher. Ask the butcher to clean and butterfly the pig for you in advance, so that you only have to concern yourself with the actual cooking of the pig.

2. Begin cooking preparations immediately. Because the pig will be quite large, making refrigeration nearly impossible, you should plan to cook the pig the day you receive it from the butcher. If you have a large enough refrigerator to store the pig, you should cook it no more than one or two days after receiving it.

3. Apply grill seasonings to the flesh side of the pork. These seasonings (such as salt, pepper and garlic) are entirely based on your preferences. It is perfectly fine to use no seasonings at all, or other seasonings to your taste.

4. Set your grill temperature to between 200 and 250 degrees (for gas). For a coal grill, make sure that you have an accurate thermometer in order for you to keep the temperature even throughout the cooking time.

5. If the butcher did not already do so, break the pig's rib bones so that the pig can lie flat on your grill. If you cannot do this by hand, use a meat mallet to break the bones. Place the pig stomach-side down on a wire rack. On top of the pig, secure another wire rack. This will enable you to turn the pig over half way through the cooking time.

6. According to the website Ask the Meat Man, the cooking times for the whole pig are as follows: For a 75-pound pig, cook six to seven hours. For a 100-pound pig, cook seven to eight hours, and for a 125-pound pig, cook eight to nine hours. Depending on your specific grill, your cooking times will vary. Therefore, the best method for determining whether your pig is finished cooking is to take its internal temperature at the largest part of the body. When the temperature reaches 160 degrees, it is finished cooking.

References

• The Hierarchy of Pork
• Ask the Meat Man

Resources

• The National Pork Board