How to Use a 55 Gallon Drum for Cooking a Hog

Cook a hog the old-fashioned way by creating a hog roaster from a 55 gallon drum. A large hog can feed an entire party of people, and cooking the hog yourself can be an entertaining spectacle and often tastes better than frozen, prepackaged meat.

Things You'll Need

• 55 gallon drum
• Angle grinder
• Hinges
• 2 steel hinges
• Permanent marker
• Welder
• Metal sheet
• Drill
• Hand crank
• Steel bar
• Iron bars
• Crossbars
• Metal scrap
• Hog
• Charcoal
• Lighter fluid
• Meat thermometer
• Tin foil
• Trussing needle
• Thread
• Salt
• Matches
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Lemon juice
• Fried onions
• Fried garlic
• Dried fruit
• 2 cooking pots
• Spoon
• Pliers
• Baster
• Large paintbrush
• Carving knife
• Cooked rice
• Scissors
• Cooking oil
• Large table
• Stainless steel wire

Instructions

Constructing the hog roaster

1. Cut the 55 gallon drum in half. Use the permanent marker to create a straight line around the middle of the drum, from top end to bottom end. Use the angle grinder to cut the drum so that the upper half becomes a hood and the bottom half holds the fire.

2. Weld two steel hinges to the drum. The steel hinges should be welded with the welder in the center of the two cut halves to connect the top and bottom half of the drum so that it can open and close.

3. Drill ventilation holes. Drill about 20 1/2 inch holes in the bottom of the drum. These holes will allow the burning charcoal access to oxygen.

4. Create a grate for the charcoal. Use the angle grinder to cut a metal sheet about 16 by 30 inches. Place it in the bottom of the drum so that it wedges in place.

5. Attach a handle. Bend the steel scrap into the shape of a handle and weld it onto the top part of the drum roaster in the front.

6. Construct a frame. The frame is designed to keep the drum roaster off the ground and can be constructed in several different ways. The easiest way is to weld four iron bars together to create a rectangular frame that is 20 by 35 inches. Weld an iron leg to each end of the rectangular frame to lift it off the ground, then weld on crossbars straight across from leg to leg to keep the frame stabilized. Set the drum on top of the frame.

7. Create the rotisserie. Use a 1 inch steel bar at least 5 feet long for the spit. The spit will run across the length of the drum roaster horizontally, so cut a groove in the center on each end of the drum roaster to hold the spit, then weld a hand crank to one end of the spit so you can turn the hog.

8. Clean the drum by burning a fire in it before placing a hog in the drum. Place charcoal in the metal grate, pour lighter fluid over the charcoal, and then light a few matches and carefully drop them onto the charcoal so the charcoal will catch fire.

Cooking the hog

1. Purchase the hog. A hog will most likely have to be ordered in advance and shipped to the store, so contact a local butcher and place an order for a fresh, prepped for cooking hog. The hog will then be shipped to the butcher for you to pick up.

2. Attach the hog to the spit. Place the hog on its side on a large table and push the spit all the way through the tail end and out of the mouth. Secure the hog to the spit by looping stainless steel wire around the spine and spit rod and then tying the ends of the wire together. Tighten the wire by twisting it with the pliers to secure the hog more tightly.

3. Create a marinade. Mix together 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons black pepper, 3 tablespoons cooking oil, and 3 tablespoons salt in a cooking pot to create a marinade.

4. Prepare a stuffing. Mix together 2 tablespoons cooking oil, 2 fried onions, 1 clove of fried garlic, 8 cups cooked rice, 500 grams of dried fruit, 1/2 cup of black pepper, and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in the cooking pot to create a stuffing.

5. Prepare the stomach cavity. Since you bought a hog prepped for cooking, the stomach cavity should be already opened. Line the inside of the stomach cavity with tin foil, then rub the marinade into the cavity and add the stuffing. Take the trussing needle and thread and sew up the stomach cavity.

6. Truss the hog to the spit. Loop stainless steel wire around one hind leg, tighten it by twisting it with the pliers, then loop the wire over the spit and around the other hind leg and pull it close to the first leg. Tie together and tighten with the pliers. Repeat with the front legs.

7. Hoist the hog onto the drum roaster. Since an adult hog can weigh up to 200 pounds, you will need to have at least two people to lift the hog onto the drum roaster. Open the drum roaster, then lift the hog by having the two people lift from the opposite ends of the spit. Carry the hog over to the drum roaster, then secure the hog by positioning the hog in the center of the drum and placing both ends of the spit into the grooves on the drum roaster.

8. Prepare the fire. Add charcoal to the grate, then cover the charcoal with lighter fluid. Light the charcoal by lighting a few matches and dropping them onto the charcoal. Since cooking a hog in a roasting drum takes several hours, you will have to continuously add more charcoal as the cooking progresses to keep the fire from dying. Make sure the fire isn't too hot so that the hog has time to cook thoroughly.

9. Cook the hog. A hog typically takes 6 to 7 hours to cook, and depending on the size of the hog can take up to 10 hours. Close the lid of the drum roaster and turn the hog with the hand crank every few minutes so that the hog will cook evenly. Occasionally open up the lid of the drum roaster to check on the hog. Cover parts of the hog that cook quickly with tin foil to keep the hog from being overcooked.

10. Bast the hog. Create a basting paste by mixing together 3 tablespoons cooking oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 3 tablespoons salt, and 2 tablespoons pepper in a cooking pot. Occasionally open up the lid of the drum roaster and use a large paintbrush to apply the basting paste to the body of the hog. Basting the hog keeps the skin from getting too dry and makes the skin moist and golden brown.

11. Test the hog with the meat thermometer. Push the tip of the meat thermometer into the center of the hog. If the meat is thoroughly cooked, it should have a temperature of 160 degrees.

References

• Oil Drum Pig Roaster Designs
• PRLog: Oil Drum Pig Roaster Designs
• 3 Men: Spit Roasting
• Fire Pit and Grilling Guru: The Whole Pig Roast: How to Cook a Full Sized Pig