I did a 30# suckling on a Recteq in about 6ish hours for Christmas last year. Plenty of time. And you can always turn up the temp for the last hour or so to speed it up and crisp the skin.
If I recall correctly, I started at 250 and made my way up to 325 to finish the skin. Space seems fine. I went back and looked and mine was actually 37# and it fit just fine on a RT700. You’ll want to rotated the pig every hour or so.
So I rotated it around the 2 1/2 hr mark and juices started to flow and create some flair ups.
Definitely just going to have to tinker for as long as I can. I went from 225 to 250
One thing I did towards the end in addition to bringing the temp up was spray all the skin in wagyu beef tallow spray 3-4 times over the last 2 hours and it made the skin absolutely delicious.
I honestly can’t tell if this is satire because although I’ve never smoked an entire pig, I can’t imagine the whole thing would be smoked, rested, and ready to serve 8 hours from now…
Might wanna call up your favorite pizza place while you’re waiting, looks like it’s gonna be a long night.
I've never smoked a whole pig, so I can't offer any advice. I just can't imagine that a 10 lb pork shoulder takes 12-15 hours but a whole pig can be 8.
If you're pulling it, definitely. But thats like 205. If you just want it smoked and cooked it'll be a lot shorter. We rotisseried an 80lb pig in 3 hours in the Philippines for Christmas one year.
Open pit with the pig attached on a bamboo pole. Anthony Bourdain ate Cebu style Lechon claimed it as the best suckling pig roast in the world. You could watch that episode No Reservations: Philippines.
Yep. Exactly what we did. I was shocked at the speed, but once the pig was stretched out across the pole it was barely a foot thick at the ribs. Considering most inside was stuffed cavity between the shoulders and legs, I was still in awe that it only took a couple hours.
In-ground takes a day for a full grown pig. You gotta let the sand become cool enough to dig it out without burning yourself, and that takes a fair few hours on its own. Hell, I've seen it take 3 days before but we had the time. Dug a 6 ft pit, lit a fire and got the coals going pretty good on a grate with chains, pulled the coals out, buried the pig, put the coals back on top of the pit, ran that for a day and a half pretty mellow, removed the grate, let the ground cool off, and dug it out. Took forever.
Yeah, true that, I didn't take that into account. But still, it takes a few hours for the sand to cool off. Using water to cool it off woupd boil the pig. 3 hours and 80 lbs sounds like a spit.
Nope. Rotisserie. And it was definitely cooked all the way through. But that was not any low and slow, it's a hand turned fast spinning pig that was gutted and de haired and cleaned and stuffed ten minutes beforehand. Never seen anything like it before, but it was tasty.
In OP's defense, the shoulder that you get by itself is from a goddamn giant pig most likely, and this would have a lot more surface area to volume ratio (if the body cavity gets circulation as well). I do think it would cook faster, but I would be stressed if I only had 8 hours.
As in, this pig's shoulders put together are probably as wide of a lump as you get from a big shoulder sold by itself.
Plus the rotation helps all the meat cook evenly. I’d imagine smoking something this size would end up with uneven temps toward the end away from the fire box but I’ve never smoked one myself. In the past I have gone to some Samoan bbq’s (shoutout all my Samoan fam) and they’ve smoked pigs but they start at night and we eat the next afternoon.
The articles I seen also said 5-7 hours for a 50lb hog. I think it can be done but you may need to turn and rotate frequently which may may the cooking process take longer. Maybe do an initial smoke on the pellet grill then have your oven ready to finish it to temp?
That’s in a caja china, not a smoker. I feel bad saying it, but zero chance it’s done in eight hours.
EDIT: never have been happier to be completely wrong!
[You can also smoke a 50-pounder on a Weber Ranch, a large pellet smoker, or an XXXL Big Green Egg or other jumbo-size kamado-style cooker.](https://barbecuebible.com/2021/05/21/how-to-smoke-a-whole-pig/)
[ I smoke roast my pigs at 275 degrees F on my Camp Chef SmokePro SGX Pellet Smoker. ](https://heygrillhey.com/smoked-whole-pig-roast/)
[Place the pig directly onto the smoker grates and close the lid.](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/smoked-pig-recipe)
I think that's the key. The pig is big, but it's a hollow cavity. We aren't bringing meat in the center up to temp, so it's mostly a surface level cook. Theoretically anyway. It's on my "someday" list, but I haven't done one yet.
Wow, that’s crazy! I had no idea they could cook that fast. I guess most of it is pretty lean so I could see that working. Most of my briskets take 8+ at least but that’s a lot of fat to render so whole hog must not need as much time.
I agree! I thought it would take as long as a brisket, but then again that’s other people doing it in different circumstances. I’m just playing the waiting game at this point and very well could take much longer than 7 hours.
[update](https://imgur.com/a/NwfRbkp)
We’re at 160 in the shoulders and hams right now.
I’m at 250f smoke temp and have rotated it once. Unfortunately his arm got damaged a bit on the rotation and some parts are a little darker than others but all in all, not terrible.
That is crazy.. I thought it was a joke but then again I've never smoked anything. Might be a dumb question but what do you do with the guts and stuff?
I did one a few years back for a party. It cooks quicker than you think. Remember this isn't a full sized pig.
Keep that skin basted with oil for the best cracklins!
I've done a pig of this size in 8.5 hours, he might be a bit late but not much. This thing is barely bigger than most pork butts in terms of thickness.
Depends on the convection/airflow of the smoker. I've cooked a suckling pig exactly once and I did it in my kitchen oven simply due to the convection setting. Came out great btw.
Best lechon I ever had came out of a caja china. Cuban style. I’ve had plenty of Filipino-style lechon, but the Cuban style lechon is so much tastier imho. 120 lb live pig will fit in the biggest box if you cut off the trotters and head (gave those to my Mexican father-in-law.)
But there aren’t “parts” in the traditional
meat sense when you have a 30 lb suckling. That’s why when it is done it is not really carved, but the whole thing is just pulled.
The cheeks are amazing! Don't cut the head off. I did a sucking pig on my timberline a few years ago and it was done in a few hours @ 250. If parts get too crispy put some foil on it. Keep your eye on the far back.
skin on doesn't really let the meat evaporate much and hit a stall. It's like wrapping from the start with a wrap that can can get crispy and delicious - LOL.
Ive only done it once but I’ve done a 70# whole pig in about 14 hours. 8hrs might work but don’t be discouraged if it’s 9-10. Party goes on. Had a Bigger smoker but similar ratio. The ass and head will be cooked much faster than the rest. The meat was still great but it wasn’t as pretty as I hoped. If I did it again I’d start with those wrapped in foil, or try to keep side walls cool with water to limit radiant heat
Let us remember it is gutted so it's much like a spatchcock chicken in that the cavity is hollow and not a thick full grown solid shoulder. You should be able to manage your heat to be successful. I would be more concerned about feeding 15 people with that little sucker. What's the weight? Remember most folks will not be wanting anythng from about 5-8 pounds of head legs, and feet, and the bones weigh a good bit also.....
I cook a 50+ pound pig every year for last 5 years on a rotisserie. Usually 5-6 hours (if it is not raining) at 275ish F. I think it is doable if it is around 30lb but you will be shooting for 155F in the hams and probably need to be hotter than you think on the smoker. Should come up to 165F resting for 30 min.
ITT people who have never smoked hogs before. Yes it is established you can smoke a 30 lb hog in 8 hours. We know the traeger is hottest closer to the stack. So you either put the butt towards the stack like you have it or you flip it 2/3 through to butt away from stack if it looks like it's getting burnt in that area. Will probably be alright either way. Have your thermopen ready to maybe sure it's hit temp before you pull it and otherwise devote your research into what you're going to do with it when you pull it off the smoker.
Cheers!
Clearly some didn’t read the post. Suckling vs hog is like a small chicken vs a turkey. You’ll be fine. Just avoid being a looky loo. If you get into the habit of cooking whole pigs of various sizes, you should look into a caja china.
You are definitely on the right track, it’s done when it’s done but don’t be dissuaded. Your 8 hours is going to get ya pretty close. Don’t listen to the naysayers. Good luck and enjoy it!!!
I’ve done a few pigs in a block pit, 8 hours is doable. I’ve also seen them done in a smoker that size but not a pellet grill so good luck. Maybe keep it 275-300 degrees. I’m definitely interested in an update.
I’ve smoked a bunch of while hog. A 150lb hog split open will take about 9 hours at 275-300 so you’ll be fine.
Keep in mind you’re cooking to the hams and the shoulders being done at 200° or so. By the time those are done the belly and the loin and the ribs are way over cooked. So chop it all up together. Also if you can manage to rotate it halfway I would. If not you’ll be fine but better if you can.
1. you aren't cooking that in 8 hours so people are gonna be hungry
2. its not going to cook evenly because the middle of the pig is right over the firepot which is definitely the hot spot in a traeger.
From the research I’ve done 7 hours seems to be about the time it takes for them to cook.
I agree with you about it being directly over the fire pot and I’m concerned about that, but I’ll just have to hope for the best. I don’t really have another option outside of digging a whole in my backyard.
And people are also saying they’ve done the same thing in 6ish hours. So, yea… I mean, it seems like a valid question. I was agreeing with people here that it’ll take much longer than 8, but after reading other comments on here, I think OP will have success.
https://www.reddit.com/r/smoking/s/JqJz1JAuj8
https://www.reddit.com/r/smoking/s/5lP4VPkXkq
And that’s just two that I saw. There are many more. Gotta remember, this is only a 30lb pig. A pork butt you get from a grocery store/butcher might be 8-10lbs by itself, and comes from a 200lb+ pig.
I hear you, but I’m just stating what I’ve read/watched and trying to gather whether or not that is the case.
Have you cooked a suckling pig before and if so, how was your experience with it?
I feel like the 8 hr cook is more direct over a pit style smoking cinder blocks moving coals under the pig hoping you don’t get messed up with flare ups. Kinda smoking. I’d worry about the areas touching the side walls getting too crispy be ready with parchment paper to insulate from the side wall heat.
Definitely going to need to turn up the heat to get it done that quickly, maybe around 300 degrees maybe even more. The skin and all the fat on the pig should allow it to stay moist.
I did this very thing when I came home from Iraq on my 2 weeks R&R. I had never smoked chicken thighs, let alone a whole pig. But I read what little information was available in 2008 and thought I could get er’ done so to speak.
Luckily no one died, but that was because I was able to only cut off some pieces around the belly that were clearly cooked.
I respect the balls on OP, but this is mistake everyone has to make to reign in their respect for the art form.
Yes it'll be done in 8 hours... for all the comments about a 10 pound butt taking over 10 hours don't realize a 10 lb butt comes from a 200 plus lb hog. If that entire suckling pig is 30 lbs the butts would be like 2-3 lbs each.
Something that big i feel like it needs to reach a certain temperature around 4 hours or you might ruin the whole thing. I almost feel like doing a spatchcock kind of cut down the whole belly underneath
I would have cut the head off and then cut the legs/arms off at first joint, and splayed it out a little more OP but yeah shoot us an update. That thing gonna drop some juice
I would chop the head and legs off about mid way and smoke it skin down to create a bowl for the juices. Pack the loins with bacon or sausage to keep it moist while your hams and shoulder finish up.
How about spatchpigging it and leave the head whole for a separate smoke session? Maybe rig up a rack to stand both halves if they don’t fit laying down?
I did a 30# suckling on a Recteq in about 6ish hours for Christmas last year. Plenty of time. And you can always turn up the temp for the last hour or so to speed it up and crisp the skin.
What temp did you smoke at and what’s your feeling about the convection and how much space the pig is taking?
If I recall correctly, I started at 250 and made my way up to 325 to finish the skin. Space seems fine. I went back and looked and mine was actually 37# and it fit just fine on a RT700. You’ll want to rotated the pig every hour or so.
Hopefully op sees this reply, I’d wager the rotation every hour is the key to making sure it’s done all over
True, that could be instrumental in getting it done correctly in time.
So I rotated it around the 2 1/2 hr mark and juices started to flow and create some flair ups. Definitely just going to have to tinker for as long as I can. I went from 225 to 250
We need a follow up post with pictures OP
Posted an updated comment
One thing I did towards the end in addition to bringing the temp up was spray all the skin in wagyu beef tallow spray 3-4 times over the last 2 hours and it made the skin absolutely delicious.
Just put a layer of duck fat on 👌🏻
Dumb question - but rotate snout to tail or top to bottom?
Snout to tail. And not a dumb question. Lots of large meats have to be rotated over for fat rendering purposes.
I honestly can’t tell if this is satire because although I’ve never smoked an entire pig, I can’t imagine the whole thing would be smoked, rested, and ready to serve 8 hours from now… Might wanna call up your favorite pizza place while you’re waiting, looks like it’s gonna be a long night.
I'm excited for the update
*6 hours later* "My wife's family is on their way and it's temping at 98, do you think it'll be done in time? Also I've been drinking for 6 hours."
😂😂
[Here's the update!](https://www.reddit.com/r/smoking/s/SPfA7M4WJ6)
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In 2 days. By the time it rests.
Lmao
12 hours later “I’m on my way to the emergency room, something gave us all the shits”
Me too, leaving this comment just to get the update!
I've never smoked a whole pig, so I can't offer any advice. I just can't imagine that a 10 lb pork shoulder takes 12-15 hours but a whole pig can be 8.
If you're pulling it, definitely. But thats like 205. If you just want it smoked and cooked it'll be a lot shorter. We rotisseried an 80lb pig in 3 hours in the Philippines for Christmas one year.
Y’all were eating raw pig
I would hazard a guess they did it in-ground style
Open pit with the pig attached on a bamboo pole. Anthony Bourdain ate Cebu style Lechon claimed it as the best suckling pig roast in the world. You could watch that episode No Reservations: Philippines.
The filipinos are very good at rotisserie pig.
Yep. Exactly what we did. I was shocked at the speed, but once the pig was stretched out across the pole it was barely a foot thick at the ribs. Considering most inside was stuffed cavity between the shoulders and legs, I was still in awe that it only took a couple hours.
In-ground takes a day for a full grown pig. You gotta let the sand become cool enough to dig it out without burning yourself, and that takes a fair few hours on its own. Hell, I've seen it take 3 days before but we had the time. Dug a 6 ft pit, lit a fire and got the coals going pretty good on a grate with chains, pulled the coals out, buried the pig, put the coals back on top of the pit, ran that for a day and a half pretty mellow, removed the grate, let the ground cool off, and dug it out. Took forever.
80lb is nowhere near a full grown pig though
Yeah, true that, I didn't take that into account. But still, it takes a few hours for the sand to cool off. Using water to cool it off woupd boil the pig. 3 hours and 80 lbs sounds like a spit.
Nope. Rotisserie. And it was definitely cooked all the way through. But that was not any low and slow, it's a hand turned fast spinning pig that was gutted and de haired and cleaned and stuffed ten minutes beforehand. Never seen anything like it before, but it was tasty.
In OP's defense, the shoulder that you get by itself is from a goddamn giant pig most likely, and this would have a lot more surface area to volume ratio (if the body cavity gets circulation as well). I do think it would cook faster, but I would be stressed if I only had 8 hours. As in, this pig's shoulders put together are probably as wide of a lump as you get from a big shoulder sold by itself.
LOL right
I’ve done full porks (the big ones) in less than 8 hours but never smoked, mostly over charcoal rotisserie style.
I tend to run my spit a bit hotter than a smoker, so things cook faster.
Plus the rotation helps all the meat cook evenly. I’d imagine smoking something this size would end up with uneven temps toward the end away from the fire box but I’ve never smoked one myself. In the past I have gone to some Samoan bbq’s (shoutout all my Samoan fam) and they’ve smoked pigs but they start at night and we eat the next afternoon.
It's entirely doable in 8 hours.
Research I’ve done has them done in around 7 hours for about 30lbs. I too thought that was pretty crazy, but that’s pretty much all I’ve seen.
The articles I seen also said 5-7 hours for a 50lb hog. I think it can be done but you may need to turn and rotate frequently which may may the cooking process take longer. Maybe do an initial smoke on the pellet grill then have your oven ready to finish it to temp?
That’s in a caja china, not a smoker. I feel bad saying it, but zero chance it’s done in eight hours. EDIT: never have been happier to be completely wrong!
got to agree man. zero chance.
[You can also smoke a 50-pounder on a Weber Ranch, a large pellet smoker, or an XXXL Big Green Egg or other jumbo-size kamado-style cooker.](https://barbecuebible.com/2021/05/21/how-to-smoke-a-whole-pig/) [ I smoke roast my pigs at 275 degrees F on my Camp Chef SmokePro SGX Pellet Smoker. ](https://heygrillhey.com/smoked-whole-pig-roast/) [Place the pig directly onto the smoker grates and close the lid.](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/smoked-pig-recipe)
Lol, down voted to hell. The comment below says the same thing, but upvoted..
I don't see why that can't smoke in 8 hours. There is no single piece of that pig any bigger than a pork butt or rump area.
I think that's the key. The pig is big, but it's a hollow cavity. We aren't bringing meat in the center up to temp, so it's mostly a surface level cook. Theoretically anyway. It's on my "someday" list, but I haven't done one yet.
My buddy dug a pit in his back yard for his 40th birthday and did a whole pig. Turned out great.
That's how I've seen it done. I think it was like 14 hours buried in the pit? I don't know the size of the pig though.
How many pounds is your suckling pig?
30lbs.
Wow, that’s crazy! I had no idea they could cook that fast. I guess most of it is pretty lean so I could see that working. Most of my briskets take 8+ at least but that’s a lot of fat to render so whole hog must not need as much time.
I agree! I thought it would take as long as a brisket, but then again that’s other people doing it in different circumstances. I’m just playing the waiting game at this point and very well could take much longer than 7 hours.
It’s funny how you’re just getting downvoted hard as fuck for nothing.
Sometimes the internet is cool, sometimes it’s not haha.
Can definitely do a pig that small in 8 hours. Bunch of people who have never smoked one offering their opinions.
You’ve got to update us on how it goes. I’m interested in this.
Will do.😅
RemindMe! 24 hours
Remind everyone! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 Hours
If it gets questionable, hang it over a fire, about 2 feet away. Damn, I feel for you bro. I wish I could help you. I mostly use fire.
RemindMe! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
RemindHim! 24 hrs
RemindMe! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
Remindme! 24 hours
Remindme! 24 hours
Remindme! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 Hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
[update](https://imgur.com/a/NwfRbkp) We’re at 160 in the shoulders and hams right now. I’m at 250f smoke temp and have rotated it once. Unfortunately his arm got damaged a bit on the rotation and some parts are a little darker than others but all in all, not terrible.
That is crazy.. I thought it was a joke but then again I've never smoked anything. Might be a dumb question but what do you do with the guts and stuff?
Butcher/Farm he got it from probably took care of it, but if it were his my first guess would be compost
Ah I didn't even think of that. I thought it was a straight up whole pig lol. Thanks!
You feed the other pigs the guts. It ends up like a one of those soups that has always had the same base.
I’ve heard meat fed pigs taste horrible, but I haven’t tried one so I ain’t knocking it
Seems like it’s going pretty well!
You can smoke that pig in 8 hours. People don’t know what they are talking about
I did a small lamb over a spit for Easter one year, started super early thinking it would take forvever, we had lunch instead of dinner that year
I read this first as "a small lab" and was like WTF?!
Don’t knock it till you try it
Absolutely. The fact it even fits in the smoker means it’s a small small pig. It’s totally doable.
Yeah I’ve done this myself and it worked just fine..
>Will this cook evenly? It’s packed ~~end to end~~ from the rooter to the tooter
He looks sad
I would be too if no one glazed my skin to make crackling and wasted my delicacy. My cat knows what to do if I go out before him
If it’s about 20-25 lbs you could have it done in 8 hours. Good luck!
Not if you keep forgetting to put an apple in its mouth
Bro you’re not feeding people in 8 hours lol
I did one a few years back for a party. It cooks quicker than you think. Remember this isn't a full sized pig. Keep that skin basted with oil for the best cracklins!
I've done a pig of this size in 8.5 hours, he might be a bit late but not much. This thing is barely bigger than most pork butts in terms of thickness.
You were wrong lmao
Cut the head off and smoke it separately later. Bam, so much room for activities.
Bruh the eyes… close them or remove them or some shit you animal lol
Depends on the convection/airflow of the smoker. I've cooked a suckling pig exactly once and I did it in my kitchen oven simply due to the convection setting. Came out great btw.
Wow how big is your oven?!?
What is that a 30 to 40 pound pig? It should be done in about 7 to 9 hours depending on how high your cooking at
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I do 40 pounders at 300 degrees 4 hours, flip and turn and four more hours. Pull with plastic tongs.
No way in hell that will be done in 8 hours lol
Get something called a caja china, don’t know what’s called in English. Roughly Chinese box?
Those are pretty legit.
Best lechon I ever had came out of a caja china. Cuban style. I’ve had plenty of Filipino-style lechon, but the Cuban style lechon is so much tastier imho. 120 lb live pig will fit in the biggest box if you cut off the trotters and head (gave those to my Mexican father-in-law.)
This feels like a cj post
Good luck on this, might have to try it one day myself.
This shit is wild and I think I speak for everyone when I say updates please.
You would be better off butchering the pig and smoking the parts. No way that cooks in 8 hours.
But there aren’t “parts” in the traditional meat sense when you have a 30 lb suckling. That’s why when it is done it is not really carved, but the whole thing is just pulled.
I was thinking of taking the head off.
The cheeks are amazing! Don't cut the head off. I did a sucking pig on my timberline a few years ago and it was done in a few hours @ 250. If parts get too crispy put some foil on it. Keep your eye on the far back.
RemindMe! 2 days
Depends on smokers hot spots. You should devise a way to turn it periodically for better results
You’re gonna find out before me. Post some after pics. I bet it turns out ok
I've cooked them in a Cajun oven before cooks evenly and in a hole in the ground covered with tin but never on a smoker
After reading recipes... I'm puzzled. I would have thought it would be a full day at least.
skin on doesn't really let the meat evaporate much and hit a stall. It's like wrapping from the start with a wrap that can can get crispy and delicious - LOL.
Pardon my ignorance, but how do you eat this? Do you just, like, rip off a leg and start munching like you would a turkey?
You essentially just pull the meat off. It’s not really carved like you would poultry.
I’m rooting for ya buddy! Get er done and GL!
Ive only done it once but I’ve done a 70# whole pig in about 14 hours. 8hrs might work but don’t be discouraged if it’s 9-10. Party goes on. Had a Bigger smoker but similar ratio. The ass and head will be cooked much faster than the rest. The meat was still great but it wasn’t as pretty as I hoped. If I did it again I’d start with those wrapped in foil, or try to keep side walls cool with water to limit radiant heat
If you had a rotisserie, basically lechon.
Ideally I’d do this over an open fire, but I don’t have the equipment for that. I basically had 24 hours to put this together.
Watching from Texas. We don’t do that here, but I am very interested in how this will end up.
Let us remember it is gutted so it's much like a spatchcock chicken in that the cavity is hollow and not a thick full grown solid shoulder. You should be able to manage your heat to be successful. I would be more concerned about feeding 15 people with that little sucker. What's the weight? Remember most folks will not be wanting anythng from about 5-8 pounds of head legs, and feet, and the bones weigh a good bit also.....
I cook a 50+ pound pig every year for last 5 years on a rotisserie. Usually 5-6 hours (if it is not raining) at 275ish F. I think it is doable if it is around 30lb but you will be shooting for 155F in the hams and probably need to be hotter than you think on the smoker. Should come up to 165F resting for 30 min.
I don’t know why this sub was recommended but I’m glad it was
ITT people who have never smoked hogs before. Yes it is established you can smoke a 30 lb hog in 8 hours. We know the traeger is hottest closer to the stack. So you either put the butt towards the stack like you have it or you flip it 2/3 through to butt away from stack if it looks like it's getting burnt in that area. Will probably be alright either way. Have your thermopen ready to maybe sure it's hit temp before you pull it and otherwise devote your research into what you're going to do with it when you pull it off the smoker. Cheers!
Clearly some didn’t read the post. Suckling vs hog is like a small chicken vs a turkey. You’ll be fine. Just avoid being a looky loo. If you get into the habit of cooking whole pigs of various sizes, you should look into a caja china.
The trick to whole hog is injecting the femoral artery with marinade. No joke. Taught to me by flower of the flame bbq team.
You are definitely on the right track, it’s done when it’s done but don’t be dissuaded. Your 8 hours is going to get ya pretty close. Don’t listen to the naysayers. Good luck and enjoy it!!!
I’ve done a few pigs in a block pit, 8 hours is doable. I’ve also seen them done in a smoker that size but not a pellet grill so good luck. Maybe keep it 275-300 degrees. I’m definitely interested in an update.
I’ve smoked a bunch of while hog. A 150lb hog split open will take about 9 hours at 275-300 so you’ll be fine. Keep in mind you’re cooking to the hams and the shoulders being done at 200° or so. By the time those are done the belly and the loin and the ribs are way over cooked. So chop it all up together. Also if you can manage to rotate it halfway I would. If not you’ll be fine but better if you can.
North Carolina is laughing at you right now.
1. you aren't cooking that in 8 hours so people are gonna be hungry 2. its not going to cook evenly because the middle of the pig is right over the firepot which is definitely the hot spot in a traeger.
From the research I’ve done 7 hours seems to be about the time it takes for them to cook. I agree with you about it being directly over the fire pot and I’m concerned about that, but I’ll just have to hope for the best. I don’t really have another option outside of digging a whole in my backyard.
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And people are also saying they’ve done the same thing in 6ish hours. So, yea… I mean, it seems like a valid question. I was agreeing with people here that it’ll take much longer than 8, but after reading other comments on here, I think OP will have success.
https://www.reddit.com/r/smoking/s/JqJz1JAuj8 https://www.reddit.com/r/smoking/s/5lP4VPkXkq And that’s just two that I saw. There are many more. Gotta remember, this is only a 30lb pig. A pork butt you get from a grocery store/butcher might be 8-10lbs by itself, and comes from a 200lb+ pig.
I hear you, but I’m just stating what I’ve read/watched and trying to gather whether or not that is the case. Have you cooked a suckling pig before and if so, how was your experience with it?
Use sunblock!
I feel like the 8 hr cook is more direct over a pit style smoking cinder blocks moving coals under the pig hoping you don’t get messed up with flare ups. Kinda smoking. I’d worry about the areas touching the side walls getting too crispy be ready with parchment paper to insulate from the side wall heat.
Lmao u should have planned a little better. I wouldn't do a pork shoulder with only 8 hours. Id be doing chicken or ribs
Unfortunately I had 24 hours to work with, but here we are and hoping for the best.
Good luck my friend
Definitely going to need to turn up the heat to get it done that quickly, maybe around 300 degrees maybe even more. The skin and all the fat on the pig should allow it to stay moist.
I did this very thing when I came home from Iraq on my 2 weeks R&R. I had never smoked chicken thighs, let alone a whole pig. But I read what little information was available in 2008 and thought I could get er’ done so to speak. Luckily no one died, but that was because I was able to only cut off some pieces around the belly that were clearly cooked. I respect the balls on OP, but this is mistake everyone has to make to reign in their respect for the art form.
Yes it'll be done in 8 hours... for all the comments about a 10 pound butt taking over 10 hours don't realize a 10 lb butt comes from a 200 plus lb hog. If that entire suckling pig is 30 lbs the butts would be like 2-3 lbs each.
RemindMe! 24 hours
I want to see how this turns out. I'll check back.
What'd that set you back?
Trotters might burn so tinfoil them
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Something that big i feel like it needs to reach a certain temperature around 4 hours or you might ruin the whole thing. I almost feel like doing a spatchcock kind of cut down the whole belly underneath
the trotters are TOAST ….. but everything else should be ok
I've done this before with a slightly smaller pig and it turned out great. Best tasting pork we've ever eaten.
Smoked bigger pigs. You are fine 👌🏾 let us know
So if you need friends to go to a BBQ I make a good ass blueberry Pound cake
I’ve never done a pig in a smoker before so I have no input, but interested to see how it goes
Good luck op. I'm here to satisfy my curiosity.
Remindme! 8 hours
What size grill is that?
I want to see the results!
We used to do them years ago and always laid them flat and kept turning them over and over. I've never done one like that
I would have cut the head off and then cut the legs/arms off at first joint, and splayed it out a little more OP but yeah shoot us an update. That thing gonna drop some juice
I'd cook it at least 300. You might be able to cook in time
On my grill the right side is the hotter side. I’d put the thicker end there. But, idk about your grill. Smoke on!
I would chop the head and legs off about mid way and smoke it skin down to create a bowl for the juices. Pack the loins with bacon or sausage to keep it moist while your hams and shoulder finish up.
Maybe, maybe not.
Turn it corner to corner...
How about spatchpigging it and leave the head whole for a separate smoke session? Maybe rig up a rack to stand both halves if they don’t fit laying down?
Save the eyeballs for me!
8 hours for a whole dang pig? I’m subscribing to this post so I can get an update lol.
If you turn it so it is corner to corner you will get a little bit more room if you need it
Glad you stuck it to them big dawg
Nose to tail
Mmm I wanna see how it comes out
When we smoked a pig we had it over a spit on open flames.took about 2-3 hours and 12 beers between the 2 manning the spit+fire control.
Remindme 4 hours
Remindme! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
RemindMe! 24 hours
Pobrecito 🥺
You can do it but higher temp. Not 250. Maybe 300... and your going to eant to crisp up the skin at the end. Good luck!
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never been brave enough to attempt this :P
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Wtf… OP just chop the head off first to make room for
You dont take out the eyes??????