July 4th Pig Roast!! Need some ideas.

[Endo]

Hello peeps,

sitting around the campfire the other night, we had a great idea to do a july 4th pig roast at my house. ive been doing a bit of research so far, and im hoping some of you guys and girls can help me out as well.

shooting for probably 60 people or so. i know i need a decent size pig, and we are looking to build a pit of some sort either out of cinder blocks or out of a 55 gallon drum. any tips on roasting and building it are welcome as well.

im looking for ideas for great side dishes, and for fun activities we can do while we drink and wait for the pig to cook. there will probably be a few kids running around here and there.. so its got to be pretty g rated.(though all ideas will be concidered) fun for the whole family.


im thinking, the obvious:
beer pong
flip cup
maybe badminton
slip and slide for the kids.
horse shoes
egg toss and water balloons.

for food.
pig
burgers/dogs
potatoe salad
mac salad
baked beans
corn on the cob
beer - of course
is it better to have a bar? or just offer 2-3 premade drinks like margaritas and mai tai or soemthing.
it all seems pretty standard, but i wanna make it really memorable.. and fun... so I welcome any ideas you guys may have from previous experiance.

LETS HEAR WHAT YOU GOT>!!

 

[madrecinco]

Google ....Three Guys from Miami The Roast Pig Hall of Fame


The best succulent roasted pigs are done by the Cuban Americans here in Florida,

With yellow rice Black Beans Cuban bread Fried Plantains


Almost makes you love the Castro Thug brothers. But happy I have a Cuban in my family now and get to go to GENUINE pig roasts. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Endo]

^^^^^^^
i was there already.. whats funny is every link i found points to them specifically. they have some good stuff. looking for more ideas though. expand my horizons..

 

[iGro4Me]

Last year I did a big shin-dig for the 4th....We had a Moon-Bounce for the neighborhood kids (it was kind of like a block party on my property).....I have a pool as well, but here in the north-east it's like tits on a bull all but 3 months really...

Ordered some fireworks from O-Hi-O as well.....it was a blast.

Sounds like fun Endo....

 

[Rainman]

Endo - My 2 passions are Growing and Carolina Que!!! For a group that size you will need 2 decent mediums or one pretty large pig. Another issue is cook time. You are looking at getting them on the spit and turning for at least 24 hours. It is a low and slow process. You want to get your grill to 250-275f max and keep the temp constant. That means you gotta 'man the grill' all nite and keep wood and or charcoal fresh and burnin. Make sure to stuff the cavity wit your favorite herbs too. I prefer Garlic by the pound and Rosemary by the bush! The more you stuff it the bigger and sweeter the meat will end up. I am very excited for you and offer my humble opinion and ideas if needed. Please pm me for any questions on the subject since I dont want to take up all the thread with my excited ramblings!! Also I offer this bit of advice,(if you drink) start looking for a great brew to match the flavor of the way you cook the porker. I love Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and trying new different brews with mine!! It adds to the already festive moment of you doing whole pigs for people. Something about the pig and the beer makes you a greater grill guy in your friends eyes and they will bring up moments they had with you in the years after! It is just a great time to be had by all. I envy you and wish you all the best in this idea!!!

 

[sirgrassalot]

A few more things that were at the one I attended last year are #1 a live Band OK this house was encircled by a corn field just out of town, they sold their dvd's & t-shirts in the bar tent, it was a free bar with draft as well as beers & liquor. You tipped the bartenders jar. 2 - porta potties, A circus ball dunker, inflatable thing kids play in, they served a roast of beef as well as the pig on a spit. This was the function of the year added with a few cycles around for atmosphere. Have a good one.

 

[Endo]

^^^^^^^^^^^
no pm needed.. just spill it all into the thread.. that way if i need to come back its all right here.....


SPEW AWAY!

igro4me, we had a pool and got rid of it for that reason.. maybe find one of those quick set up ones or something... the moon bounce thing sounds fun.

 

[madrecinco]

Be careful with those moon walks as some little girl fractured her ankle in one at my granddaughters birthday party and and my son is now being sued even though he paid the medical bills for it....Homeowners are responsible for injuries on their property/

 

[Endo]

way to bring down the vibes man!!! lol.. j/k your right we dont need any of that legal crap going on.

 

[LolaGal]

We always dig a big pit in the ground. Then fill with hickory wood, burn. Put dirt on top of the coals, then wrap up piggy and place in pit. Cover piggy well. Bury piggy with layer of dirt about 5 or 6 inches, then more hickory on top of that. Leave in ground overnight. Dig up and eat.

Works great with a nice tasty goat too! Pieces of tin 4 x8 sheet help keep dirt off piggy. Mmm. barbequed goat...yummy.

 

[ROJO145]

Sounds like a blast!!Add a radio to that list and its everything needed for a party!!This place gotta lotta cool stuff,in Mass,at least ya can see what size hog for how many people etc.
http://outlook-farm.com/index.php?filename=pigroast_menu.html

 

[Bobby Stainless]

We always dig a big pit in the ground. Then fill with hickory wood, burn. Put dirt on top of the coals, then wrap up piggy and place in pit. Cover piggy well. Bury piggy with layer of dirt about 5 or 6 inches, then more hickory on top of that. Leave in ground overnight. Dig up and eat.

Works great with a nice tasty goat too! Pieces of tin 4 x8 sheet help keep dirt off piggy. Mmm. barbequed goat...yummy.

+1

Luau style!!!

 

[Rainman]

Great info LolaG and Rojo!! Definately need good music and the pit style is a tried and true way to work your pork! I usually use the spit since I cant seem to keep that damn dirt off my meat in the pit method.

You wanna get some supplies to start:
Big/long handled BBQ brush/mop
Herbs/spices - bulk
Spray bottle to spray the meat with apple juice while cooking
Big coolers/tin pales for beer fest
Citronella candles - keeps the bugs away


These are the things you will need but I always seem to forget until the day of!! Dont know if you have room but a band would set it off! I usually have a dj friend spinning. Anoter little secret I will share - Get a good sangria recipe!!! Dont laugh! It will impress your gal/wifey/ lady and gives them something beside beer to sip on. Plus its the bomb with meat!! Let us know what you need/want specifically and that would help us help you.

 

[Endo]

Great info LolaG and Rojo!! Definately need good music and the pit style is a tried and true way to work your pork! I usually use the spit since I cant seem to keep that damn dirt off my meat in the pit method.

You wanna get some supplies to start:
Big/long handled BBQ brush/mop
Herbs/spices - bulk
Spray bottle to spray the meat with apple juice while cooking
Big coolers/tin pales for beer fest
Citronella candles - keeps the bugs away


These are the things you will need but I always seem to forget until the day of!! Dont know if you have room but a band would set it off! I usually have a dj friend spinning. Anoter little secret I will share - Get a good sangria recipe!!! Dont laugh! It will impress your gal/wifey/ lady and gives them something beside beer to sip on. Plus its the bomb with meat!! Let us know what you need/want specifically and that would help us help you.

fantastic thats exactly the kind of thing im looking for.... id let you know what im looking for specifically, but i have no idea... thats why i putting this thread together, then ill pool everything together and decide the best course of action. Sangria is a good idea, though my S.O is not allowed to drink on account of being preggo. but im sure everyone will enjoy a good sangria. i wanna make this awesome, and maybe start a tradition for my kids as well. im excited about this already...

I know this is asking alot but how much should i expect to spend?? for say 60 people..
Pig=100$
building cooker=100$
Booze=150$??
beer=100$??
other food 150$??
i have no idea what im getting myself into i think........

 

[Rainman]

You can find a butcher to get whole pigs or a 4-H fair. The sooner you buy the cheaper as everything BBQ related goes up in price right before the 4th. This is where the bulk of your $ will go. YOu really want to be staring a small BBQ fund to pay for little shit that will come up.


1. Buying your hog

• Order your pig from a specialty meat packer, grocery store or local locker. It is often necessary to give them 7 days advance notice. Before purchasing make sure the pig is absolutely clean.
• See Chart 2 for serving portions
• Dressed pigs are 70% of the live weight.
  Smaller animals will have a greater percentage of bone and skin and will yield proportionately fewer servings of meat.
• The carcass should be opened butterfly-fashion.

2. Equipment

There are three methods for roasting a hog.

Grill

• The temperature at the roast should be kept constant and around 200-250 degrees F.
• Most grills will have thermometers installed to monitor temperature. If not, use a large meat thermometer inserted in a top vent.
• The outside temperature, wind, type of equipment, all will have an effect on maintaining this temperature.
• Split the rib bones at the spine to allow pig to lay flat, being careful not to pierce skin.
• Fill grill with charcoal. (see Chart 1)
• Let charcoal burn until it has turned ash-gray.
• Place heavy wire, the size of the pig, over the grill, 13 inches from the coals.
• Place pig flat, skin side up on wire surface.
• Place second wire over pig, sandwiching pig between the 2 layers of wire

Rotisserie

• If using a rotisserie make sure weight is evenly distributed.
• Follow directions from your rotisserie manual.

Rock-lined Pit

• Dig hole 2 ½ to 3 feet deep at center with a diameter of 5 to 7 feet, depending on the size of the pig.
• Line the pit with rocks.
• Light fire.
• Additional small round rocks should be place in fire to be heated.
• As fire burns down, wet the burlap and dress pig as desired.
• Place pig on chicken wire.
• Under the legs make slits big enough to insert round heated rocks.
• When rocks are very hot, use tongs to fill the abdominal cavity and slits.
• Tie front legs together, then back legs.
• Wrap pig in chicken wire, fastening well so it can be lifted.
• Completely cover ashed coals and rocks with corn stalks and leaves or grass trimmings.
• Lower pig onto the leaves.
• Cover it generously on top with some leaves
• Place wet burlap over leaves to hold the heat and steam the pig.
• Cover with large canvas!!!
• Shovel dirt or gravel over canvas to keep steam in.
  

3. Cooking

• Hog is better if thawed.

Grill

• Because of variants in sizes, shapes, weights, air currents and methods of barbecuing, among others, it is difficult to give a rule of minutes per pound.
• For estimate grilling times see Chart 1.
• Always check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer
• Once the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, the roast should be removed.
• A good place to check is the ham, as it is the largest section of the hog.
• Turn hog over half way through cooking process.
• ***Time is a variant! One must be flexible in the timing and cooking process, checking the hog often is essential.

Rotisserie

• Cook the pig 12” away from the source of heat.
• Keep the heat constant.
• Fluctuating heat will add to your cooking time.
• 110 pound live weight estimated cooking time is 8-10 hours.
• When pig reaches 160 degrees F move the pig away from the heat.
• An estimated 1-2 hours will keep the pig warm without drying out.
• ***Time is a variant! One must be flexible in the timing and cooking process, checking the hog often is essential.

Rock-lined Pit

• Estimated cooking times
  2 hours for 25 pound live weight
  2 ½ hours for 50 pound live weight
  4 hours for 75 pound live weight
  8 hours for 150 pound live weight
• When in doubt, leave it in the pit a big longer. The pig will not burn as it is cooked by the steam.
• Start cooking 12 hours ahead of serving time depending on the above table, periodically checking internal temperature.
• When pig reaches 160 degrees F move the pig away from the heat.
• An estimated 1-2 hours will keep the pig warm without drying out.
• ***Time is a variant! One must be flexible in the timing and cooking process, checking the hog often is essential.

A good estimate is 1 ½ lbs serving size per person​

 

[iGro4Me]

fantastic thats exactly the kind of thing im looking for.... id let you know what im looking for specifically, but i have no idea... thats why i putting this thread together, then ill pool everything together and decide the best course of action. Sangria is a good idea, though my S.O is not allowed to drink on account of being preggo. but im sure everyone will enjoy a good sangria. i wanna make this awesome, and maybe start a tradition for my kids as well. im excited about this already...

I know this is asking alot but how much should i expect to spend?? for say 60 people..
Pig=100$
building cooker=100$
Booze=150$??
beer=100$??
other food 150$??
i have no idea what im getting myself into i think........

I had about 100~110 people last year.....I went WAY over board....

I also spent about a geebee on fireworks (alot of which I still have) so I think you'll be just fine with about a 10.00 per head guesstimate

 

[humble1]

oh man,
here is the ticket if you like roast pig on the regular and want your setup to look clean, too.
chinese roasting boxes, la caja china, are the way to do it.
they're actually cuban, but the cubans call'em chinese for some reason.
anyway, www.lacajachina.com and other sites will point the way.
best. pig. ever. end of sentence.

 

[Sleepy]

oink oink!

oink oink!

pickles...

cole slaw...

crusty bread...

drooling...hehehe

gotta love the cracklins!


don't forget the weed!

 

[Rainman]

Damn Sleepy!!! Glad you threw that in!! How can we have gone this far and someone not have said weed? That has to be a record or something!!We were slippin people! Almost forgot the most important ingredient. Thanks again to Sleepy! Respect.

 

[LolaGal]

why not let everybody BYOB, furnish mixers, sodas, everybody bring a dish. Pot Luck stretches your food/alcohol budget!

I was reading Rainman's advice on hog cooking. That aint't the way we do it down South where I live. My opinion don't use leaves or grass or canvas or wet burlap to cover piggy. I think it would make it taste funny. We use tin foil and lots of it! Some nice banana leaves would help keep out the dirt if you could buy some from specialty grocer.

That hickory smoke is the ticket when cooking a whole hog. Too bad you don't have a nice smoker big enough to put him in and cook him about 18-24 hours with nice low heat...yum...

Those spits are a pain in the ass to watch, turn and you will get tired of it. You need a crew to help take turns on it. It's hot work. I don't recommend a spit at all.

One thing you forgot! Invitations for all your IcMag friends....lol