How to Roast a Pig

If you have pig roasting plans, you can make use of some ideas for doing so, which are available in plentiful. Roasting it is not an easy task. It will take a lot of effort as well as time to roast it whole. There are many hog roasting recipes, which you can make use of while doing this task.

The most important part of these recipes is the equipments, like the grills, roasting box, etc., which will be required. Without this equipment, it is a little difficult to roast an entire pig.

This is one of the simplest recipes. You will have to place your order with the butcher and get him to prepare a whole pig for roast.

Ingredients

• Whole suckling pig (approximately 60 lb. in weight)
• Onions, 10 lb.
• Stuffing, 5 lb.
• Black pepper, 1 lb.
• Garlic cloves, 25 to 30
• Shortening, 3 to 4 cups
• Garlic powder
• Rosemary
• Chopped apples and walnuts
• Salt to taste
• Chicken wire, 4 feet
• Meat thermometer
• Needle and string

Method

• Clean the pig and dry it with paper napkins.
• Make slits in the skin and insert garlic cloves in them. Then coat with shortening. Use a shortening substitute instead of shortening.
• Add onions, apples and walnuts to the stuffing. Pack the cavities in the pig with the stuffing and stitch the cavities. Then wrap the pig in chicken wire lengthwise.

• Now, coat it with garlic powder, rosemary, salt and pepper. Insert the meat thermometer in the thickest part.
• Insert the pig on a spit and cook 3 to 5 feet above a charcoal pit. Roasting will take about 6 to 7 hours. You must turn it about once an hour, it's very important. At the same time, you'll have to keep adding seasoning to it frequently.

• When the temperature on the meat thermometer shows 160 to 170ºF, and you also see deep splits on its skin, it is a sign that your pig is well roasted.
• Unwrap the wire. This will bring most of the fat and the skin along with it. Now, your pig is ready to be served.

In Cuba, roasted pig is served on New Year's Day. Tradition has it that the pig is covered with banana leaves and cooked over a coal fire in a pit dug in the backyard. Since, not everyone has a backyard and cannot dig a pit, we will see the oven version of the recipe. An important instruction is to make sure your butcher has split the pig for you.

Ingredients

• Juice of 20 limes
• Minced garlic cloves from 6 heads of garlic
• Whole suckling pig, 1
• Fresh oregano leaves (minced), 1 cup
• Salt, 5 tablespoons
• Ground cumin, 1 teaspoon
• Aluminum foil

Method

• In the first step of the recipe, combine lime juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and ground cumin in a mixing bowl. If you want, you may add other herbs to the marinade.
• Place the pig belly down in a deep roasting pan and coat the pig with the marinade, rubbing it in the pig. Leave it in the marinade overnight. Basting it occasionally is recommended.

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the pig on a large baking sheet. Cover its ears, snout, and tail with an aluminum foil.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and let the pig cook for 4 to 4 ½ hours approximately.
• Remove the foil when you get the pig out of the oven. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before you start carving it.

In both the recipes, it is recommended to keep checking the cooking progress of the pig every 15 to 20 minutes, lest you burn it. An important part of the pig roasting recipes is to find a local butcher, where you can buy a pig for roasting.