An Old-Fashioned Pig Roast:
The Ultimate Barbecue
Why serve boring burgers when you could roast a succulent porker? You’ll need a cast of thousands to polish the pig off, but what else do friends and family have to do on a lazy summer afternoon than chew the fat?

Here’s how, courtesy of master pig roaster, Bennett Brown of LowCountry Barbecue Inc., a Smyrna, Georgia-based caterer:

Prep the Pig
Start by recruiting one or two co-cooks. This is a 16-hour barbecuing ritual and you’ll need help! Now prep the pig. The ideal porker has been state inspected with a dressed (gutted, without head and feet) weight of 100 - 120 lbs. It should be butterflied (split down the backbone) so that the pig will lie flat on the grill. Don’t cut the pig in two or puncture the skin on its back when butterflying it. Trim away any excess fat that lines the inside cavity near the ribs, then liberally salt the inside of the pig.

Fire Things Up
Cinder block pits are easy and inexpensive to build. The finished interior should measure approximately 6-ft. long x 4-ft. wide x 3-ft. deep. You’ll also need two metal cooking racks that’ll be strong enough to support the pig's weight while cooking and turning. The cover for the pit can be a large piece of heavy-duty cardboard (get one from a furniture store that sells bedding). Finally, you’ll need to cover the ground inside the pit with a 2-in. layer of sand to absorb liquid grease and help retain heat.

You’ll need about 1/3 of a cord of seasoned hardwood such as pecan, hickory or oak to make cooking coals. Position your fire fairly close to the pit, since you’ll need to transfer coals from the fire to the pit. Light your fire 1 hour before the cooking marathon begins so you’ll have coals to preheat the pit and get cookin’.

Add the Pig
Place your porker rib-side down on the grill. Arrange the coals around the outside of the two shoulders and hams. You can spread a small amount of charcoal directly under the pig's midsection during the first two hours; after that keep the coals around the perimeters of the hams and shoulders. Once your pig really starts to "cook," it will start dripping grease. As any good cook knows, liquid grease and live charcoal spell fire.

Watched pigs do cook. Stoke the pit about every 45 minutes, and maintain a steady temperature of 250° - 300° in the pit at all times. (Use a basic oven thermometer to check cooking temperature, and use a meat thermometer to gauge cooking progress.) And be sure to look at the underside of the pig to make sure you're not burning it or cooking it too fast.

Bottoms Up
Turn your pig after 10 - 12 hours. Put your second cooking rack on top of the pig. Then get your co-cook to help carefully flip the full-sized ham sandwich. Your pig now needs constant attention because its "back fat" will begin to liquefy and accumulate in the middle rib area. Separate the ribs about midway in the rack to make the space you’ll need to ladle out the "puddles" of grease. Get out as much as you can; you’ll get a leaner porker out of it.

During the last 3 - 4 hours, baste the pig with a thin, vinegar-based barbecue sauce. A thin sauce won’t "burn" on the meat as easily as a tomato- or mustard-based sauce.

Is it Done Yet?
Your pig should be fully cooked when most of the back fat has been rendered out (about 4 -6 hours). Pork is considered cooked when the internal temperature of the meat at its thickest point - the hams -is 170°. LowCountry recommends barbecuing until the internal temperature reaches 190° -200°, since the meat falls off the bone with little effort. "Pulling" the meat, instead of slicing or chopping, lets you pick out and discard the undesirable the fat, skin and gristle more easily.

Since you’ll pull an all-nighter on pig watch, there’ll be plenty of time to prepare the fixin’s. LowCountry serves its porkers with Brunswick stew (tomato-based goulash with pork, chicken, beef and vegetables), goulash, potato salad, sliced white barbecue bread, dinner rolls, sweet and unsweetened ice tea.

Time to Eat!
A dressed pig with a raw weight of 100 lbs. should yield approximately 25 lbs. (100 four-oz. servings) of great barbecue.

Set up a yard-full of folding tables or picnic tables. Cover them with pretty plastic tablecovers and add decorative embellishments. Set up a few chairs under shady umbrellas for pit spectators. Since the fixin’s are wet, issue revelers disposable plates. Opt for plastic cups or paper cups and plastic utensils, too. (Have quality meat knives and stainless dinner knives on hand in case the cuttin’ gets dicey.) Don’t skimp on napkins — porkers are pretty messy. Wet-wipes are a great idea, too, and citronella candles will keep the bugs flying.

Visit www.lowcountrybarbecue.com for more grilling ideas!

-- Michelle Nellett