# Pig leg cooking suggestions



## howufiga (Nov 28, 2009)

My neighbor just gave me a pig leg.  His co-worker gave it to him and he didn't know what to do with it so he gave it to me!  lol  It's 13.1 lbs!  How long do I cook this and to what temperature?  I want to make it tomorrow.  Any tips or suggestions will be appreciated!


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## larry maddock (Nov 28, 2009)

try some tender quick as 2 hour rub


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## mballi3011 (Nov 28, 2009)

Yea TQ and let it sit for a couple of hours and then smoke it at about 240-250 or so and then I would take it to 180-190 for some slicing and it should be good to go.


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## rivet (Nov 28, 2009)

Is this a fresh leg...as in recently saughtered, or is it a country cured leg? Big difference between the two.


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## howufiga (Nov 29, 2009)

Its a fresh leg.  the neighbor put the leg in the freezer then decided to just give it to me.  It was a little frozen and it was bought yesterday.  They must have just put it in freezer today.


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## rivet (Nov 29, 2009)

Hey no worries, then!

It is a leg- ham, thigh, and shank, right?

Skin on? Let's assume so.

You need to rinse that baby well, then score the rind just a little bit- not too deep, not all the way into the meat- to let the fat drip out.

Guessing you have a smoke long enough to hold it, otherwise do it in the oven. With a deep pan underneath.

Get your coals to runnin' about 300 degrees F and put that baby in there, no rub, no nothing. Plop it in and let it go.

Leave it alone for a couple hours and let your temps drop and stabilize to around 275 or so. If they go to 250 no worries.

After about 3 hours flip that baby over. Close the lid fast.

Keep barbecuing. Keep the temps at 275-300F

After about 2 more hours, temp that puppy. remember, don't go nowhere near bone, and get good meat temp. Keep the smoke wood going.

You want to cook that leg to 165 F. The skin is gonna be rubbery and soft by the time it's ready. No worries, this is the BEST PART.

Take a sharp knife and trim those sheets of rind off and put them in a pan for later.

Scrape the fat off the meat with the knife and continue to cook until done. If you want a crust, cake on some brown sugar on the leg and put it in your oven at broil until it gets dark. If it doesn't fit...oh well....no crust.

Slice that perfect pork for your guests and get rave reviews!

The next day take those sheets of rind and cut them into 2 inch squares. Fry them in a cast iron skillet until golden brown, then drain them over paper towels. These are "cracklin's"...something incredibly delicious. You can sprinkle brown sugar over them, hot rub, or hot sauces....and eat them as is. Another way is to put them into baked beans at the bottom of the pan to make delicious goodness. They are also great added into a pot of collards.

Good luck to you and please share some pics!


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## howufiga (Nov 29, 2009)

Here are some pics!  My wife is giving me a hard time about smoking it cuz it will take too long.  I didn't tell her it's supposed to rain tomorrow either!  lol  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  She wants to put it in the oven.  I'm going to marrinate it overnight.  The person who gave it to my neighbor is puerto rican so they gave him some marinade, a wet and dry rub.  I am going to inject tonight.  Do I use the wet rub on top of that then dry rub?  I said I should dry rub it then use wet rub right before oven but my wife thinks its the opposite.


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## chefmike (Nov 29, 2009)

I did a 22lb leg last year cuban style like the linked recipe. It only took 3 or 4 hours to hit temp IIRC... I did it around 275.

The colmbians at the party are still talking about it.


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## howufiga (Nov 29, 2009)

Hey Rivet, thanks for the tips!  Maybe we'll do it in the oven then.  I think it will be hard to tend to my Chargriller in the rain over and over again.  Either way, I will take some pics.


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## the dude abides (Nov 29, 2009)

I was thinking of a fresh Christmas ham


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## rivet (Nov 29, 2009)

Okay what you have is a whole fresh ham. Real good and I'd thank whomever gave it to you big time. Nice cut, no hoove's, no pelvis. You had me thinkin' this was a "leg" from a hawg someone gave you!

Put the wet rub on first. Then the dry rub, yes your wife is right.

Don't waste your time injecting- not needed unless you absolutely have to play with your cool injector and have an even better injection recipe. 

Doesn't look like there is much rind on there so you are good to go. You can oven that puppy or slap it into the smoker....your choice.

You do not have to go all the way with the TQ cure, the razzmatazz nor the rubs. Just cook that pig the way the good lord intended it to be cooked and enjoy the meat! 

Keep in mind the tips I gave you on the small piece if rind it looks like you have on there.

You have some good meat there; enjoy bud!


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## rivet (Nov 29, 2009)

Well there you go. You are set!

Put that baby in at 300F  as I recommended earler then about an hour before eating, remove the rind, slather on the brown sugah, and crank up the heat to about 450 until that ham gets crispy brown on the outside. Pull it out quickly and let it sit for about 5 minutes or so until the sugars on the surface start to solidify a bit, then start slicin' and servin'- Watch out cause you are going to be stampeded!

Enjoy, my friend!


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## howufiga (Nov 29, 2009)

LOL!!!  Must have been good!  We'll check out the link but we will probably use the wet rub and dry rub they gave us.  The wet rub is still fresh.


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## howufiga (Nov 29, 2009)

Ok, it's finished.  I must say that I don't really like the rub and spices that they gave us with it.  Also, I should have basted it while cooking.  It's pretty dry.  I think I will do this again, but I will just use brown sugar like Rivet suggested.  Anyways, here are the pics.  

Marinated overnight



Wet rub they gave us



almost done here.



We also made pigeon peas with rice.  This is first time we made that but had it at the neighbors and friends house before.


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## howufiga (Nov 29, 2009)

Rice pics!  Rice came out good.  The pork wasn't as dry as I first thought and to my disbelief, our kids liked it!  lol  Too bad i don't have a dog to give the bones to!


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