# Whole hog on a spit.



## ak1 (Feb 24, 2012)

Well, my friends and I decided to roast a pig.

We picked up a 53 lb'er and got it all ready for tomorrow's roast. It's all trussed up and ready to go.

Q view is coming.


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## boykjo (Feb 24, 2012)

I'll have a seat................

Joe


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## whittling chip (Feb 24, 2012)

I'll be looking forward to seeing how you do this.

Do you have any "trussed up and ready to go" pics?

I'd really love to see the entire process on how you do it so PLEASE post as many pics as you can.

What are you going to smoke it on? I assume it's not the hibatchi. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Thanks
WC


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## alblancher (Feb 24, 2012)

Looking forward to the Qview!


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## moikel (Feb 24, 2012)

alblancher said:


> Looking forward to the Qview!


x2 .Over charcoal? 53 lb is a good size for spit roast.


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## alaskanbear (Feb 24, 2012)

I am ready for this as well!

Rich


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## ak1 (Feb 24, 2012)

Here's a teaser.

Piggie all seasoned, trussed, and wrapped in plastic, waiting for tomorrow;


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## solaryellow (Feb 24, 2012)

Are we there yet?


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## ak1 (Feb 24, 2012)

Almost!!


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## johnnie walker (Feb 24, 2012)

Oh this is going to be good! I can already smell that piggy cooking. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I'll be waiting on the Qveiw .


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## SmokinAl (Feb 25, 2012)

This should be a good one!


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## daveomak (Feb 25, 2012)

AK, morning... If this is your first, I learned to slit the skin as fat pockets formed... my buddy said it keeps the skin from falling off the hog.... which is not good.... and it keeps the meat from falling off the hog as it cooks too...  we also wrapped the skin on the hog with butchers twine to keep it in place.... ain't pretty but it did the job... the twine had to be tightened up throughout the cooking process as the meat shrunk....  It was the best pig I ever ate.....  Dave

I'm in....


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## luv2q (Feb 25, 2012)

AK, looking forward to the pics! Our family does at least one whole pig per year, except we lay our pig ("Lechon") flat inside of a box ("Caja China"), instead of on a spit ("Pua").

Here's a link to our Christmas Eve whole pig roast, in case you want to check it out: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...buena-traditional-whole-pig-roast-with-q-view

If you want to really crisp up the skin at the end, crank up the heat and brush a 50/50 mix of olive oil and vinegar to the skin. Watch it carefully, though, because it'll toast relatively quickly. When it has toasted up, break it up into pieces and pass it around while it's still hot. That's the best time to eat the skin. Personally, this is my favorite part.

Best of luck to you on this project!!!


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Well, here we go!

Meet "Oswald"- my son named him!


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Here's the spit roaster.


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Oswald beginning to cook.


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Here's Oswald, 1 hr into the cook;


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## terry colwell (Feb 25, 2012)

Or those Tie Wraps holding him on?? Will they make it thru the cook if they are??   He looks great so far


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Nope! It's butcher's twine, and yes it makes it through the whole cook.


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Here's Oswald 2 hrs in.


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## africanmeat (Feb 25, 2012)

i am still here


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## mdboatbum (Feb 25, 2012)

That's really awesome! I love that roaster, did you make it? I also love the name. In my misspent youth, my friends dubbed my womanizing, mischievous alter ego "Oswald". I was a pretty shy and quiet guy, but occasionally after a few adult beverages "Oswald" would make an appearance. He had no qualms talking to any girl in the place and engaging in general bad behavior. He got me into a lot of trouble, but also a whole lot of fun.


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## scarbelly (Feb 25, 2012)

Man that is looking good - looking forward to the finish on this one.


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## johnnie walker (Feb 25, 2012)

AK, It looks like Oswald is getting a good tan going on already. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 This is going to turn out good I can tell already!


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## pops6927 (Feb 25, 2012)

Very nice spit roaster!  Love it!  Great start to the hog, too!


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## java (Feb 25, 2012)

i like the look of your roaster (the pig looks great too),did you build it?

cant wait to see the finished hog.


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## shortend (Feb 25, 2012)

AlaskanBear said:


> I am ready for this as well!
> 
> Rich













   Geez, Rich, I know I'm late, but can't ya move yer butt over just a bit and make a some room for me?


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Here's Oswald 3 1/2 hrs into the cook.


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Apologies to all for not answering questions yet, but I'm a bit busy. I will answer everyone later with all the details.


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## boykjo (Feb 25, 2012)

Looks great....................
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Smoke away.....

Joe


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## moikel (Feb 25, 2012)

Great job nice roasting set up.Looking forward to some details about it when youget the time.


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## solaryellow (Feb 25, 2012)

Looks cold and awesome all at the same time AK1.


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## ak1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Oswald is done!


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## scarbelly (Feb 25, 2012)

Some beautiful color on that pig - looks like it is starting to fall off the bone  too. Nice job


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## reddd (Feb 25, 2012)

LOVE IT!  Nice work.


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## stovebolt (Feb 25, 2012)

I'm here for the show also. Please include some details on the cooker, very interesting.

 Chuck


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## boykjo (Feb 25, 2012)

Beautiful looking pig AK................
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





....Ohhh look at that skin... Yummy... My favorite part

Joe


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## johnnie walker (Feb 25, 2012)

It looks like Oswald turned out great!


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## shortend (Feb 26, 2012)

AK1 said:


> Apologies to all for not answering questions yet, but I'm a bit busy. I will answer everyone later with all the details.


Great job AK1!! That hog looks fantastic! The color of that excellent, crispy, scrumtious,   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





juicy looking skin really did it for me. Man I love that stuff. No apologies needed buddy, we really enjoyed the show. We'd like to here the details when you get time. Especially about that split roaster. That is definately cool. Outstanding pig roast.


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## terry colwell (Feb 26, 2012)




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## solaryellow (Feb 26, 2012)

I swear I can taste it from here.


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## alblancher (Feb 26, 2012)

Reminds me of some good times!


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## johnnie walker (Feb 26, 2012)

AK, how long did it take to actually do Oswald in the cooker? That looks like the begins of some great meals!


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## smokin pigskins (Feb 26, 2012)

That looks amazing!  Been awhile since I've indulged in whole hog, makes me really hungry for some.


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## pineywoods (Feb 26, 2012)

That looks awesome nice job


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## vosser78 (Feb 26, 2012)

Where do you get a roaster like this? Is it home made?


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## frosty (Feb 27, 2012)

Yahoo, that was a fine performance AK1!  I bet you were smiling from ear to ear, and got lots of appreciation.  Obviously, you and Oswald were the neighborhood favorites.


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## rippinntearin (Feb 27, 2012)

Oh man!  I gotta roast a pig!  Looks like I've got a "New" New Years Resolution!  No if, ands, or butts!


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## slownlow (Feb 27, 2012)

Nice job!!  That looks so good.


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## smokinhusker (Feb 27, 2012)

Oh wow! Oswald looks fantastic and so happy! Man oh man that skin looks mouthwatering! Love the spit roaster too. Can't wait to hear the details of this fantabulous smoke!


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## jtnf (Feb 28, 2012)

My blue-collar boat club ('yacht club' sounds SO pretentious!) has a pit out front that may have never been used. It's got a hog sized spit... I should plan on a piggy this year.


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## smoking shawn86 (Feb 28, 2012)

looks great,it has been a dream of my for some time now to roast a whole hog.What kind of motor did you use for your rotisserie?


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## sprky (Feb 28, 2012)

very nice job well done


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## bama bbq (Feb 28, 2012)

I like your set up ....and the outcome!  Last time we did a pig pickin was in NC - you're gonna need a lot of friends.


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## becky3086 (Feb 28, 2012)

Interesting. He definitely looks done and I imagine he tasted wonderful.


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## thoseguys26 (Feb 28, 2012)

Ooh Man! Nice work on the pigster! Don't forget the head meat!


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## ak1 (Feb 29, 2012)

Sorry I didn't get back sooner, life got in the way.

Saturday turned out fantastic, the pork was so juicy & tender, and everyone had a great time. 

What surprised me was that the pig was done sooner than we expected. We ended up having to keep it warm in the oven for about an hour and a half. Alas at that point we lost all the nice crispy skin, as it got a bit soft.

As for the pig roaster... my friend borrowed it from a friend of his, who made it at home. I don't have all the details, but it looks fairly simple. There's the bottom which is made from square steel tubing with a sheet of steel on top. 
Then another frame of steel tubing with steel sheet that has the bearing bolted on. Opposite side has the motor assembly.  There's a back that just clips on, and a top that just sits there to help hold the heat in.

I'm not sure but I think it is a 2 speed furnace motor with a gear reduction so that the spit speed is either 4 or 6 rpm depending on which way the switch is thrown. 

The charcoal tray is a separate piece that is raised off the bottom using a couple of patio stones. This way there is an air gap between the charcoal tray and the roaster, and a gap between the roaster and the ground.

Apparently, you could use this on your lawn and not worry about burning the grass.

If anyone is interested, I'll try and get more details & photos about the roaster.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the pig once it was cut up as things got busy.


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## wildflower (Feb 29, 2012)

I want an ear please


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## tyotrain (Feb 29, 2012)

looking great... man o man i bet that will taste great


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## stovebolt (Feb 29, 2012)

Quote: "[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]If anyone is interested, I'll try and get more details & photos about the roaster."[/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]  Thanks for a great article AK1. I would love to see more about the roaster along with any observations of yours about what you would change if you made one since you have used it.[/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]  Chuck [/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]  [/color]


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## jus smokin 1 (Feb 29, 2012)

Thanks for all the info and pics. Bet it was well worth all the work.


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## cdldriver (Feb 29, 2012)

yes please on  more details on roster you b arrowed looks interesting to build


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## ak1 (Feb 29, 2012)

jus smokin 1 said:


> Thanks for all the info and pics. Bet it was well worth all the work.


Was it worth the work? If I looked at it in dollars & cents... no, not at all. I could have brought the pig to a local bakery and they would have roasted it in their oven, I could have picked it up when it was done, and in the end, I could have saved maybe 50 bucks.

On the other hand, My friend & I put the roaster together, stuck the pig on it, and had a great time together while the pig was cooking.  

That time we spent together was absolutely priceless. 

In the end, yes... it was worth every single moment.


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## roller (Feb 29, 2012)

That pig looks great!


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## uhmgood (Mar 2, 2012)

hey ak , wheres the rest of the pics , how long did it take , looks great


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## uhmgood (Mar 2, 2012)

sorry ak , i wasn't paying attention on how many pages ther were to your post


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## vosser78 (Mar 3, 2012)

Yeah post some details! I think I could make it!


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## ed briney (Mar 3, 2012)

Looks greate  how long did take...


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## hoity toit (Mar 5, 2012)

What did you say the total cook time ended up being.?


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## BGKYSmoker (Mar 6, 2012)

Thats FREAKIN

AWESOME


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## redclaymud (Mar 8, 2012)

My last experience with a full hog (not mine), they wrapped the hog in chicken wire and let me tell you, the pig pickings off that chicken wire, once they removed it from the hog were pretty tasty.   Good luck with your smoke.  I'm anxious to keep on reading about it.


DaveOmak said:


> AK, morning... If this is your first, I learned to slit the skin as fat pockets formed... my buddy said it keeps the skin from falling off the hog.... which is not good.... and it keeps the meat from falling off the hog as it cooks too...  we also wrapped the skin on the hog with butchers twine to keep it in place.... ain't pretty but it did the job... the twine had to be tightened up throughout the cooking process as the meat shrunk....  It was the best pig I ever ate.....  Dave
> 
> I'm in....


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## ak1 (Mar 9, 2012)

Ed briney said:


> Looks greate  how long did take...







Hoity Toit said:


> What did you say the total cook time ended up being.?


Total cooking time was about 4 hrs.


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## ak1 (Mar 9, 2012)

vosser78 said:


> Yeah post some details! I think I could make it!




It looks fairly simple to make. I haven't had a chance to go to my friend's place to take pics of the details yet.

The bottom is basically an H frame with the ends framed off so it looks like a squared off B. A sheet of steel is welded to the top. One side is a boxed frame with the motor assembly, and is attached by 2 bolts to the bottom.  A sheet of steel is welded to the side of the frame that attaches to the bottom, and there is a hole where the spit fits through. 

The other side is a simple frame with sheet steel welded to it. It also attaches with two bolts to the bottom. The back is designed to hook onto the frame tubes of each side and then is just clamped near the bottom so it doesn't flap around in a wind.  The top piece is made the same as the back but it just sits on top to help keep the heat in.

The spit was made with stainless steel tube with holes drilled through at several places to allow anchoring skewers used to hold the pig steady. These holes were then sleeved and welded to the spit so that no "goop" could get inside the spit..

The charcoal tray is just a simple tray made out of stainless with 2" high sides, and it just sits on the bottom raised by a couple of interlock bricks to keep it a few inches of the bottom of the roaster.


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## redclaymud (Mar 9, 2012)

AK1 said:


> Total cooking time was about 4 hrs.


That's a fast smoke in most smokers and yours was wide open in front.  That must have been one very hot fire.  Any tradeoffs that you saw or tasted in the results?   If you were to do it again, what would you change?

We have a guy in Fairbanks that builds his pit on site.  He comes in with a flatbed loaded with builder's blocks.  Lays the floor and walls, then sets down a piece of steel sheeting and lays the pig sprawled on top and finishes with enough blocks to put a lid on it.  He took second in pork one year.  It's the only category he ever entered.  Does the whole pig and has a great family reunion at the same time.  Someone figured out what he was doing one year and mentioned it to him.  That was sad because he stopped coming back and didn't need to stop.  Anyone and their families competing at the Alaska State BBQ Championship are welcome to free camp sites for the weekend.


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## ak1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Yeah, I was surprised it was done that quick, especially since the temperature was just above freezing with a bit of wind. I was expecting 5-6 hrs.

As for changing things, no there isn't anything I would do different. The meat was really tender & juicy, nicely cooked through. Even the leftovers were good a few days later and not tough & dry.


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## smokin vegas (Mar 10, 2012)

Question:  How many people were you feeding?   That is a lot of meat!!!


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## ak1 (Mar 10, 2012)

There were 16 people that night, plus everyone took home some leftovers.


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## ak1 (Mar 19, 2012)

Looks like my friend & I are going to do it again in June. At least that's the plan. We may do another one in April/May depending on schedules.


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## waucedah (Oct 12, 2013)

nice


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## ak1 (Oct 13, 2013)

Thanks.  I may be doing another in mid November.


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## africanmeat (Oct 17, 2013)

that will be great.


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## ak1 (Nov 21, 2013)

Well, it looks I'm doing a little 21 lb suckling pig on Saturday. My son asked me to do a piggie for his 19th birthday. He's legal to drink now, so it looks like some piggie & some good Canadian Whisky.


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## daveomak (Nov 21, 2013)

AK1 said:


> Well, it looks I'm doing a little 21 lb suckling pig on Saturday. My son asked me to do a piggie for his 19th birthday. He's legal to drink now, so it looks like some piggie & some good Canadian Whisky.


Congrats Darko.....    Are you having a "Break His Dinner Plate" ritual also..
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






....     Should be a great time.....   All the best to your son......    Dave


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## stovebolt (Nov 24, 2013)

I will be watching for a follow-up of the roast. Still hoping to see more detail on the roaster.

  I hope your event goes well.

Chuck


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## ak1 (Nov 28, 2013)

Well, it didn't work out as I had planned.

It was too cold & windy. 

I couldn't do piggie on the rotisserie, so I figured I'll just barbecue it.  Well that didn't work either. It was so windy that I couldn't keep temperture up in the BBQ. After an hour or so, I decided to do it in the oven. In the end, it turned out wonderfully juicy & tender. The pig got a bit of smoke before it went into the oven, but not as much as I would have liked. But it doesn't really matter. Once all was said & done, the porkie was delicious, tender, juicy, and the skin was nice and crispy.

I'll probably do another one in January.


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## ak1 (Nov 28, 2013)

Here's a pic of piggie all done.













piggie.jpg



__ ak1
__ Nov 28, 2013


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## daveomak (Nov 28, 2013)

That piggy looks really good......  Lots of good pickin' on it.....   Was there a fight to see who got the cheeks and the tail...


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## ak1 (Nov 28, 2013)

No fight! I ate those!!!!!! before it got to the table.

Actually, looking at the picture, the colour is much lighter than it was in reality.


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## skully (Nov 30, 2013)

omg, just realized this thread started almost 2 years old???  feb/12.  i was gonna say the piggy on the spit is not the same one on the baking tray???   either way, nice job AK1.  it is definately to cold in the month of feb and the box is a little big to retain heat in those temps, you know that anyways, but im sure in the summer months, that unit of yours is the bomb!!!


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## ak1 (Dec 3, 2013)

I'm really liking this suckling pig. It was much less work than I expected, and it was really tasty. I can see myself doing this on a semi regular basis. Looking at peoples reaction, there's nothing like seeing a whole pig on a platter going to the table.


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## skully (Dec 3, 2013)

AK1 said:


> I'm really liking this suckling pig. It was much less work than I expected, and it was really tasty. I can see myself doing this on a semi regular basis. Looking at peoples reaction, there's nothing like seeing a whole pig on a platter going to the table.


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