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Thank you all for being so kind with your comments, particularly when the results were not the sort you would choose to post on Instagram let alone on a forum such as ours with people who are obsessively good at cooking. The arrangements were complicated by the COVID restrictions and we managed the risks carefully. All bar one couple had had their first vaccines and the young couple who hadn’t had taken a lateral flow test. We had one couple stay with us for the whole time for 2.5 hours while others cycled around us, building their own sandwiches to go. Two couples ended up together in another garden eating their share while another were able to dash back to customers in their shop with their bounty to eat when they had a lull. One couple were late for their slot, arriving after everyone had gone and didn’t leave until I threw them out at 2200, having sat around the Solo stove for hours. What none of the pictures can convey is how much joy and pleasure one little piggy can deliver. I get a rush from hushed wow’s and the quiet that descends when people are eating and loving their food. I wasn’t sure about putting the pig’s kidneys in the stuffing but the sweet soft onions and the herbs and spices turned that stuffing into a thing of wonder. Only one person didn’t have some and that was on account of the bread crumbs and his being a coeliac. Here is to life and the great love that friends bring.

Wow some awesome cooks everyone .I have a picanha sprinkled with sea salt and purple crack on the go. Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

Tekobo, has enough brains as it is.

Took advantage of the nice day. Prime Filet marinated in the Shio Koji with lots of fresh cracked black pepper and minced garlic. Dusted with Gunpowder before going on the KK - lower grate, 350F, post oak & mesquite wood chunks. Roasted potatoes with Peruvian Green Crack Sauce, chimichurri for the steak and sautéed zucchini & mushrooms with a hit of Chili Crisp.

Sneaky smart @Braai-Q. I know you are on a mission to get me to buy enough cookbooks to make up for “helping” you make the decision to keep two KKs (and move up to a 32?). You recommended this book to me a few months ago and I managed to resist temptation. Then you come on here and get the @Syzygies endorsement. That means you get the double win of bending forum members to your will and, maybe, just maybe getting me to shell out for yet another book.

It was a handsome pig Tekebo, way to go on breaking "in" the 32. Well, I guess nobody got my reference to Arnold Ziffel the pig from Hooterville on Green Acres. Maybe I went to far back, in the future, I'll try to keep it in this century. Tekebo on the skin bursting, you could have tried butchers twine, it's a bit thicker...the fine thread with the turning may have contributed to it cutting the skin and opening, just sayin. Good job, you got your friends out for the day if only for a short time and danced around the Covid restrictions. I hope they could take their drink to go.

Ha! The cheeks on this little piggy were sooo tiny. As for the brains? Don't weird me out. I love eating giant land snails from Africa because I had them when I was growing up but can't cope with brains or sweetbreads or squirrels for that matter. I am planning a post on @Syzygies' and my hero, Mr Fergus Henderson, but I have to admit that there are some bridges I have not managed to cross yet. If only! All that preparation and I couldn't work out that I needed to clamp the piggy more tightly as it cooked? Really??? I did have some butcher's twine but it wouldn't go in the eye of the needle. I am not sure that was necessarily the solution. I had to pull the flaps of the chest tight and I think there is a direct conflict between cooking your piggy until it is nice and soft and trying to tie it tight under pressure. I'd be interested to find out what others have done or what competition bbq folk do if they indeed try to stuff their piggies. Tee hee. You are silly. I didn't need Mark to tell me that this was a joke. Hey Troble, we are super grateful to you here too. Do you know how many families and friends have been made happy with chicken shawarma and tacos al pastor across the world? Awesome job. Looking at the photos from the cookbook that you posted I am thinking about how to cook a pig flat on a KK. That would be the ultimate crispy skin experience I think. It reminded me of pig that I saw in a kitchen in Sao Paolo and I just went back to find the photo (aren't searches amazing these days? less than a minute to find all photos from Brazil and show me the ones from Sao Paolo). I always wondered how good that pig would have tasted when it was ready to eat. Have fun with your cook and we look forward to following your journey.

@Tyrus - I got the reference right away. I keep a flying pig on my PC. His name is Ziffel!

You hit the nail on the head with that comment. In a few years when you and your friends think back about COVID ending all everyone will remember and talk about will be how delicious your food was and how lovely it was to see you. You did a fantastic event for your friends. You brought people joy through your cooking efforts and that’s what’s important I was so jealous that you beat me to the first pig cook that l was incessantly checking my phone for updates from you while I was standing in lines at Legoland. Thank you for taking the plunge first and sharing the challenges and lessons you learned. I’m planning on attempting this Memorial Day weekend so I will share my efforts, but a sincere thank you @tekobofor all your contributions to my cooking education. You help make me a better cook with all the knowledge you share and my friends and family benefit as a result. how are the leftovers today? Assuming there was some

At the end of the day - it's the taste that you remember, not how it looked. So, what lucky bastard got the cheeks? Did anyone try the brains? If you still have them, mix them in some scrambled eggs for breakfast in the morning on toast!

To be fair, if I was doing it, I'd be re-enacting a scene from ER which would annoy the hell out of my wife. Better than Lord of the Flies though!

Soooo. I have learned a lot today. We also had a lot of fun. Had friends arrive at 15 minute intervals to have a drink, make up their sandwich and go, making way for the next couple. Seven different couples were seen. Hurrah. What did I learn? Trying to pull the sternum together with thread didn’t work for long. The stitches burst and the stuffing came out. Luckily it just landed in the tray beneath and cooked off very nicely indeed. Next time I might stuff a bit of foil in at the top to keep the stuffing in the lower section which wasn’t quite so hard to keep shut. The pig shrank during the cook and started to twist within the cradle. I should have tightened up the prongs when that started to happen. If you want a pretty looking presentation pig then cook it on the main grate or maybe on the spit rod. The prongs on the cradle do bite into the meat. Don’t be disappointed if the skin doesn’t seem to be crisp when you take it out. The skin crisped up while it was resting, strangely. I also learned that rotisserie piglet is INSANELY DELICIOUS. Kidney stuffing was loved by all, salsa verde and a celeriac and apple salad and soaking your bread in the pan from under the meat was all that we needed. Unpretty pictures, very very tasty food.

Last night's dinner was a grilled version of Hungarian Paprikash porkchops. Pork chops were marinated in Shio Koji, garlic and a blend of 5 paprikas/chilies (Hot, Sweet, Pimenton, Piment D'espelette, and Chimayo Red.) On the main grate, direct @ 325F, with apple wood chunks. Then into the traditional sauce of caramelized onions, garlic, white wine, the same paprika/chile blend in the marinade, and the sour cream. Plated with egg noodles and blanched green beans in a caper, tarragon and red onion vinaigrette.

I’d name it Football after stitching up the pig skin like that. That’s a tight fit Tekobo, both in your dry ager and KK. Couldn’t quite fit the apple in the mouth? Looking forward to this final outcome. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

...made it as far as my house. I’ve looked at previous KK whole pig cooks and I see that most people cook them on the main grate. This little piggy fits nicely on the 32. However, I would like an all round crispy skin and so am planning to try the rotisserie cradle. It fits nicely. Planning to cook this pig tomorrow. It’s a discounted present from the farm that I have been buying from and sharing with friends all through lockdown. Planning to have friends come and pick up a pig sandwich tomorrow afternoon when it is ready. Two by two so we do not violate the Rule of Six in the garden. I used the eat my books website to find out which of my cookery books have suckling pig recipes and now have the fun of choosing one. Wish me luck!

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Some of the best whole hog that I've ever had came from a cookout at a local brewery for their 1st anniversary. They hired a local "legend" - Carl Blake from Rustik Rooster Farms, who raises only heritage breed hogs, to cook 4 different breeds for the cookout. Amazing. Plus, he did them all in La Caja China knock-offs. The Man!

I love random acts of kindness. Yes please and thank you! The book appeared to be out of stock when I looked this morning. I ended up buying something else that was on my wish list. No idea if it is any good but it has intrigued me for a while: The Art of Escapism Cooking: A Survival Story, with Intensely Good Flavors by Amazon Learn more: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0062802372/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_1V94M2JHDEAQZZ9GY9DR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 @BARDSLJR, excuse me gate crashing your lamb thread. I will slip away quietly now....

I don't harbour grudges although I feel I should on the basis of not having scored an invite to pigfest yesterday!! I had a look at your cookbook collection yesterday pre-pig and was going 'got it, got got it, got it, ooo, not seen that, got it' so I have my work cut out to find books you don't have! Don't buy it @tekobo, I shall buy one for you as a random act of kindness. Let me know if you've already ordered it.

You did an outstanding job although I think you'd trigger a great many tofu toting vegans and PETA types if you ventured near Instagram with some of those pictures. You might find that the pig was not the only thing with a fire lit beneath it! Approaching ambitious cooks with expensive, high quality ingredients adds some pressure not to mess it up and that's been my justification for having the cookbook collection I have - you get a sense of direction if you have several recipes from reputable sources to compare. I think you take the same approach with your research and prep and it's a proven formula. You know I posted my pint/chips interpretation of the COVID regulations in the UK? I don't quite know how to go from pint and a sausage roll to full pig. I'm a way off from a vaccine sadly. Current estimates are around July. The enjoyment of food shared with those who appreciate it is genuine reward for the effort. I second your sentiment. In the words of Dick King Smith (the film Babe was based on his book) although I may be misremembering the quote 'That pig'll do, that'll do' 😄

What’s a last frost date? Never had one

Well done Tekobo. Extraordinary social rules over there. Stop watching conversations sounds crazy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good job!

Mouth watering.

Looks great Tekobo! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bought the Kindle version. It looks great.

@tekobo great job! Sounds like a fun day. Thanks for all the info.

Just enjoyed the slightly above average BBQ @Legoland, Brisket, rib rack and a stone IPA going on roller coasters with my kids. Couldn’t be happier to not be cooking and paying amusement park prices again

Are you multi cam live Zooming the event? You could be the BBQ Nigella...

I lay in bed for half an hour this morning, trying to decide on how to proceed. Would I be more likely to get crispy skin on the spit rod than in the cradle? If I was to use the spit rod then I could use the double drip pan under the pig, no problem but that would change how I configure the fire basket. Decisions, decisions. I got up and I decided. As you will see in the photo below, I used the divider that comes with the 32 on the left and I added in the divider from my 23 on the right. Coconut shell briquettes in the middle to make sure that I had enough fuel for the whole cook. Afterwards I piled some charcoal on top for a bit of a smoke flavour. Next I tried different configurations of grates and roti cradle and decided to use the half grate that comes with the 32, with its foil wrapped Dennis tray on top to catch the pig juices. The main rationale for this configuration is to avoid having fat dripping directly on the coals during the cook. I may go for a high heat spin without the tray at the end, just to add extra colour and crispness if needed. I went and rescued the pig from it's undignified slumber in the dry ager. This is why I need a larger dry ager like @Basher's. I took @Braai-Q's advice and took the cloth wrap and label off before preparing the pig for its final journey. It came with its kidneys and I had a couple of pig's kidney's in the freezer. I made up some stuffing, loosely following Fergus' recipe and adding a bit of fennel and Panko breadcrumbs to long sweated onions, chopped pig's kidneys, pig mince, sage and garlic. The sweated onions had to come to a marmalade like consistency according to him. Next I raided The Husband's tool room for the upholstery needles and tools that he put aside for butchery. I wished I had watched more closely when I saw people sewing up pigs on telly. In the end I used a tool, that I think is called an awl, puncture holes in the skin so that I could pull the needle through. Had to resort to a curved needle when trying to pull the sternum tight. This is where it started to get real. Pleased that I decided on the cradle. Nothing like locking your pig in with a few turns of an Allen key to make you feel on top of the world. The piggy wasn't spinning as smoothly as it should so I swapped the motor out for a stronger one. We also switched it on and off to get it to rotate clockwise, reducing the chances of the end fitting rotating outwards and locking the spit in place. Here is the piggy, one hour into the cook. Temp 150C. Looking good.

100% endorse this. If you're into Indian food @Syzygies you might enjoy Krish Ashok's Science of Indian Cooking.

Cheese, pepperoni and veggie (w/pepperoni on bottom)

I, too, am looking forward to the outcome. Maybe take a video of the spinning piggy!

Yeah, this one is gonna be fun... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

WOW! All I can say. I seriously can't wait to see the pictures of this little piggy taking a spin around the KK. Just about nothing better than crispy pig skin!

I went to my butcher looking for a Pork belly and he came out with the meatiest porka I ever saw, a 12 and 1/2 lb'er. Gorgeous and skinned perfectly wrapped in airtight vacuum seal. I'll skip the naked pics and show you the finished. Dry brined with maple syrup and some Makers Mark with the pink curing salt, brown or turinado sugar, salt, cayenne, pepper and some dry thyme. Sliced in two because the piece was quite big to cure as a whole then after a week set on the Lang Smoker over apple, cherry, at 180-210 for 3hrs to 150 degrees. These pieces were sliced up approx 1/4 in. or a shave less to serve as appetizers. The imagination with larger slice gives way to a Konro or even in the KK, but easily done in a skillet. At restaurants nearby they serve these cooked on a bamboo skewer or clipped on the ends of a serving tree dressed in butterscotch sweet sauce and drizzled with Turbinado sugar. Served with your favorite drink, it pairs well with all, it's bacon of course. That old Case xx I found at 2nd hand store worked out as a nice slicer, fingers intact.

My copy arrived yesterday, too, and the day before another lovely book on Tajines that looks really promising. This is a gorgeous book, by the way.

It's mid June for me.

Forecast for 2.5” of snow and mid-30s here on Tuesday. Had to cancel my tee time...