Kevin H Posted July 1, 2017 Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Hi, So, going for a big cook on the 4th. Got a 25-30 pound pig. Plan on putting down for a 24 hr brine. Usually, I just use a pretty normal salt, sugar mix with a few spices for my chicken soaks, any suggestions for a pig would be great. I've read most of the threads on past cooks. Hope for mine to turn out like KJS's. See his thread below. Here is my planned set-up. Any lessons learned or suggestions would be much appreciated. My KK is a 32", here are my initial thoughts bottom up. I do have the dividers for the basket but, planned on doing a full load of extruded coconut. Don't plan on using any of the ceramic inserts. Just built my 4qt smoke pot. Plan on a full load of coffee wood splits in it Bottom grate. Plan on two big roasting pans, with foil out to the grate handles to funnel the drippings into the pans. Main grate. Hadn't planned on putting any foil down like KJS did, Thought the drip pans would shield the bottom of the pig from scorching. I have 4 probe remote thermo. Plan on a couple in the front and back of the pig and one at main grate level Plan on going 250F till temp is there then pull the pig, pull the drip pan and ramp the heat to 350F, put the pig back on and crisp off the skin. Wondering about a mop during the process or just a good ole dry rub? Finishing sauce? Thought some of these looked interesting. sichuan-chili-peanut-vinaigrette-thai-lime-herb-spanish-salsa-verde-sauce-recipes.html I'll take a lot of pics to share. This will be fun. Thanks in advance for comments! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 1, 2017 Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 (edited) Kevin H, sounds like you are on a fantastic cooking journey and have already had a wonderful start. I know it will be a roaring success. Edited July 1, 2017 by MacKenzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted July 1, 2017 Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Kevin plenty of pictures please, this sounds like a fantastic cook looking forward to seeing your results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 1, 2017 Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Yeah, I wanna see how this turns out. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 1, 2017 Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Pictures, pictures, and more pictures! We rarely see whole pig cooks on this Forum, so we'd all be very interested in how it comes out. A basic mop of apple juice, cider vinegar, fresh ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and sea/Kosher salt on the pig's belly, every 30 minutes or so, should do the trick. Don't bother slathering the skin side of the pig - it will just roll off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted July 1, 2017 Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Sounds like a lot of fun.. Please remember to take some shots that are either square (iphone setting) or from a bit back so I can crop them square for Instagram.. so many rectangular shots can't be used on Instagram. Thanks in advance.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve M Posted July 2, 2017 Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 This should be an awesome cook. It's been about 30 years since I did one of these and it was purely by the seat of my pants but it came out great. I think there is lots of room for error. The kk is a really moist environment so it should be nice and juicy but you could also inject if you are concerned about it. Enjoy and take pics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted July 4, 2017 Report Share Posted July 4, 2017 Can't wait to see how this turns out! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin H Posted July 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2017 (edited) Rather than wait until the deed is done, I thought I'd do a midway update. Happy 4th! Brined for around 24 hrs. 1lb of kosher salt, 1lb of brown sugar, 2 gallons apple cider vinegar and 40lb of ice... onion, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Piggy ready for his bath.... Morning beer. Lower grate drip tray. Ready for the KK to do it's thing. Two hours in. Smoke pot doing it's thing and looks like a good start. Smallest hole, lower vent setting, 1/4" gap at top vent. Holding 270F at thermo, 224F at grate. Edited March 10, 2019 by Kevin H 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 4, 2017 Report Share Posted July 4, 2017 @Kevin H - well I'm really liking how this pig is taking to the cook! Beautiful color. I also really like how you laid the aluminum foil under the pig to funnel all the grease to the drp pan. Very nice hack! Extra kudos for that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin H Posted July 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2017 (edited) Thanks, Ken. I've done that on a couple of cooks. I try to leave a pretty good gap around the edge but, I noticed it makes a fairly dramatic difference between the shell thermometer and the actual temp at the grate above the foil. Makes sense but, you have to allow for it in your cook. I typically see around 50F variance. 5 hours in and I'm seeing about 15 to 20 degree delta between the loin up top and the shoulder / ham. You can tell by the pictures it didn't effect the smoke to much. I'm loving the coffee wood spits in a smoke pot. I'm thinking on pulling the foil / pan once everything gets to 180F and cranking up to 350F to crisp the skin. 3 to 4 hrs to go.... Edited March 10, 2019 by Kevin H 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 4, 2017 Report Share Posted July 4, 2017 This is getting really good. Reminds me of my time back in grad school. We do cabrito (roast goat) in my offset stick burner at the end of every semester. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted July 4, 2017 Report Share Posted July 4, 2017 Wow Kevin that looks great! I like your choice of KK color looks just like mine. Happy 4th of July I know you and family are going to have a feast, that pithy looks deeelicious 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 5, 2017 Report Share Posted July 5, 2017 What a nice piggy! Color is absolutely perfect! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin H Posted July 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 (edited) Pulled the pig at almost exactly 8 hrs. Kept the KK at 270F for almost the whole cook, took it up to 300 for the last hour. The loins hit 180F about 6 hrs and the front shoulders at 7 hrs. The back hams were still at 164F at 7 hrs so I pulled the extra foil I had at the hams, pushed all the foil that I had for extras drips tight to the pan and then pulled the pan forward. Within an hour the hams were at 190F plus and the rest of the pig was 200+ to high 190's. As you will see from the pic's below it was a beauty and after I cut the skin away with scissors, the meat just pulled away from the bones. The top quarter inch of the loins were a little dry but all the other was very moist. Everyone commented on the smoke. Coffee wood is something new to the Midwest....was a big hit. The smoke pot lasted about 5 hrs into the cook. I already had about 5 hrs into that pot so the time I got on the pig was about perfect. Lessons Leaned: Couldn't have done it without all the good info on the forum. Foil on the snout and ears worked out well. I'd still do the shield on the hams, just pull it earlier. 31# pig was big on a 32" KK but with a little trussing there was plenty of room. Remote thermometers are a must. I only opened the lid 3 times. I would inject the loins next time. If you take the time to put extra foil on your drip pan, only make it as big as the footprint of your pig... even airflow is important, leave as much room on the exterior as you can. I think the stuffing of the whole onions helped on the moistness of the meat. The fresh rosemary was well worth it. It's a big time commitment but, well worth it if you have a crowd. I think we got every bit of 15lb's of meat. We had 25 eat and I'll bet we have 7-8 lbs left. The stainless wire worked out well for trussing him to fit and sewing up the belly The drip pan juices was great ladled on the pulled pork. Edited March 10, 2019 by Kevin H 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 6, 2017 Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 Ok, that rates really high on the cool s**t-o-meter!Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted July 6, 2017 Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 Very nicely done! Looks outstanding. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 6, 2017 Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 Stunning cook! Giga-kudos to all involved. The Lessons Learned section of your post is worth it's weight in gold. Thanks for all the info. Very helpful and ultimately useful. I've got a KK BB 32, TheBeast, and I'm seriously considering doing a suckling pig to close out the Summer Season. I'm retreading this post several times between now and then. Thanks for a great cook and an even better thread. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ora Posted July 6, 2017 Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 Where was I lol awesome cook looks like a great 4th of July feastOutback Kamado Bar and Grill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangles Posted July 6, 2017 Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 Wow just wow. Awesome cook there. Also thanks for the tips. Would love to do this one day but not sure with my 23. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
