Cooking half a hog

magnuson · May 12, 2016

I am cooking a 100lb half hog with a grill made out of a giant propane tank. i have never cooked something that big and need it done in about 3 hours. we are doing it for a school event and are making pulled pork sandwiches. Thanks!

mapper · May 12, 2016

Three hours is a very short amount of time to make pulled pork, even using just the butt cut, most folks who I know that cook whole pigs, it is an all day or over night process.

JerryK · May 12, 2016

Always took me over 24 hours [ started the afternoon before the party ] and one keg of beer....... after that, I don't remember much...

mapper · May 12, 2016

Attended a wedding some years back where a pig roast was attempted, they started in the morning with the afternoon for the celebration. The pig was probably less than 100#, it was black on the outside and raw on the inside, in between it was tough.
Pulled pork requires long slow cooking to dissolve the connective tissue and combine it with the fat to give that tender moist texture.

dadster4 · May 12, 2016

Charcoal along the sides (replenish often) and foil pans under the pig, you will have a couple gallons of melted fat to deal with. I think you will need at least 6 hours cooking time and a good hour to get it served. Silicone gloves work great for handling the hot pork...good luck!

bamboozled · May 12, 2016

Not going to happen in 3 hours. Start the night before.

Or you can cook it the weekend before and just reheat it in crock pots the day of the party. Which is the way I do it when I don't have all day to cook.

2LaneCruzer · May 12, 2016

It takes about 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours to cook a slab of babybacks at 250 degrees F.

DrRod · May 12, 2016

I have to wonder if you really need a half hog for this event. Unless everyone is going to stand around admiring it I would go with a lot of big chunks and slow cook them in the oven. You could even take a chunk and put it on the fire to create the atmosphere and sell the whole BBQ pig thing. As long as its tender it will be good and once the sauce is on it will make little difference where it was cooked.

Host/hostess rule #1 is never try a new recipe when guests are coming over. And a 100# hog is a tricky thing -- that's why there are people who make a living doing large scale BBQ. You could be heading for a tough time unless you've done this a few times before.

Andy in Gap · May 12, 2016

Why such a short time limit? What you want to do is not possible. If you want pulled pork, buy a case of pork butts and cook them in the oven the day before. Throw them on charcoal for an hour or two and no one will know the difference. If you want to cook half a hog, you will need at least 8-12 hours.