Harry Soo Does a Mini 50lb Hog On The Weber Smokefire EX6

[sotv]

Very impressive, skin didn't look that crackled, but the meat looks as if it has cooked perfectly from head to tail, all in 10 hours

 

Meant to be a few follow up videos on how he pulled it and what he did with the hocks and a few other things he did with cooked meat.

[sotv]

it has always been my No1 thing I have wanted to cook, but never have had the equipment to do it. Now I have seen it can be done on the Smokefire. When we can socialise again and I can get the family round, I think the 12kg Suckling Pig that Costco sell, will be doable on the EX4 as well, if the EX6 will do a 30kg Hog.

[Smokin Monkey]

Hi Steve, interesting video, I do not know if you are aware, but I used to own a Hog Roast Company.

Totally agree with taking the trotters of at the joint, now injecting? We never used to do it, reason, you are artificially flavoring the meat, and when you are mass catering the taste might not be to everyone’s liking, let them flavour their own meat with sauces. Also all that moisture is going to extend any stall.

I would not of cooked it that way up, skin up cavity open to the bottom, to allow that moisture to escape. If you are worried about drying the rib area and Tenderloin, scrunch up foil and fill the cavity to give a heat barrier. To be honest which ever way you cook it the rib area will always be more cooked than the shoulders and legs due to he thickness of them.

Th reason the skin is not crispy could be due to a couple of reason, all of the injection liquid sitting between the skin & fat. Plus the temperature needed to be turned up to 200’C-250’C for the last 20 minutes, but you need to keep an eye on it as it quickly burns!

You can leave the skin intact as one, or cut Tiger Stripes in to it, this will let some of the fat to render, and this will also run down the skin to help Crisp it.

[sotv]

I didn't know you did that as well, clearly you have plenty of experience of this and given me a few tips, when I can try this. 👍 

Maybe his reasoning is as cooking it this way, it is like doing it in a conventional oven with smoke, rather than a spit, so the injection helps it from drying out to much in places like the legs, ribs and tenderloin? I can understand from cooking on the smokefire, the amount of fat and grease that would come out of  something like this meat side down,  risking a grease fire or the very least be one hell of a clean up job after the cook, even with a drip pan, so more controllable for that side of things although as you say not perfect.

It would be trial and error, but the way I get crackling on a leg joint in the oven is to dry and pat slice the skin and salt it first. Cook it at  170C  and turn it up to 220C for the last 30-40 minutes. Maybe doing the hog for the last 15-30 minutes at 500+F  would crisp the skin up when it has reached an internal temp of around 185F in the shoulder

Wish I hadn't watched that video and seen your pictures now as my ham hock quiche salad is looking very depressing for tonight 😀

[Smokin Monkey]

Only cooked on a spit when people really wanted the Theater of cooking, most of the time we cooked in a tray, from a 40kg Pig you would get between 3-4 liters of liquid, and yes the clean up is horrendous!