North Carolina Pig
One of the only places in the world where you can enjoy fresh, chopped whole pig straight from the barbecue cooker is in North Carolina. The tradition of cooking whole hog directly over hickory or oak wood that has been reduced to coals and then soaking the chopped meat with a vinegar-based sauce is one that has been enjoyed since the birth of American-style barbecue. The first time I experienced this exquisite taste, it was in the North Carolina countryside at a roadside shanty they called a restaurant. The rhythmic beat of the meat cleavers pounding the butcher block echoed through the rafters, and vibrations from the tin roof added harmony to this musical cadence. I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with locals waiting for a table to clear before being handed my greatly anticipated lunch. I watched moist chunks of hand-chopped pig fall from my overstuffed sandwich as I thanked God for North Carolina. Make this in your own backyard and you’ll be giving thanks as well.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 70
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place the butterflied pig on a heavy-gauge wire grate, skin side down. Score the meat of the hams and shoulders with a sharp knife; this allows the heat to penetrate. Use the full cup of salt to season the cavity of the hog, working the salt into all the crevices to make sure that all exposed meat is seasoned thoroughly. Flip the pig so it is skin side up on the wire grate.
Step 2
Light 20 pounds of charcoal in the bottom of the cooker, or if using wood, light 5 medium-size logs. When the charcoal is hot and grayish white or the wood coals are red hot, spread the coals into a barbell-shaped pile approximately the same size as the hog. This allows the thicker portions of the hog (shoulders and hams) to cook hotter and finish cooking at the same time as thinner portions (ribs and loin).
Step 3
When the coals are ready, grasp the wire grate with the hog on top and transfer it to the cooker. Center the hog over the barbell-shaped charcoal bed.
Step 4
When the hog has cooked for 2 hours, start 10 pounds of charcoal or wood in a separate “burn pit.” Transfer these hot coals to your primary cooker every hour or so, through the cooker’s side access door, during the cooking process to maintain a cooking temperature of 250 to 260°F. Start another 10 pounds of charcoal or wood coals every hour to supplement the coals.
Step 5
After 4 hours, open the cooker, place the second wire grate over the pig, bind the edges of the wire grates together with rope or wire, and flip the pig. Be warned that this is a two-man operation. With one person standing at each end of the pig, grasp the edges of the grates and turn the pig. Close the cooker lid and cook for an additional 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the hams and shoulders reach 190 to 195°F.
Step 6
Let the cooked pig rest for 30 minutes, then bone and chop all the serveable meat, adding the skin if desired (see Pitmaster’s Tip). Add your choice of vinegar sauce to the pile of chopped pork to taste, and mix well.
pitmaster’s tip
Step 7
When cooking North Carolina–style chopped pig, the skin provides a couple of tasty serving options. The chopped meat may be placed back into the hollow, crisp pork skin and served buffet style. The other option would be to chop the crispy skin and add it to the meat to provide extra flavor.
Cooking Method
Step 8
Direct heat
Suggested Wood
Step 9
Hickory
Suggested Supplies
Step 10
1 single-chamber direct cooker (with firebox inside the main cooking chamber), plus an additional grill or burn pit; 80 pounds charcoal and wood chunks for seasoning or 1/4 cord of wood; 2 rectangles of heavy-gauge wire fencing or grate, slightly larger than the pig but smaller than the cooker.
