Question on smoking a pig

[LarryWolfe]

I cooked a 110 lb dressed out pig this past week - for prep - I peppered and salted the meat and skin, then mopped a mixture (not sauce) that contained no sugar onto the meat and skin - we cooked on gas but we also smoked the pig for most of the cooking process - the result was a delicious pig but I had a "bark" on the top of the meat - I know in contests that judges do not want to see a "black" pig - where in the cooking process did I go wrong? Also, the mop mixture was supposed to turn the meat and skin a reddish color but everything turned out a dark brown - any suggestions?

Only thing I can think of that would turn the meat "black" would be either the gas wasnt' burning "clean" or the rendered fat was puddling up somewhere in the cooker and boiling to the point of smoking. Was there a grease drain on the cooker? Seems to me that either of those things would have effected the taste though.

How were you getting the smoke? Pieces of wood? Pellets? Chips?

 

[LarryWolfe]

The grease drained just fine - we used hickory wood for the smoking for the entirety. I'm at loss why it put so much a bark on it - maybe we didn't have the wood soaked enough.

Was the wood fully seasoned?

 

[LarryWolfe]

I believe so - it's been cut for at least a year but I 've been cutting the wood down smaller into chips for smoking. Would the smoke from the wood be turning my meat dark?

Absolutely! If the wood is green that will cause the "black" (soot) you are referring to. But generally you will get a bitter taste from "green" wood. You also need to have enough air flow for the wood to burn vs. smolder, that too will give you alot of black soot on your meat and cause a bitter taste as well. That's what's not making sense to me is, you said the meat was good just black?

 

[oompappy]

Don't really sound like "soot", probably just dark bark.
I've never done whole hog but I have heard of folks using sheets of foil
or cheese cloth as a cover to obtain a lighter color.
It might also be a little to high of a cooking temp (?).

 

[Greg Rempe]

I would contact Pigsonthewing...he knows a lot about pig cooking!

 

[LarryWolfe]

I would contact Pigsonthewing...he knows a lot about pig cooking!

Yeah but he does it Traditionally! 8-[ Sorry Chris, just joshing you!

 

[Finney]

When cooking hogs for comp with Jack W. we used foil on areas that were getting too dark. Also, the hams and shoulders get foiled for a period of time to help the cooking process. My guess is that the blackness is caused by the heat, oil, and mosture from cooking with gas.

Years ago when I was cooking hogs with friends we didn't do any of this and didn't care. Back then we were cooking over embers, no one would use gas to cook a pig in NC in those days. If you aren't cooking for comps or vending, don't worry about it.

 

[Captain Morgan]

YaYA, does your gasser have anything between the pig and the flame?

 

[LarryWolfe]

i have a video on cooking whole hog and the recommend foiling to keep it from getting too dark, just like you do for turkey.

fyi... i've never cooked a whole hog, but i did stay in a holiday inn express last night. :grin:

:ack: :faint: :ack: :faint: :ack: :faint: :ack:

 

[jminion1]

Forget the chips and soaking them, my guess is you kept adding chips through out the cook and that is the reason for the dark finish. All you need is to burn sticks for a portion of the cook, you will get the smoke flavor but much less black bark.
Jim

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

What Jim said, Also sounds like the wood may not have been burning clean. Here's a pic of one I did with lump and hickory a while back.

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

[quote="Larry Wolfe":1ikoduu1][quote="brian j":1ikoduu1]i have a video on cooking whole hog and the recommend foiling to keep it from getting too dark, just like you do for turkey.

fyi... i've never cooked a whole hog, but i did stay in a holiday inn express last night. :grin:

:ack: :faint: :ack: :faint: :ack: :faint: :ack:[/quote:1ikoduu1]

sorry, but what did i say that was so stupid? haven't you ever covered a turkey breast in foil while it's cooking to keep it from getting too brown?[/quote:1ikoduu1] NOPE!

 

[LarryWolfe]

[quote="Larry Wolfe":287a4qzq][quote="brian j":287a4qzq]i have a video on cooking whole hog and the recommend foiling to keep it from getting too dark, just like you do for turkey.

fyi... i've never cooked a whole hog, but i did stay in a holiday inn express last night. :grin:

:ack: :faint: :ack: :faint: :ack: :faint: :ack:[/quote:287a4qzq]

sorry, but what did i say that was so stupid? haven't you ever covered a turkey breast in foil while it's cooking to keep it from getting too brown?[/quote:287a4qzq]

Brian didn't mean or intend to offend you. But to be honest I've never foiled a turkey or breast on the smoker. I have in the oven to prevent it from over browning, but not in the smoker.

But you do have a legitimate point about foiling on the smoker because most people do cook turkeys in the 300+ degree range. But I cook mine in the 240-260* range, so there's no need for "me" to foil. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

:hug: