dutch's easy-easy (?) pig
I was encouraged by seeing a bunch of pictures of Deneece's and had wanted to post these pictures, but thought they might not be appropriate. I guess if I post them in the form of a recipe, I won't be too remiss :-) I lead a group of US Navy Vets here in Japan that call ourselves "Team Que~Maniacs". we cook all manner of animals for our BBQs, not just the usual fare. Pigs in a La Caja China Cuban box, steamship rounds of beef and turkeys when we don't deep-fry them. We also do whole lamb and pigs on a spit. On Sunday July 3rd we did a pig for our annual 4th of July celebratory BBQ. This year we dedicated it to "Operation Tomodachi" (Friend) which was the relief operation that 22K+ of our US Armed Forces participated in to aid the survivors of the quake and tsunami in northern Japan. We donated close to $3K to be used in shelters still packed with homeless. We'll be going north on July 16th to do a BBQ and Chocolate Fountain for those still in a shelter in Yamamoto Town, Miyagi Prefecture which is just north of that nuclear plant and one of the hardest hit in the quake/tsunami. Just as a recipe interest, I brine almost everything we BBQ, such as the pig, turkeys etc. The brine can be used for your chicken, pork chops etc. which will give you VERY tender, juicy flavorful results.
Ingredients For dutch's easy-easy (?) pig
- FOR THE BRINE
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2 qtapple cider (not juice)
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7 cwater
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1 csea or kosher salt
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1 cpacked brown sugar
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6 Tbspcoarse ground black pepper
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4 tspdried rubbed sage
- FOR THE PIG
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1whole pig, 45#~60# is best
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8lemons
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8onions cut in 8ths
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4bunches of fresh rosemary
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10-15cloves of garlic
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sea salt for rubbing down the inside of the pig
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olive oil for basting (infuse it w/ fresh rosemary)
How To Make dutch's easy-easy (?) pig
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1First mix all the brine ingredients and let marry in your reefer.
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2Rub the entire interior of the pig heavily with sea salt and fill the cavity with cut lemons, squeezed...Fresh Rosemary, onion sections and cut the garlic into thick slivers, studding all through the meat...Sew the carcass shut.
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3Prepare your fire at least an hour before you intend to put the pig on, heaviest coals under where the shoulders and hams will be turning. Lined on both sides between those. None under the stomach. Baste the pig liberally with olive oil and start the turning...Drink beer.
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4The pig must be cooked slowly over a fire that you can hold your hand over for about 10~12sec. DON'T try cooking it over anything hotter or you will char the outside, leaving the meat too rare.
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5Continually baste it, drink beer. Replenish the charcoal as necessary. At the 6hr mark, use a probe thermometer to check in the meatiest part of the hams and shoulder. You're looking for 150^...As it rests after removing from the spit the temp will rise to about 160^ Recent USFDA guidelines have reduced the temp of cooked pork to 145^ from the traditional 165^...160^ is near to perfect. The pork will be fully cooked and still very juicy.
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6Carve it up, put it on the table and stand back! Drink beer and listen to all the "OUUUUUS" and AHHHHHs!" :-)
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7Reduce the amounts in the brine by 1/2 to make your brine for whole chickens, chicken breasts and pork roasts and chops...Put whatever you're brining into a Ziplock bag and into your reefer. I usually give it 6~12hrs. You will see a marked difference in the cooked product if you brine it first like this.
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8I've added a bunch of pictures of other things our team does...
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!