[Sca-cooks] Re:Pit roast pig

[Diamond Randall]

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>We are being given the opportunity to pit roast a whole pig in a month's
>time. We have the pit (almost dug), we have the pig ready for slaughtering
>(by the professional butcher). Now all we need is a period method of cooking
>it and some sauces and stuff to go with it. Does anyone have any ideas?

Inadequate info provided.  "Pig" starts at about 20kg live weight up to
200+kg.
or "Hog".  What do you mean?  Your pit will have to be about twice as deep as
the carcass on it side.  You will need a heck of a lot of hardwood for coals,
preferably oak, ash or hickory species.  No softwoods or eucalyptus.  You
can throw in fruitwood like apple or pear for a bit of flavor.  You build
thebig
fire beside the pit, not in it.  You want lots of live red hot coals, not
burning
wood in the pit.  I will have to consult by pit roasting expert for details of
putting coals and the pig in the pit where the pig can be recovered whole
without
being charred black.  If I recall the pig is covered with some kind of wet
canvas and wet vegetation and a wet tarp is placed over this until the pig is
buried in an insulative layer.  Every several hours, the tarp is lifted and
more coals
added.  This is a round-the-clock procedure for 2 to 3 days depending on the
dressed weight of the pig.  This is a rather exhaustive procedure.  Inproperly
following procedures of keeping coals and cover can result in irregular heat
distribution and lots of nasty bacteria problems.  I will try to get more
detailed
information if you like later.
I am rather curious however that you are getting the pig professionally
butchered.
Why?  Is your butcher a member of your group?  We shoot the pig or stick it in
the caratoids right next to where we will cook it.  It is only necessary to
wash the
carcass off and hang it for essentially field dressing to clean out the
entrails.  You
can take a small propane torch with a wide flame head and sing off all the
bristle.
If you were to actually be period about this, you would be hanging the pig and
collecting all the blood draining from it for pudding.  The organs would be
promptly claimed and grilled by the cooks (if they could get away with it)
otherwise,
the kidneys, liver, lungs, testicles, etc. would be claimed for the table of
the nobles
as the preferred parts of the animal.   Don't forget the head for the brains
either.
It is our policy at Cumberland Centre that game animals such as deer or whole
animals (as you are attempting) be the subject of butchering classes and that
those
who would participate view the entire process if possible, including the
actual
killing and gutting process.  If you as a cook are going to "be period", we
expect you not to be wimpish about the conversion of a live animal to cuts of
meat.  We have had had some good success with this, including several ladies
actually claiming the scrotums of bucks being processed to make change purses.
Good luck on your endeavor and let me know if you want me to inquire of
my pitsman for further details.
Akim