I do not own one, but have in the past. How often it is used can vary.
Once people find out you have one, you might use if frequently. People may
want to borrow it (bad idea) or they may want you to come and cook for them.
Those have to be weighed on an individual case basis weighing headaches vs.
benefits. It will take 24 hours to get it all out, prepare the pig, season,
marinate or rub, cook, and then clean up. Design of the cooker will dictate
how long it takes to clean it, and if you run into a problem, as a welder,
you may be able to make a design change. The pig takes something on the
order of babysitting a two year old, as they can get into trouble just about
as fast
All depends on what winds your clock It is a lot of work, and you have to
tapdance inside the lines with the Health Department, and be sure to
understand their rules in advance. For friends, family, and work, doing it
say 6-12 times a year, it just could make you the center of attention if
only for a day.
Did I mention you get a lot of free beer, and attention from female hog
cookout groupies, some exciting, and some boaring.
Steve
cooked.
I've got a scaled-down unit I built that's able to handle about 80lb
dressed weight -- so really, a "shoat roaster". But roasting shoats are
always on the market around here, and they fit the size gathering I'm
willing to cook for.
It's a big hassle. If you truly like low-n-slow barbeque, it's worth it,
but you can expect to tend the fire at least once an hour for 24 hours.
Too hot, and you put a rind on the meat, too slow and it can vary from a
bad case of food poisoning to just never getting done. Missing your
dinner schedule by four or five hours just isn't an option when 40 people
are getting drunk waiting for the bell.
I run mine at 205-210 degrees. Even with dual (stack and fire door)
dampers, it's a bit of a juggling act to keep the heat constant.
Real wood, only. I'm partial to blackjack oak; bark on.
Except for the grease cans, I fire clean mine. That's not a hassle, at
all.
LLoyd
"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" <lloydspinsidemindspring.com> wrote:
My bud loaned out his roaster to a friend with instructions. His is propane
powered.
Friends wife power washed it. My bud was P*SS*D.
I'm a member of the scrape when necessary and fire clean discipline when it
comes to
grilling.
Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" <lloydspinsidemindspring.com> wrote:
I fully understand. BBQ is slow cooking and it sounds like you are slow cooking
and
smoking the meat. Sounds yummy.
Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
My fave. I have a local butcher who'll sell me 12-14 lb packer-cut
briskets for about $1.79/lb. They cook out to about 9-11 lb, and are so
tender you cannot handle them without their falling apart.
With the right rub, you can't beat 'em.
LLoyd
Magic Dust #2 - this started with the Mike Mills recipe, modified by
Danny Creagan, but has several changes to increase the "savory" factor.
This is meant to be slow cooked/smoked. Up the sugar to 1TBSP for pork or
chicken. Great for brisket as below. You may want it a bit hotter;
increase cayenne to taste.
If using this for grilling, eliminate the sugar entirely.
2 Tablespoons paprika
3 Tablespoons kosher salt, finely ground
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 Tablespoon hot chili powder
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic (finely ground for chicken)
1-1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper finely ground
2 Tablespoons onion powder
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Makes enough rub for 3 slabs
of pork loin back ribs or two medium brisket
LLoyd
On Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:52:25 -0500, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
Sprain difference, preese?
--
If you're looking for the key to the Universe,
I've got some good news and some bad news.
The bad news: There is no key to the Universe.
The good news: It was never locked.
--Swami Beyondananda
Some time shortly after Henry Ford invented the charcoal briquette,
someone (or a bunch of someones) who didn't know the difference equated
cooking over a high heat fire on a "grill" (a gridiron) with the low
heat, slow cooking done mostly by country cooks and blacks.
The "barbeque grill" became a popular item, promoted mostly by Mr. Ford
in an effort to sell his waste oak from car chasses, and spurred by the
new-found leisure time afforded his highly-paid factory workers.
Most Americans continue to call a grill a "barbeque". One _can_ barbeque
in a covered grill, but it's painstaking work to maintain a constant
cooking temperature in one. A real barbeque relies either on an open
fire in a pit or fireplace, or a contained fire in a "fire box" connected
by flues to the cooking chamber that provides a gentle heat of only 200F-
220F for as much as 24 hours. The containing structure also traps smoke
which flavors the meat.
A grill cooks over very high heat, usually with the fire directly beneath
the meat, and only a small distance separating them. Where barbequeing
might take a full day, grilling can be completed on something like
hamburgers or not-thick-enough steaks in just a few minutes.
Both have their virtues, and most "real" barbeque-ers grill too, but not
very many grillers barbeque. Mostly it's because barbeque is too much
work, and takes too much special equipment and too much time.
LLoyd
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