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How Do You Cook A Pig In The Ground?

FirePlugDawg

I've seen the tail end of it - a pig in the ground cooked through - I know it is a real thing, but do not know the steps. Is the seasoning all dry rub, as I would think mop basting wouldn't be possible. Flavor wise, is there an advantage to this method versus a spit or grill cooked pig?

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Pig In The Ground

Comments

bmauldin

You take their “pitt-man”

Was this an Arkansas joke?

moos

Most traditional and probably well known is the Hawaiian method where you wrap the pig in banana leaves.

Basics are:
Dig a hole (keep the dirt)
Line it with rocks
Build a wood fire
Burn it down to coals
Place preseason pig wrapped in banana leaves with stuffed cavity (citrus, etc) on coals
Cover with dirt
Crack beer and come back in 8-12 hours for delicious, tasty meat

Having done it this way and others, there's No real advantage, imo. Just a different way to do it. Find the way you like, get good at it. Experiment with other ways (or don't.)

DirtDawg

@FirePlugDawg -- however you do it, please invite my fat ass over to sample. I'll bring plenty of beer to go 'round!

FirePlugDawg

@moos said:
Most traditional and probably well known is the Hawaiian method where you wrap the pig in banana leaves.

Basics are:
Dig a hole (keep the dirt)
Line it with rocks
Build a wood fire
Burn it down to coals
Place preseason pig wrapped in banana leaves with stuffed cavity (citrus, etc) on coals
Cover with dirt
Crack beer and come back in 8-12 hours for delicious, tasty meat

Having done it this way and others, there's No real advantage, imo. Just a different way to do it. Find the way you like, get good at it. Experiment with other ways (or don't.)

A vote up for a detailed response but I saw the pit cooked pig in Georgia, not Hawaii. I recall seeing aluminium foil in abundance so I suppose that is how it was covered (with perhaps dirt over it).

moos

@FirePlugDawg said:

@moos said:
Most traditional and probably well known is the Hawaiian method where you wrap the pig in banana leaves.

Basics are:
Dig a hole (keep the dirt)
Line it with rocks
Build a wood fire
Burn it down to coals
Place preseason pig wrapped in banana leaves with stuffed cavity (citrus, etc) on coals
Cover with dirt
Crack beer and come back in 8-12 hours for delicious, tasty meat

Having done it this way and others, there's No real advantage, imo. Just a different way to do it. Find the way you like, get good at it. Experiment with other ways (or don't.)

A vote up for a detailed response but I saw the pit cooked pig in Georgia, not Hawaii. I recall seeing aluminium foil in abundance so I suppose that is how it was covered (with perhaps dirt over it).

I did mine in Decatur, GA. I've never been to Hawaii, but I've seen it on TV. Foil works too. Banana leaves are available at the DeKalb farmers market if you're feeling tropical.

There have to be 1000 YouTube video tutorials on this as well.

FirePlugDawg

Didn't Hank Williams Jr have a song about 'pig in the ground'? (He's from the other place) I figured there had to be a GA way of doing it.

ghostofuga1

I agree with @moos that there is probably a 1000 ways to do it. I had a place that we did a "pig pickin' " a few times a year so we put a little more effort in making the pit. Dug a hole large enough to fit a large hog in. Concave the pit so the outer walls slope inwards. Line the pit with sand and place nice size river rock on the bottom and sides. Build two fires. One in the pit, the other outside of the pit.

We prepped the pig with an apple cider vinegar wash and a rub then wrapped it in foil. After the fire in the pit burns down, spread the coals evenly. Place a **** of heavy gauge chicken wire in the pit with about a foot of it sticking up on either side. Place pig in on top of the chicken wire and cover with sand (8 to 10"). Take hot coals from the outside fire and spread on top of the pit and keep doing this every so often to keep a constant heat on top. Drink lots of beer so dehydration doesn't set in.

After 10- 12 hours, depending on the size of the pig, clear the coals and sand from the pig. A couple of guys on both sides of the pit can lift the pig out by grabbing the chicken wire and carrying to the picking table. Drink more beer and enjoy.

FirePlugDawg

@ghostofuga1 said:
I agree with @moos that there is probably a 1000 ways to do it. I had a place that we did a "pig pickin' " a few times a year so we put a little more effort in making the pit. Dug a hole large enough to fit a large hog in. Concave the pit so the outer walls slope inwards. Line the pit with sand and place nice size river rock on the bottom and sides. Build two fires. One in the pit, the other outside of the pit.

We prepped the pig with an apple cider vinegar wash and a rub then wrapped it in foil. After the fire in the pit burns down, spread the coals evenly. Place a **** of heavy gauge chicken wire in the pit with about a foot of it sticking up on either side. Place pig in on top of the chicken wire and cover with sand (8 to 10"). Take hot coals from the outside fire and spread on top of the pit and keep doing this every so often to keep a constant heat on top. Drink lots of beer so dehydration doesn't set in.

After 10- 12 hours, depending on the size of the pig, clear the coals and sand from the pig. A couple of guys on both sides of the pit can lift the pig out by grabbing the chicken wire and carrying to the picking table. Drink more beer and enjoy.

Many thanks. For those less acculturated to Southern terminology, a 'pig pickin' - in my experience - is any BBQ where there is a whole (or mostly whole) pig. I'm more familiar with the term used with a grilled hog.
Also, I had to re-read your entry in that I overlooked that the hog was covered in foil prior to throwing the sand on it. Most people's minimum daily requirement of silica is fairly small. Thanks again. Oh, good tip on avoiding dehydration. Extra points for that.

moos

@ghostofuga1 said:
I agree with @moos that there is probably a 1000 ways to do it. I had a place that we did a "pig pickin' " a few times a year so we put a little more effort in making the pit. Dug a hole large enough to fit a large hog in. Concave the pit so the outer walls slope inwards. Line the pit with sand and place nice size river rock on the bottom and sides. Build two fires. One in the pit, the other outside of the pit.

We prepped the pig with an apple cider vinegar wash and a rub then wrapped it in foil. After the fire in the pit burns down, spread the coals evenly. Place a **** of heavy gauge chicken wire in the pit with about a foot of it sticking up on either side. Place pig in on top of the chicken wire and cover with sand (8 to 10"). Take hot coals from the outside fire and spread on top of the pit and keep doing this every so often to keep a constant heat on top. Drink lots of beer so dehydration doesn't set in.

After 10- 12 hours, depending on the size of the pig, clear the coals and sand from the pig. A couple of guys on both sides of the pit can lift the pig out by grabbing the chicken wire and carrying to the picking table. Drink more beer and enjoy.

We used hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. We're fancy like that

BiffLowman

@DirtDawg said:
@FirePlugDawg -- however you do it, please invite my fat ass over to sample. I'll bring plenty of beer to go 'round!

WE CAN SAY ASS?!

PeachCoDawg

@moos said:
Most traditional and probably well known is the Hawaiian method where you wrap the pig in banana leaves.

Basics are:
Dig a hole (keep the dirt)
Line it with rocks
Build a wood fire
Burn it down to coals
Place preseason pig wrapped in banana leaves with stuffed cavity (citrus, etc) on coals
Cover with dirt
Crack beer and come back in 8-12 hours for delicious, tasty meat

Having done it this way and others, there's No real advantage, imo. Just a different way to do it. Find the way you like, get good at it. Experiment with other ways (or don't.)

That's the way to do it. Actually in Hawaii, they slather the hog with mayonnaise (don't ask me), but when it comes out the mayo is gone. Can't taste it, nothing like that. I thought that was weird. I'd use this exact method, except use a good rub instead of mayo, and you can use cheesecloth to wrap instead of banana peel. I'm a pit guy but this is a great way to cook a hog. Just falls apart

ghostofuga1

@BiffLowman said:

@DirtDawg said:
@FirePlugDawg -- however you do it, please invite my fat ass over to sample. I'll bring plenty of beer to go 'round!

WE CAN SAY ASS?!

But we can say "s t r i p "....LOL!

FirePlugDawg

@BiffLowman said:

@DirtDawg said:
@FirePlugDawg -- however you do it, please invite my fat ass over to sample. I'll bring plenty of beer to go 'round!

WE CAN SAY ASS?!

FirePlugDawg

@PeachCoDawg said:

@moos said:
Most traditional and probably well known is the Hawaiian method where you wrap the pig in banana leaves.

Basics are:
Dig a hole (keep the dirt)
Line it with rocks
Build a wood fire
Burn it down to coals
Place preseason pig wrapped in banana leaves with stuffed cavity (citrus, etc) on coals
Cover with dirt
Crack beer and come back in 8-12 hours for delicious, tasty meat

Having done it this way and others, there's No real advantage, imo. Just a different way to do it. Find the way you like, get good at it. Experiment with other ways (or don't.)

That's the way to do it. Actually in Hawaii, they slather the hog with mayonnaise (don't ask me), but when it comes out the mayo is gone. Can't taste it, nothing like that. I thought that was weird. I'd use this exact method, except use a good rub instead of mayo, and you can use cheesecloth to wrap instead of banana peel. I'm a pit guy but this is a great way to cook a hog. Just falls apart

banana leaves are not peels Also cheesecloth burns, no?

moos

@FirePlugDawg said:

@PeachCoDawg said:

@moos said:
Most traditional and probably well known is the Hawaiian method where you wrap the pig in banana leaves.

Basics are:
Dig a hole (keep the dirt)
Line it with rocks
Build a wood fire
Burn it down to coals
Place preseason pig wrapped in banana leaves with stuffed cavity (citrus, etc) on coals
Cover with dirt
Crack beer and come back in 8-12 hours for delicious, tasty meat

Having done it this way and others, there's No real advantage, imo. Just a different way to do it. Find the way you like, get good at it. Experiment with other ways (or don't.)

That's the way to do it. Actually in Hawaii, they slather the hog with mayonnaise (don't ask me), but when it comes out the mayo is gone. Can't taste it, nothing like that. I thought that was weird. I'd use this exact method, except use a good rub instead of mayo, and you can use cheesecloth to wrap instead of banana peel. I'm a pit guy but this is a great way to cook a hog. Just falls apart

banana leaves are not peels Also cheesecloth burns, no?

Ive never used cheese cloth for this, but the idea is to protect it from the dirt, whatever you use. Burying it prevents burning as it cuts off the oxygen flow, so you just get smoldering, consistent heat. which is what you want in cooking a pig like that.

I always found the bury method to be a lot of work up front, and the spit method to be constantly work throughout.

It's a, "do you want it in the head or the gut?" Scenario.