How Much Charcoal Does It Take to Roast a Pig

Learn Step by Step How To Cook a Pig Rotisserie

Table of Contents

• How Much Pig Per Person?
• Where To Get A Pig For Your Rotisserie?
• Preparing Your Whole Rotisserie Pig
• Preparing The Rotisserie Pig Fire
• Cooking The Whole Rotisserie Pig

Cooking a rotisserie pig is no small undertaking. It's a heavy duty work. Whether this is your first time cooking a rotisserie pig or you are a seasoned rotisserie pig expert, it always helps to have a guide to follow. With the right instructions, a lot of patience, and a whole bunch of hungry guests, you'll have a successful pig roast using the rotisserie grill!

How Much Pig Per Person?

Keep in mind that a 100 lb pig does not necessarily product 100lbs of edible meat. The actual amount of meat that is edible after you are done cooking the rotisserie pig is actually much smaller. A general rule of thumb is that after all is said and done you will get to eat about 40% of the total weight of your whole pig rotisserie .

To make the math easy, that means that a 100 lb pig would result in approximately 40 lbs of roasted pig meat. With your average guest normally eating just over about a half pound of meat, you could expect the resulting 40 lbs of meat to feed about 65-66 guests.

Where To Get A Pig For Your Rotisserie?

Purchasing a full pig is actually much easier than you would think. If you contact your local supermarket, it will normally take them about 7 days to get the pig for you. Another option would be to approach a local butcher or farmer.

Just make sure they have all of their inspections up to date so you know it is safe. Don't forget to ask for the pig to be fully dressed and have the eyes already removed. Of course, if you are the adventurous type, you don't always have to do things by the book. This picture was sent to us from a Cave Tools customer. They actually walked the pig to the rotisserie and then butchered it on the spot!

Preparing Your Whole Pig Rotisserie

The first step in preparing the pig to be cooked on the rotisserie is to clean it. Wash the ears, nose, feet, mouth, and carcass as much as you can. Some people like to stuff the pig before they throw it up on the rotisserie. If you want to do this, place your stuffing in the mouth and then sew it up with string before you start to cook the pig.

Loading the pig onto the rotisserie is going to be a slightly different process depending on the type of pig rotisserie equipment you may have. No matter what, just make sure to anchor the pig onto the equipment as best as possible.

There is nothing worse than the pig dropping into the hot coals and getting ruined. In the pictures above and below, you can see that the skewer went through the entire pig and they also used metal braces and wire to secure the rotisserie pig.

Preparing The Rotisserie Pig Fire With Charcoal

The best way to cook a rotisserie pig is to cook it over a charcoal fire. Use natural lump charcoal and make sure to light the charcoal with a chimney starter to get it going. The most important part about placing the charcoal for your rotisserie pig fire is to make sure they are not directly underneath the pig. Once fat starts to drip off the pig it will create flare-ups and burn the outside of the pig.

Place the charcoal in two rows on either side of the pig. Make sure there is a drip pan in the middle to catch any fat or grease that drips off. You're most likely going to need around 30 lbs of charcoal to start off and then you will need to add more charcoal every hour as some start to go out.

Cooking The Whole Rotisserie Pig

The rule of thumb for the rotisserie cooking is about 1 hour of cooking time per 10lbs of pork. This, however, is just a rule of thumb. Your main goal is to get the internal temperature up to 170 degrees. It is important to make sure that your fire does not get too hot because then you will burn the pig.

If you can keep the flame temperature in the 200 – 215 range you will be good to go! It's going to take quite a few hours for your pig rotisserie to cook, so make sure you have a 30 pack nearby to keep you hydrated.

Here is a video example of someone cooking a whole rotisserie pig:

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to cook a pig on a rotisserie?

We estimate about 1 hour of cooking time per 10 pounds of pork. That means it can take anywhere from 4 to 24 hours to cook a whole pig! You don't want the temperature to be too high, or the skin will burn and the outer layer of meat will dry out. Because of that, lower temperatures of 250 degrees F are recommended, which means it will take a long time to cook an entire pig!

How much charcoal does it take to roast a whole pig?

You will need about 30 pounds of charcoal to get the fire started for roasting a whole pig. Then, you should have an extra 10 pounds of charcoal per hour of cooking time. We estimate a whole pig takes about 1 hour per 10 pounds of pork, so you would need 100 extra pounds of charcoal for a 100 pound pig.

How much pig do you need for a pig roast?

As we've explained in the article, you should estimate you'll lose about 60% of the pig's uncooked weight because of fat, bones, and water loss. That means a 100 pound pig yields about 40 pounds of roasted pig. In general, you can assume a half to three-quarters of a pound of cooked meat per person, so that 100 pound pig will feed 65 to 80 guests.

What do you roast a pig on?

You'll need a large, metal spit to roast your pig. After inserting the spit through the back end and out through the mouth, you'll want to secure the pig to the spit using metal wire. We like to wrap thick wire around the spine, attaching it to the spit easily and securely. Then, twist the wire to make sure it stays put.

What temperature do you cook a whole pig?

To keep the pork skin from burning, we recommend spit roasting your pig at 200 to 250 degrees F. When it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F, it's ready to eat. Allow the pork to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving to let the juices redistribute within the meat.

How Much Charcoal Does It Take to Roast a Pig

Source: https://blog.cavetools.com/cook-rotisserie-pig/

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