FE100 and a Whole Hog

makes sense to me dont see why i wouldn't work. heck the pig is dead he dont care where is orientated lol.
we have thought about suckling pig since i was to dumb to come up with the obvious geometrical solution
jack

Haven't done one in a 100, but did one in a 2000.

My thinking is what I'm worried about is the pig being vertical. You need the hams and shoulders to cook longer, so whatever is hanging down will cook fast (given how the FE cooks upwards). And what is the impact on the fat rendering? In other smokers, laying them flat, with the skin on, helps keep the fat in.

Interesting idea.

Smokin'

well candy, just cause i am still intgried ( heck never could spell, lets try really interested) looks to me like you could hang him head down, go 4 hours and rehang him head up. now that would be fun with a hot pig!!!! man i like this idea better and better and will make peggy's new job hog flipper lol!!!
i am looking at my fec heat map i got from this site. if you hang the hog dead center in the unit the coldest part from this mapwould be the #4 bottom shelf. from this map in all seriousness (and i am still laughing thinking about peg being the hog flipper) i would hang him head down and not flip at all.


as i am not real good at computers here is what the heat map print out reads at the bottom of the page

FE Temp Mapping

hope it helps but if i was going to do it i would hang him dead center head down and drink a few beers
jack
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

I can't get the link to work. Any ideas why?

Try this.
http://cookshack.com/barbeque_guide/images/FE%20CS%20Temp%20Mapping.htm

I tried to find the internal dimensions of the FE100. We used to cook 170# {hoof weight} pigs on our Brinkmann Smokin' Pit.

Some alterations with a meat saw needed to be done. We split ours, took off the shanks, and head. The shanks we cooked in the belly, and the head we threw away.

I believe I saw Fred & Anna Smith cooking one on an FE100 in the Whole Hog division at the WPX BarbeQlossal.

Good Luck! Roger

Correct link:

You need to link to the main page, not the sub-pages. I Deleted the bad links.

Here you go:
FE Temp Mapping

For future reference, instead of just putting in the link, you can click on the "URL" button just below the text window when you type in your entry. You can put the URL in by cut and paste and in the new window that pops up, type in a name for the link.

I know, confusing...that's why you keep me around.

Hope that helps.

Smokin'

Pig orientation wouldn't matter. I've seen pigs fly in a W'ham (and I have the t-shirt!). My biggest question was on the diagonal, butt towards the firepot or towards the exhaust. Tail end down seems obvious (don't know why). Suckling pigs would hang well in an FE100. Doug posted an interesting sounding method over on the other forum. John Willingham hangs every meat in the carosel in his W'ham cooker.

I can't believe you are talking about this! Why not debone the pig, curl it up, put it on the lower shelf with the other shelves removed? I ain't flipping pigs, lol!!!
Peggy

Presentation!

My first concern would be a grease fire. I think you will find that a 50# pig has considerably more fat than say 50# of butts.

Turning a hog is not easy. That is why so many whole hog teams cook and present belly up now. You would have to secure it to a rack well to be able to move it in the late stages of cooking.

Candysue
A little curled up pig would be very pretty.
Peggy

and now we see why peggy is our chicken comp person!!!!
and somehow i think she is kidding about curled up pigs but with her ya never know.
i would still hang him dead center head down. i dont know why but i just got this gut feeling on it.
as far as grease i would for sure rig up a 4" hotel pan for that somehow
jack

Fred, do they cook belly up the whole time? I'm amazed that they'd present belly up!

I was thinking about a H type rack with cross bars at top and bottom. Wasn't going to turn the hog over, just reverse angle midway into cook. Hog would be on top of the bars the whole time. Just be butt up half time and butt down the rest.

I am intrigued with Doug's idea to hang a small pig from the top rack. I'm only feeding 8-10 so a small piggy might do just fine. Especially since I've got 2 free turkeys this year.

At MiM this year, I walked around in the whole hog area during judging. I was suprised at the number presenting belly up and also skin off.

I don't think hanging it from the top rack will work unless you get Willingham to make you a mini hog bar. I would go with the H bar covered with wire mesh. Cook belly up with the hams down more of the time.

Not sure whether I would split the spine or just crack it. Probably, split in this case to lay it down flat to make it easier to mop in the FE.

The exhaust location could be an issue. It may limit you to an upper right to lower left angle.

Candy Sue,

Here's a pic I found on the net. Looks like fun.


http://www.gatorpit.net/Hangin_hog.jpg

Bryan

I have a real pretty 36# hog in my FE100 right now. Been cooking at 240 since 7:00. Had to tuck the back legs under rather than stretching them out. Put it in at a diagonal with the tail end high and the nose towards the exhaust. Welder did me up a rack with a big spike up the center brace to hold the pig. I don't think I'll turn it around. Got a real nice smoke color (course I can't see the back side!).

36#...that's a pig not a hog. There are coons bigger than that. Just kidding..take some pics..

Did take pics! Pig mostly all gone. Everyone said it was much better than the one I cooked last year (not on the FE!). I think it would be quite possible to do a 45#+ one without head this way (on the diagonal). I don't see any way to hang one this size in the FE (I think this is for Doug who was thinking of rigging a hanging system).

I would love to see the pictures Candy.
After looking at the Gator pit picture that is a before. I bet the pig was a pile in the bottom after cooking. If it was at all tender the hocks would not support it. I wonder if a pig could be deboned and rolled before cooking. I would be willing to give it a shot if someone will supply a pig.

I forgot to take one real important picture, after splitting the skin down the backbone and peeling it back to see all the perfectly done meat. Too busy picking pig & eating. I cooked it to 200 degrees in the rear quarters.

Most hog hanging devices have spikes to impale through at several points. I should have had another spike at the back end of the rack, but one held the pig firmly. I've seen a pig pool at the bottom of a big W'ham pit at MIM a few years back. Kinda messed up the other pigs still hanging on the carosel when that one fell down.

Wonder if a deboned, rolled hog would count in whole hog???

Candy,
Would a sling made of chicken wire work? Or would you have little hexagons all over lil piggy?
That would be different presentation, too!

Got you thinking on the deboned and rolled? You could leave the head, feet, and tail on and it'd look like one of those mink stoles I always got to sit behind in church as a little girl.
Peggy

Got photos of the pig in the FE100 posted on www.bbqrsdelight.com under the recipes page.

candy,
that is one slick system!!!!
and the pig looked great right down to the apple
jack

Nice little piggy Candy Sue. Now I want to see Fred's smoked coon.

How long was that rack and could you have left the bottom shelf in?

Landrace, for sure.

The ears and skelatal size make it obvious.

What else could I say? I just felt like talking.

Roger

That's what you get for spending those long, cold winters up there cooped up with all those hogs....

The hog looks great! I look for a coon on the way home, but no road kill today. Maybe tomorrow. Sometimes it's hard to find a nice one.

Candy,
That really is beautiful!
Peggy

Thanks all! Pig looked pretty, but tasted even better.

Rack measures 32" x 10". Probably could have left the bottom rack in. Rack needed a couple of more spikes on the middle crossbraces. The one in the middle really held the pig in place. My wire ties did nothing.

I've eaten smoked coon and I don't care what Fred says, it's not good! Like greasy, gamey dark, stringy meet from an ancient beef. John Willingham cooked with a fellow from Hot Springs who provided coon (yeah, Arkansas road kill) for MIM anything butt. As part of the presentation, the neatly skinned skull (with meat) was laid at the top of the box. Don't do this, Fred, it won't win!

Wow Candy, I am truly impressed!

Don't worry Candy, everyone knows that you use possum for exotic.

Armadillo on the half shell?

Thanks for the info Candy.

Fred,
When you do the coon, will you send us pictures?
Peggy