Half pig head

Wow, I know I haven't been on here in quite a while. I thought I would have gotten some advice by now. I did some research on the Internet and had to rely on that. I deduced that I would rub it with rib rub and some of Butchers BBQ honey rub. In at 225 it went at 11:30am today. I gradually raised it to 250 and now it's been at 275 for the last hour. Giving it till 7pm and gotta pull it for dinner. Hope it's delish. It sure smells like a butt.

I was doing the same thing googling for info for you but didn't come up with anything with details. Be sure to post your results.

I also googled everything I could find, but almost all required braising before anything else, and there was a lot of ambiguity about leaving in or removing the brain. I will also be really interested in your process and the result. Brava for doing it! I specifically want to hear about the tongue and cheeks! And did you make cracklin's out of all the skin?

Thanks guys. I did the timing as I mentioned above. It was smoked with pecan and apple. I did it skin side down and just let it smoke away. The tongue was pretty good and we did find some nice flavored meat here and there. It was very very greasy/fatty. I expected that going into it. I think there must be a trick to doing it. Even the larger pieces I cut into were so marbeled with fat that we didn't enjoy it that much. I left the brain in and tried a tiny taste. I had to say I at least tried brain. It was dry cottage cheese consistency and I didn't try more than a bit on the edge of two fork tines. I have a whole pastured pig being butchered next week and requested the head and feet and everything. I'll have another chance to try the head. I think it needed a lot more time in smoker. Then the marbeling may have melted away. No cracklings. My chickens will be eating the leftovers. My dogs will get the skin after I break it up. They also got some squishy snout and various pieces.

Eating well should not be reserved for the elite.



My friend who has the gas cooker does several of these each year and I help with most. My reward is usually the eyeballs, snout, brains and ears. As it was just he and I on this one, I was rewarded with the whole head.

After refrigerating for a couple days, it was reheated in a Cookshack 066 with hickory smoke and basted with butter, IT 160° .



Down to business. My favorites, plate of brains, eyeballs, snout ,ears, skin and jowls. It was shared with my wife of course.


201 pounder ready for some heat. I help with several of these each year.


No injecting an occasional salting and cooked at 400° for 10 hours, IT 200°. Ready for pulling. Served over 200. Too busy for pics.

Vicky, hope this helps.

Tom

Awesome pics. Thanks. I think mine needed to go closer to 200 to render more fat.

Very similar to my friend's father who used to roast a whole pig on special occasions on a special made rotisserie pit. If you poke a lot of little holes all over piercing the skin and using high temp like 400 deg a lot of fat would render and skin would be very crunchy. Very similar to a Chinese roasted pig.

Great idea. Mane I'll roast it next time and not smoke. My 025 doesn't go to 400.

Vicky, I have not done a fresh head only before, but will in the near future. My plan is to imagine a cross between the ears and eyeballs, at the center, drill a small hole to place a temperature probe into the brain. Bake at 400° to an internal temp of 200°-205°. This should insure a good crackling skin and easily pulled meat. I use a cleaver to split the head right down the middle.

Don't be hesitant to try the eyeballs, they taste like marrow, the brains are very good with a little Tony's seasoned salt on them and the snout is very crunchy, almost melts in your mouth not to mention the cheek meat.

Tom

As you suggested Vicki, a little more time in the smoker would have rendered more fat.

I'll stick with the ribs, ham, shoulder, etc. and leave the other tender morsels for you hearty souls.

I guess I have to agree, Pags. Even if I could find a pig head, I'd have to try one of the myriad ways of preparing it I found on the web, first besides trying to smoke it, just to see what the rest of the world thinks it is supposed to taste like. Pretty unlikely I'll get the chance though...