Q&A for How to Cook a Whole Pig

If you have side dishes, then it's best to assume 1 lb. per person, even though most people probably won't eat that much.

A good general rule of thumb is around 1 hour for every 10 pounds of weight, so a moderately-sized pig (60-70 pounds) could take anywhere from 6-8 hours, depending on the thickness of the meat and the consistency and intensity of your heat source. Make sure you've got the whole day off!

Yes. A pig without stuffing has lots of space inside to breathe and cook, while a stuffed pig is...well...stuffed. It leaves little space for breathing and takes longer to cook.

Give it a good rinse with a stout stream of water from a hose and rub in salt, inside and out. Alternately, you could wipe it down thoroughly with a towel soaked in a salt water solution. Add extra salt liberally, as much of it will fall off prior to or during the cooking process.

You can absolutely stuff the pig with spices, fruit, breadcrumbs or anything else you desire, but this will work best when it's done just before cooking. Otherwise, you'll have to bring the pig in and out of refrigeration multiple times.

You'll only need it deep enough to lay down some stones and burn firewood down to coals while keeping the heat source at ground level. 1'-1.5' should do nicely.

No. The pig has its own fat, so you don't need extra fat or to add fat to it while cooking.

It really depends on the size of the oven and the pig. If your pig can barely fit in the oven, that's not going to work. The heat builds up and the pig won't have space for the oven to cook properly. Get a smaller pig for a regular sized oven.

Kosher salt works the best. Do not be afraid to rub a lot of it all over the inside and outside of the pig.

I recommend it due to the fact that sometimes the meat will fall off while turning the pig.

If you’re talking about using a spritz like you do for ribs, you can, but you run the risk of rinsing off the salt/rub off of the skin. Besides, the spritz won’t penetrate the skin. A spritz could be done on the inside of the pig, but unless you’re cooking it above 250 degrees and trying to dry the meat out, it’s probably not necessary.