The Special Occasion Kalua Pig Roast

Roasted Kalua Pig

Are you and your friends looking for something Crazy and Delicious to do? Why don't you roast the most delicious tasting Kalua Pig you could ever imagine!  Let me forewarn you before you read on that this article's undertaking is not for the faint of heart.  If you are looking to have an epic day that no one will forget,  if you are looking to have a day full of drinking, eating, talking, roasting, o ya and EATING!,  or if you are simply a huge fan of food, meat, and pig then by all means read on -- and prepare for some extreme mouth salivating. 

 

What you need:

• A whole hog -- Buy one to be delivered frozen to your door @  http://www.mcreynoldsfarms.com/
• A roasting site to build a roasting pit - roughly 3' X 5'.  Could be an empty field, or forest, or an empty lot (get creative)
• About 10 - 20 bricks (depending on the pit's size)
• Foil, a large square of sheet metal, and (chicken) wire
• Banana leaves (if you can)
• Lighter fluid and good quality firewood (at least two full boxes!) 
• A keg and friends
• A full day..  Meaning dawn to dusk!  Trust me, its worth it!!

What you need to do:

1)  Wake up before the sun rises, brew coffee, and get to the roasting site. Dig a roast pit at your chosen roasting site. Make sure its big enough for bricks, coals, the hog, plus about a foot of breathing room in each direction.  Line the bottom of the roasting pit with the bricks - in a checkerboard type of pattern, leaving square air pockets scattered across the pit bottom. The bottom of your pit should look something similar to this:

2)  Next, fill the pit with fire wood, drench it in lighter fluid, and light.  Let the wood burn down for the better part of 8 - 10 hours, or until the coals are glowing furiously with red.  This next part of the day is where you: relax and soak in the sun/ play a pickup football or frisbee game/ play some drinking games/ or even go for a hike.  But most importantly, it's when you get your hog seasoned and ready to roast!

3) Now for the fun part of the process - where you can get creative with your tastes.  Season the fully thawed hog with loads of salt, pepper, lime, garlic, cyan, red pepper flakes, salsas, powders, and seasonings.  Don't go overboard though because the slow roasted pig will create (as well as amplify) all of the juices and tastes already extracted from the roast.  And, it is very important to prop the pigs mouth open with an apple so as to allow heat flow into the body cavity, and receive a more complete and fully cooked pig!

4)  Alright, now to wrap the hog. This part of the process is important in that you need to focus on containing the flavors and juices, along with keeping the (soft as butter) pig from falling apart and disintegrating into the coals.  In my experience this process seems to work the best -- Wrap the pig generously with banana leaves, maybe 4-5 layers of leaf coating.  Then wrap that in another 4-5 layers of foil, twisting off the pointed edges so as to air seal it.  Finally, tie the final package using the (chicken) wire - in a cross tied style so that the package is secured and able to be lowered down on to the coals. Your HOG is READY!

5) After your hours of activities, and after preparing the hog -- make your way back to the roast pit.. Hog on shoulder!  Carefully set the large metal sheet onto the now fearsomely red hot coals.  Next, lower the wrapped hog on to the sheetmetal using the wire that was tied around it.  Finally, and immediately, fill the entire pit back in with the dirt that you had originally dug out at the start of the day.  This creates an environment for the still burning coals (but now air deprived) to slowly and carefully cook the meat to perfection.

6) Go back to your activities and what not, and let the hog slow roast for about 8 - 12 hours. (depending on it's size)  Once you can smell the delicious and paralyzing aromas seeping from the pit, dig out your wrapped and now roasted pig roast. Obviously do not touch the packaging with your hands, for it will be hotter than hell!  Unwrap and lay the moist pig out on a table, dig in, of course top off your beer, and ENJOY! 

That is --  Enjoy the best Roasted Kalua Pig Ever!...

** And just as a reminder, this is an all-day activity.. so be prepared to begin early, and eat late! Otherwise, build the fire and prepare the coals the night before you plan to roast the pig. **   ~ Roast On ~