Rotisserie Suckling Pig Flavour Tips!?

I always wanted to try something I saw on Anthony Bourdin's No Reservations.  He was in South East Asia and the people cooking were hand turning a whole pig over a wood pit.  It was stuffed with garlic, lemon grass, galangal, etc.  And then basted with coconut milk like every 30min.  I have yet to try this but I always wanted to.  The result was crispy almost candied skin and most flavorful meat.  You could still do the brine (maybe incorporate fish sauce and palm sugar for the SE asian flavor).  And defineatly use wood for the fire.  That's what I would do anyways..

 

35 pounds is a bit large for a "suckling" pig. I run into the same trouble here as it's just not cost effective for farmers to sell them any smaller. I can get 25 pounders if I convince them I will still pay their price but I just haven't found a source for smaller ones locally. Finding one with the skin on is even harder. 

As far as wood or charcoal......BOTH!

I use Royal Oak lump charcoal that I pick up at Wally World. It's about $6.50 for ten pounds this year. For basting I like a good old Carolina Vinegar with a bit of sugar, Salt and red peppers that I let steep and then allow to set for at least a day in advance. 

Hope it turns out well!

 

We've been meaning to spit roast a baby pig this summer, will probably do it in September when the weather is tolerable.  But we do spit roast a lamb every year with much success.  If I were doing a pig I'd follow a similar procedure and stuff it with quartered lemons, whole garlic cloves, and lots of fresh thyme - season the inside liberally.  I would also make slits in the legs and stuff with garlic.  For a baste I would use a vinegraitte made with olive oil, lemon, dijon, and thyme, salt and pepper.  The simpler the better.

My husband is in charge of the fire.  He uses royal oak charcoal.  You start off with a little bit of charcoal near the front and back end leaving the middle unheated for now.  He has a chimney near by to light the charcoal when he needs to add.  I spend the year collecting bits and pieces of wood that taste good.  I collect oregano and thyme stems, rosemary stems, and grape stems and throw them on to the fire periodically.  They have a wonderful aroma.

I am not a fan of brining, have never liked the taste of brined meat.

 

I don't know how the brine will affeft the texture of the meat.  The purpose of spit roasting is that you cook it low and slow until the meat falls apart.  It's plenty fatty, it's not like pork chops that may dry out.  Testing with a thermometer is always a good idea but also make sure that the meat pulls back away from the joints.  That means it's cooked also. 

You always begin by placing the spit on the top hook the farthest away from the fire.  Every few hours lower the spit closer to the fire until it ends up on the bottom hook in the last hour.  Low and slow is the name of the game.

Your basting sauce sounds great.  I would add some kind of oil to it as well though.

 

My basic mop is 50/50 olive oil cider vinegar. You can add other flavors to this base.

 

Inject

BDL

 

Whenever I try something new I always make it as simply as possible so that I can get a real account of what went wrong or right during the process and to get the most basic flavor.  I remember when I first tried making duck breast I cooked it with salt and pepper and served it with steamed green beans.  Since then I've experimented with fruits, honeys, spices, and adventurous side dishes one notch up at a time.  I really would hate to see a suckling pig attended by friends and family who will then be disappointed that it tastes like apple pie.  But to each his own.  Cinnamon, really?

 

I guess I'm the odd man out because I would never baste with oil. There's already plenty of fat in the pig. The last thing I want is more oil dripping in my fire.  I would skip the rosemary. Herbs can turn bitter in a heartbeat. I also don't want any strong flavors. Just mild pork with a light smoke and some twang on the skin. I forgot to mention that I do mix in wood chunks (apple or cherry)  with my charcoal. I like the garlic idea as long as the cloves are left whole to infuse the sauce but IMO you need to balance that sour with at least some sugar. I don't think you are going to need to baste that often.

 

Don't overcomplicate with too much mopping.  A great deal of the pleasure of a whole pig is the cracklings -- yet you seem intent on making the  skin soggy. 

Brining is not the same thing as marinating. The purpose of brining, which includes lots of salt, is to keep the meat moist -- which isn't usually much of an issue with a whole pig, even a small one.  I think you may mean marinating. 

Marinating for flavor isn't as efficient as injecting, and has other problems with a piece as large as a whole pig.  The answer is injection.

If you want rosemary -- get a LOT, soak it, and throw some on the fire occasonally.  You can do the same with whole heads of garlic.  You won't actually get that much smoke penetration, but your backyard will smell GREAT.

Finally, get the past hardwood lump charcoal you can afford and that's reasonably available in your area (charcoal tends to be local).  The Royal Oak sold at Wal-Mart is fine, but not great compared to -- say -- Lazzeri Mesquite.  Mesquite is an especially good choice for an open pit because it brings so much more taste than most other charcoals.

If you like, you can mix every twenty pound bag of charcoal with about five pounds of hardwood chunks -- preferably pecan, hickory, oak or a fruitwood like cherry, pear or a citrus.  Grape cuttings are also very good.  If you bury the chunks in the fire so your chunks or cuttings won't just flame up, it actually will get some smoke into the meat. 

You actually could use an all hardwood fire if you like, but you'll have to start with fairly large pieces (fireplace logs at a minimum), burn them down to coals in a separate pit, and transfer them to your rotisserie's pit on an as needed basis.  Obviously, it's a major pain.  Worth it?  If you have the space, the help, the tools and the extra pit, yes.  For 92.7% of us, no.

Rethink your mop.  You don't really need to mop a whole pig on a rotisserie.  It won't penetrate the skin, and only interfere with the crisping process. 

One thing you may not have thought of is what do with the pig once it's cooked.  Cut and clean a piece of 2"x12" plank and have it standing by so you can pull the spit from the pig.  Meanwhile, make sure there's a large enough space at your buffet table for the plank.  When the pig is done, and the spit removed, dress the plank and pig with garnish, and move the whole shebang to the serving table.  If you don't want to use a plank, fine.  Just make sure you know what you're going to do, who's going to help you do it, and whether you need tools and gloves ready.

The highest hurdle in your case is obviously a tendency to over-do.  Keep it simple.  Don't overcomplicate.  Inject, don't marinate.  Enjoy yourself.

Good luck,

BDL

 

I only mop the ribs when I am cooking pork. Shoulders I pretty much ignore other than flipping every so often. Mustard slather, rub, put on to cook and no peeking. If you are using a covered rotisserie you add time to the cook every time you open the door.