A method of classic
barbecue, as practiced in the American
South. An entire pig is cooked in a slow-cooking
smoker or
pit, at temperatures from 170 to 250
Fahrenheit degrees, for as long as 20 to 26 hours for large hogs. Although the rules of the
Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest specify that the hog weigh at least 85 pounds, the term "whole hog" can also apply to a 12- to 18-pound
suckling pig. As Jeffrey Steingarten writes in his article "Going Whole Hog," included in the excellent collection
The Man Who Ate Everything:
"The challenge of barbecuing a whole hog is to get the huge, thick
shoulder (the mass of muscle above the front leg) and the
ham (above the hind leg)
done at the same time as the delicate central portions of
loin and
rib - while making sure that the flavor of
spices and
smoke penetrate deep inside the hog."
As in all aspects of classic American barbecue, debate runs high about the best way to cook a whole hog, and there is broad variation from region to region, even of the fundamentals. Some say the hog must be cooked directly over wood coals, while others are more flexible about where the coals go and what sort of elaborate apparatus goes inside your pit. Some even say that the "low and slow" cooking method is mere ritual, and higher heat brings better results if you start with a pig that's fat enough.