Whole Piglet on the Rotisserie

Our kids are certainly fearless when it comes to grilling.  When Reid was offered a 25 pound piglet he did not hesitate, knowing it would make for an adventurous and delicious summer meal.  Sadly, the day of the big roast Reid had to go to work, so his sister Samantha and her boyfriend Dan took over.  The pig was prepped by stuffing it and then sewing it back up.  Dan proved to be quite adept at the whole process. Then the grill was preheated and Wilbur (as our piglet was fondly named) was placed on a spit to rotisserie cook. 

After a few minutes of trial and error we realized that Wilbur was a bit off balance so the spit was not rotating fully and something needed to be done.  Necessity is the mother of invention, and the resulting spit cage contraption constructed by the engineering team of Ted, Dan, Andrew and David would have made MacGyver proud.  They cobbled together two bases for beer can chicken roasters, 3 extra spit rods, a lot of patience, and a hack saw.  After the construction was complete Wilbur was placed back on the grill and began his low and slow cook.  

 To go along with our delicious meal Lindsay and Norah whipped up a batch of Rhubarb Mint Mojitos as a cocktail, Samantha made her signature guacamole, and we had homemade apple sauce and a plethora of salads  and peas picked  fresh from the garden on the hill.    After stuffing and sewing up a pig it is nice to know that  the rest of your meal can be found in your garden or at least in the produce section of your local grocery store.  In addition to the peas, we were able to harvest the rhubarb and all of the fresh herbs for this meal!!

  

 However, one of the best parts of having a pig roast is you have plenty of leftovers for pulled pork sandwiches for lunch the next day and even some of Pam’s pulled pork antijitos for an appetizer.  All in all, it was a great way to spend an afternoon trying something new and spending time with friends and family.  

Whole Piglet on the Rotisserie:

Pat dry the pig inside and out with paper towels.  Stuff as described below.

To prepare the barbecue, remove cooking grids and place one large or 2 medium aluminum pans on the bottom of the grill.  Light the rear rotisserie burner and preheat on HIGH. 

 Position  the piglet on the spit, and balance it as well as possible.  See above for the MacGyver rotisserie adaptation.  Cook on MEDIUM-HIGH for 5-6 hours.

Stuffing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cooking onions, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups stale bread torn into pieces

Large bunch sage, roughly chopped

Large bunch chives, snipped

Large bunch parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Stuff into the cavity of the piglet, and stitch the belly closed.  We used a sharp needle and embroidery floss.

Coleslaw:

½ cabbage, shredded

1 red pepper, cut into paper thin slices

4 carrots, grated

1 vidalia onion, halved and thinly sliced

Dressing:

½ cup Mayonnaise

¼ cup Dijon mustard

1 tbsp white sugar

¼ cup Rice vinegar

 1 tsp Celery salt

1 clove Chopped garlic

In a large bowl, combine the prepared vegetables.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat.

Kris’ Barbecue Sauce:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic

1 bottle beer

¼ cup cider vinegar
21/2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp yellow  mustard

4 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp Mexican rub

½ tsp cayenne

1 cup crushed tomatoes, pureed

2 tbsp ketchup

½ tsp salt

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion.  Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the minced garlic, and stir for one minute before adding the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until beginning to thicken.

Dan made a fabulous Asian inspired dipping sauce as an alternative to conventional barbecue sauce.  It was delicious as an accompaniment to the rotisserie pork,  and with the pulled pork sandwiches the next day.
  
Dan's Dipping Sauce

  1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  2  cloves garlic, finely chopped

  2  teaspoons chopped ginger

  ¾ cup hoisin sauce

  ¼  tablespoon dark soy sauce

  ¼ cup water

  1  teaspoon salt

  1 tablespoon  sesame oil

  1 ½   teaspoons pureed chipotle chillies

  1 tablespoon Honey

  1 ½ teaspoons 5 spice powder

Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high to high heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry briefly until aromatic. Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the other ingredients. Heat through and remove from the stove. Cool.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches:

We drizzled the leftover pork with sauce, covered it tightly in foil, and placed it on the smoker for 2 hours for our sandwiches the next day.  They were delicious served with coleslaw.

Pulled Pork Antijitos:

8 ounces red pepper cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

3 green onions, minced

1 chipotle chili, minced

8 whole wheat flour tortillas

2 cups shredded pulled pork

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cilantro, green onions, and chipotle. Spread over the flour tortillas, then scatter the pulled pork over top, leaving a one inch border around the edge.  Roll up tightly, and slice into 1” pieces. 

Place the rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Heat through on the barbecue or in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Rhubarb Mojitos:

4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1” chunks

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Bunch mint

Juice of 5 limes

Ice

White rum

Sparkling water

In a medium saucepan, bring rhubarb, water and sugar to a boil and simmer until rhubarb is completely soft and falling apart.  Strain through cheesecloth lined sieve. Set aside to cool (syrup may be prepared 2 days in advance).

In a large glass pitcher, muddle together mint and 1 cup of the rhubarb syrup.  Add lime juice, ice, and rum and stir.  Pour into tall glasses with ice and top with sparkling water to taste.