Tried a whole hog on my offset smoker and it nearly became a disaster

I picked up a 90 pound hog from a local farm near Raleigh last weekend and figured I could handle it like brisket. Had the fire dialed in around 250 but the hind quarters just would not come up to temp no matter what I did. After 14 hours the shoulder was perfect but the ham still read 170 and I had hungry folks staring at me. Learned the hard way that a whole hog needs way more airflow around the thick parts and a different fire management plan. Anyone else mess up their first whole hog and have tips for keeping the heat even across the whole animal?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert6418d ago

lol man I gotta respectfully push back on the airflow thing. I've done maybe 8 whole hogs now on a cheap offset and the hind quarters are always a pain but I think you might be overthinking it. The real trick is starting with the fat cap facing down on the thick parts and flipping it halfway through. Airflow helps but the biggest game changer for me was dropping the temp to 225 for the first 6 hours then cranking it to 275 once the stall breaks. That slow start lets the heat soak into the hams more evenly. When you run at 250 the whole time the shoulders get done fast but the hams are still cold in the middle. I had the exact same issue my first time and someone told me to try that lower start and it fixed everything. Also make sure you're wrapping the thin parts like the loin and ribs with foil so they don't dry out while you wait on the hams.

kai_knight118d ago

What did you find was the sweet spot for the stall before you bumped the temp? I've tried waiting for 195 internal but sometimes it drags on forever and the meat starts drying out on me. Curious if you go by temp or just wait until the bark sets and the fat renders down.

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