Originally Posted by SuperSwede
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Kind of long here, but this talk of BBQ pork took me back to some of the best BBQ and times I can remember....
Mmmmm...pork...
Well, I've been taught over the years that there's grilling, and then there's BBQ...
Grilling is what you do when you don't have the time, BBQ is what you do when you have all day to do it (and an ample supply of beer to "lubricate" the process)...
As it's said by the real BBQ aficianados, cooking pork on a charcoal grill (or a gas grill) is grilling.
Slow cooking it all day on indirect heat in a big, smokey cooker over real charcoal is BBQ...
Pig roasts are pretty big down here, since the critters run wild all over the place when you get away from the coastal areas. As a young man and transplant to Florida some 36 years ago, I was new to the ways of Southern BBQ, and the long time Florida Crackers aren't always so welcoming to strangers from "up north". But, having grown up with a love for hunting, fishing, and the outdoors in general, I had a lot in common with the local boys here. I quickly went from being a "Yankee" to a "Damn Yankee" (a Yankee who never leaves), to being accepted as one of the boys.
I remember well, my introduction into the world of the Southern pig roast.
It would start at about 6:00am when we'd set up the fire to create the charcoal that we would use all day. That meant setting up a big "V"-shaped rebar rack that was about six feet long and three feet high. Each "V" section was connected to the others (about six in all) by long rebar "stringers" that were welded in place. This rack was then placed on top of a flat sheet of fairly thick steel that layed on the ground. The bottom of the rack sat about 2-feet above the steel sheet with the edges of the sheet extended out around the rack by about two feet on all sides. Into the rack we'd load split oak until it was about half to three quarters of the way up the rack. The wood was then doused with kerosene which was allowed to soak in for a while. The fire was then lit, and you waited for it to burn down. Once the wood burned down to the charcoal, it would start to fall through the rack down to the steel sheet below. With a shovel, we'd pick up the hot burning coals and load it into one side of the cooker. All the while, we'd be adding fresh wood to the top of the fire as the wood below burned down. This ensured a continuous supply of charcoal all day long.
The process of preparing the meat varied, but it always involved the use of rubs, marinates, and about 24 hours for the meat to soak it all in. As to the cooking itself, well that is a lengthy process...
The meat would be placed on racks above, and away from the side where the coals were. Depending upon whether the pig had been taken directly from the wild, or had been caught, penned, and corn fed, various bastes were used to moisten the meat and remove any gaminess. It's pretty convenient that one of the best things to use for this purpose grows all over this area...citrus. Nothing like it to cut that gamey flavor in pork. The pork would cook like this for several hours until it was so tender that the meat fell off the bone. At this point, the BBQ sauce was brushed on. Recipes again varied according to the "head chef" in charge (not exactly what he was usually called).
While the crew was readying the fire and the cooker, someone else would be making breakfast for all who were working. Ham, eggs, sausage, grits, potatoes, biscuits and gravy, coffee - all sorts of things. About late morning those people not directly involved in the actual BBQ-ing of the meat, would start to arrive. Eveyone brought something from BBQ beans, slaw, potato salad, BEER, ice, plates, utensils, and so forth. Others set up their own cooking stations and made their favorite swamp cabbage, venison stew, deep fried venison, and if we were lucky - gator tail. They're would be cast iron skillet corn bread cooking, and the air would be filled with all kinds of aromas. Still others would come with deserts. And no pig roast would be complete without some good pecan pie (pronounced PEE-can
My first introduction to this started back in the early 1970's, when Southern Rock music was coming into it's own. The Allman Brothers Band, The Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet, Elvin Bishop, The Outlaws, Blackfoot, .38 Special - would all be blaring from from speakers set around the area. At times, we would have all day jam sessions for those of us who played (there were always many). There could be over a hundred people at one of these events,. and that was just friends, relatives and friends of friends and relatives. Some of the best parties I'd ever been too, and it was always a group effort.
Ah, my misspent youth....