Roast Suckling Pig (covered Barbecue)

Ingredients

Select a pig weighing 30 to 35 pounds. To avoid collapsing of the
pig while cooking, fill the abdominal cavity with dressing. Firmly
fill with a dressing such as bread crumbs and chopped celery,
seasoned with salt, pepper and ground sage. Sew up the cavity
opening or use a skewer. Fit tin foil caps over the ears and tail
to avoid burning. These caps should be removed about l/2 hour before
the barbecue is completed to obtain a uniform baking color. Leave
the wooden block in the pig's mauth, so that a red apple can be
inserted when the barbecue is completed. Briquettes are placed only
on the sides of the charcoal grill and separate from the suckling
pig by the walls of the foil drip pan. To make this drip pan, use
3 sheets of heavy aluminum foil molded slightly larger than the
pig to collect the rich drippings.

Instructions

Place the cooking grill over the foil drip pan. This will allow you to add more briquettes as needed, and to collect the basting fluids. All cooking is done by reflected heat, not by direct flame. Place about 35 briquettes on each side of the foil drip pan and ignite. It will take about 25 to 30 minutes for the briquettes to be ready for the cooking to begin. Place a meat thermometer in the pig, being careful not to hit the bone, which would reflect an incorrect reading. Approximate cooking time will be 10 minutes per pound of body weight. The thermometer will read 185 degrees when the suckling pig is done. The barbecue should be operating with all dampers wide open, and the addition of approximately 12 briquettes to each side every 1 1/2 hours will be necessary. About l/2 hour before the suckling pig is done, baste generously with the basting sauce. When the barbecue is completed, close all dampers. To serve the barbecued pig, slice the skin from the base of the tail to the back of the neck and peel the skin down the sides. Carve the small hams first, slice the rib sections next, and carve the front shoulders and jowl last. BASTING SAUCE 1 cup honey 1 ounce soy sauce 1 cup orange concentrate Mix together and cook the above ingredients for 5 minutes. Liberal usage on partially cooked suckling pig enhances the finished entree.