We are back from the farm and feeling the effects of the 100 foot slip and slide. There are parts of my body that are sore that I didn’t know I had.
We arrived on Friday at around 6:00. We quickly set up our tent and got the pooch acclimated to her new surroundings. Since we have been back, she has been laying on the air conditioning register. It was a long weekend for her.
Our first dinner of weekend consisted of the first major food group - beef. Rib eye steaks over charcoal with a side of asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Saturday morning we woke up, slowly at that, and made our way to Wood’s where we picked up the 115 lb. hog. Wood’s has a great selection of sauces and whatnots, so I picked up about 6 bottles of different sauces to try as well as a bag of lump made by King Charcoal.
I brought a variety of grocery store sauces as well. Since we had over 20 people I figured it would be a great excuse to get them all out and try them. The three best hands down were made by Blues Hog. More on that in a second.
After we packed the pig in a cooler we built the 100 foot slip and slide and of course gave it a few test runs. We were ready for takeoff. Just enough time to ride the ATV until sundown. 50+ miles by the weekends end. Not too bad.
Around 6:00 that evening people started piling in. At least 20-25 friends total. I had already had a brisket which was slathered with mustard and rub on the smoker since 10AM. We then fired up two Weber’s and cooked what seemed like a never ending supply of chicken legs and thighs. Both kettles were filled from end to end.
For the chicken I tossed half in Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Sauce. It’s a great all-purpose standby sauce that can be found in most grocery stores. By the end of the night somehow the rest of the chicken had made it’s way into the bowl.
The briskets were perfect. They fell apart easily and looked like pulled pork. I ended up covering them in Blues Hog’s Original Sauce. It has a apple vinegar sweetness with a slight kick. I admit, I had it for breakfast the next day but wasn’t the only one. Brisket and gravy… Healthy.
Sunday brought much of the same. ATVs, slip and slides, and prepping the hog. We used cinder blocks and wire grates to hold the hog in place. It cooked from about 8 in the morning to 8 at night. Unfortunately it didn’t quite cook enough - but we had mouths to feed…
I finished two kettles worth of corn in the husk and began taking literally buckets of pork to the flames. Mixed with a little apple wood for more flavoring. No one seemed to mind the wait.
In the end everything turned out excellent. Everyone was more than well fed, and hey - I got to use the WSM and two kettles to make some delicious food. Now it is time to catch up some air-conditioned sleep.
[...] His instructions for heat management were right on; practically timed perfectly. The bone pulled right out and the meat fell apart with just a push. I finished it off with Blue’s Hog Tennessee Red. Have been dying to use that with pulled pork since the whole hog. [...]