Beaman Family, Meats
1 large pig (110 lbs), cleaned and butterflied
50 lbs charcoal
hickory chunks
rented or borrowed pig cooker
Generic Eastern N.C. sauce:
1 gal. apple cider vinegar
1 c. molasses
6 T. red pepper (part crushed, part ground)
salt
Place pig in cooker, rib side down.
Start 10 lbs of charcoal and place under pig.
Put hickory chunks on top of charcoal for flavor.
Cook pig about 9 hours, adding charcoal in 10lb batches as needed (every 1 1/2-2 hours).
Turn pig about halfway through.
About 1 hr. before time to eat, remove ribs from pig and lightly chop shoulders and hams, adding a vinegar based barbecue sauce (no tomato) to the pig.
When ready to eat, open the cooker and invite guests to pick the pig.
I have a pigpicking every June and sometimes in October. We started when Ike was about 5. In October it’s sometimes as a fundraiser for a political candidate. We have a big potluck and pyrotechnics: 100+ people, lot of kids (I’ve created a vegetarian in a kid before). Often bluegrass music around a fire.