This Little Piggy

SOME PIG: Normally, I lead my blog posts with a really big picture on top.  I'm not going to do that this time, because I want to give you a chance to hit the 'eject' button. ...

If you do not want to see what pork ribs, bacon and ham look like before they reach the supermarket, this is your chance to skedaddle.

This weekend we headed to Siletz, Ore., for a very special birthday party. Part of the festivities involved roasting a real live whole dead pig. Me being me, I took lots of pictures of said pig in various states of undress.

It was a great opportunity for the kids to see that meat doesn't just come from plastic-wrapped packages in a grocery store. Rather, it comes from previously living breathing, and in some cases snorting and oinking, animals.

The subject of our roast spent a couple days on ice in a lovely bathtub before being manhandled into a wheelbarrow and carted to the garage.

There, with surgical precision, the pig was butterflied. It took some pretty heavy duty hammering with mallets and cleavers to get the job done.

Here's what delicious pork ribs look like before they're seasoned, slathered in sauce and BBQed to perfection. ... 

After the jaw and head were split open, we got a look at its not-so-pearly whites.

Once it was butterflied, the poor piggy was flipped back over. 

I put a butcher knife within its reach, but she didn't stand a fighting chance at this point. 

It was now time to strap Petunia to a rebar rack before she was barbecue bound.

I couldn't help but take the photo above. It looks like her hoof is being tenderly held to help ease her through the process. 

Once secure, it was time to transport this little piggy to the fire pit.  Here, Christian carries the front of the rack.

And here's the pit, constructed of concrete blocks, lined in foil, and hot charcoal was spread around the bottom.

She was placed skin side down, and if memory serves, she was flipped after about 90 minutes. At that point, she looked like this. ...

After her underside cooked for an hour-plus, it was time for another flip to crisp the skin. ...

And the pig did, indeed, become a crispy critter.

Cooked through and through, the pig could practically be pulled apart with bare hands.

I do believe there were two dozen people on hand eating dinner. Even after everyone had their fill, there was so much meat left, it looked like no one had eaten. A 75 pound pig could feed a much larger army.

Suffice it to say, the whole thing, from start to finish, was a spectacle to behold. If you want to take one on yourself, check out this link to a Web page where "Three Guys from Miami" teach you had to "Roast a Pig Like a Pro."  It worked like a charm for the hard working, skilled pig roasters hosting the party in Siletz!