I just had a small party where I spit roasted a small pig (11 lbs). I removed it from the heat when the temperature was at 155F. The skin was still a little soft but nicely colored. I wanted to remov it before it became too dry. The pig, however, came very gamey. What is the proper marinating procedure or recommended recipe to reove the gamey taste. How do I roast a perfect pig? Thank You.
We use a mixture of Cuban and Puerto Rican methods for our spit roast. Granted taste is a subjective thing but at 11 pounds there shouldn't have been a gamey taste to it and I can't explain that. Was it a wild little boar? Here is what we do: The pig is butchered and allowed to chill in the refrigerator or on ice outside for at least two days. On the second day we rub and marinade with garlic, salt, oregano, black pepper, and sour orange and let that marinade overnight (sometimes we use a mixture that we purchase called Bohio spice but that is hard to find if there is no Puerto Rican population in your area). The spit is set at 2 feet from the floor (or as high as three feet if it is large pig) and the coals are set around the edges of the cbs block (our pit is made with cbs blocks) not directly beneath the roaster. We prefer to keep a low temperature and manually turn the spit constantly. We remove when the skin is hard and browned and the meat is easily taken off the bone (not falling off the bone). We don't do young boars after they reach about 35- 40 pounds. That is when their meat starts to take on the boar smell. I will dig up some photos of our last roast and upload those to show you our pit.
This link will show you a photo of one which is almost done. At this point you have to be careful not to feed the fire or the skin on the sides will burn before the skin on the legs is ready. The photo shows a pig with skin ready except for the legs. Notice the coals are not directly beneath the pig. We use a piece of plywood to either retain heat over the spit or let it out when the plywood is removed.
Mmmmmm Tango, I can almost smell that! I know everyone is different, but I cook my hogs to 170 degrees and let them rest for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the juice equalize. I have to admit...most of the hogs I cook are closer to 100lbs.
