Meathead

If you want to barbecue a whole hog, you have several options:

1. Hire a pro.

2. Get a portable pit from a rental service.

3. Borrow a portable pit.

4. Buy a portable pit.

5. Build a pit.

If you rent a pit, know that gas pits are really easy to control, and you can still add wood for smoke. Charcoal and wood require nonstop vigilance.

A handful of old-timers like Skylight Inn in Ayden, North Carolina, and Jackie Hite of Bar-B-Q in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina, still do it old school, on concrete block pits with log embers for heat. You can do it old school, too, for very little money.

You must cook with indirect heat. Hogs drip a lot of fat. If you have hot coals underneath, you will have charhog. But you don’t need anything elaborate. Jackie Hite uses old-school concrete block pits. Nothing fancy, but they make for some superb meat.

On the next page are plans for building your own no-frills pit suitable for a butterflied 75-pound hog. It is designed so it can be a temporary structure, or you can make it permanent. All together, the materials will set you back about $175, plus an extra $75 if you plan to make it a permanent structure.

You can fit a 100-pounder or more on this rig if you cut the head and remove the trotters at the knees and elbows. But don’t throw away the head and trotters. Just place them next to the torso. If you plan on cooking larger hogs, you can scale this plan up.

Materials

54 concrete blocks, 16 by 8 by 8 inches (actually 15.75 by 7.75 by 7.75 inches). This will get your hog 24 inches above the embers, and you’ll have a row to hold the lid.
2 sheets of ¼-inch plywood, 4- by 8-foot long. Cut one down to about 44 by 60 inches for the lid, and the other to 20 by 36 inches for the optional heat shield. Scrap will be used to cover the intake vents.
2 rolls of heavy-duty aluminum foil
4 (48-inch) lengths of 3/8-inch rebar. You can use a sheet of expanded metal rather than rebar if you wish.
46-by-72-inch piece of at least 14-gauge nonclimbable uncoated fence wire or rabbit wire. Do not use galvanized metal because it can give off noxious gases.
2 1-by-2 boards, each 6 feet long
100 (6-inch) bare wire loop ties
2 pieces lightweight sheet metal, about 20 by 10 inches each, for dampers, or you can use baking sheets

Optional

More rebar to pound into the ground to prevent the blocks from shifting
Fireplace mortar to lock the blocks permanently into place
Lightweight sheet metal (not galvanized), about 44 by 60 inches, for the lid
Lightweight sheet metal (not galvanized), about 30 by 48 inches, for the heat shield
20 (40-pound) bags premixed concrete for a 3-inch-thick slab base

Tools

Wire cutters
Level
Hacksaw
Hammer
Chisel
Utility stapler and plenty of staples
Wheelbarrow, steel drum, or charcoal grill to start coals
Shovel
Garden hose or buckets of water or fire extinguisher

Tips

Keep the pit at least 10 feet from buildings and overhanging trees in case of a grease fire. Keep a fire extinguisher rated for grease on hand. Fire extinguishers rated ABC can handle most everything except combustible metals. Beware: They contain a yellow powder that can damage electrical devices.

Start by clearing a 4-by-5-foot base by removing grass, and prepare an all-dirt or sand base at least 2 inches thick. For a permanent structure, pour a 3-inch-thick concrete slab. If you have a dirt base, you will need to discard some of it when you are done because fat and meat drippings will get into the dirt. If needed, you can buy sand at a hardware store. I recommend lining a dirt pit with heavy-duty aluminum foil for easy cleanup.

Make sure the ground is level. Stack the concrete blocks 4 rows high, 3 full lengths, and then turn 1 block on each course, staggering the blocks so they overlap as in the illustration opposite. Leave out a block on the head and tail side so you can add coals and wood and rake them around. Cover these holes with a board and a concrete block when they are not in use.

Make notches in the fourth course of blocks with a hammer and chisel deep enough to hold the rebar so the next course of blocks will lie flat. Put the rebar in the notches. Don’t put the top course of blocks on yet.

The Heat Shield

A sheet of plywood cut down to 20 by 36 inches will serve as an optional heat shield. If you bank your coals to the sides and corners properly, you may not need it, but I recommend you have it on hand in case something starts to burn or overcook. This goes on top of the rebar and beneath the stretcher to shield the hog from direct heat.

This size leaves space between the shield and the inside of the pit so hot air can rise alongside the shield and bounce off the lid. You will remove it late in cooking when it is time to crisp the skin. Wrap it in aluminum foil and staple down the foil. Don’t worry: It won’t burn unless you have a grease fire because your pig sitter fell asleep. If the pit is to be a permanent structure, make your heat shield from sheet metal, preferably aluminum because it won’t rust.

The Cover

Cover the bottom of the plywood lid with foil. If you wish, you can use a sheet metal top instead of plywood.

The Stretcher

To carry the hog and hold it in place on the pit, you need to build a stretcher, with two poles for the stretcher bearers and a wire-mesh sling in between for the hog. Nonclimbable fence wire is heavier gauge and sturdier than chicken wire. You can use chicken wire, but if you do, it would be a good idea to use two layers. Make sure the wire is not galvanized or coated with plastic.

Make a sling of the wire wide enough to hang over the edges of the pit by at least 1 foot on either side. Attach two 6-foot lengths of 1-by-2-inch boards for handles with staples and reinforce them with wire loop ties.