Pig Roast by Bob Williams
Freezer Inventory:
45 lb roaster @ $5.00/lb + $45 slaughter = $270
113 lb roaster @ $4.00/lb + $45 slaughter = $497
Very much subject to change as pigs sell. Plan in advance. Reserve early.
Roaster pigs are available for events. Order a month or more ahead for fresh roasters – It takes a minimum of two weeks to get an order into the butcher’s schedule plus there is processing time. The earlier you get into the schedule the better. Sometimes we’ll have roasters in the freezer that is available for rush orders – See the freezer inventory above.
36 lb Roaster Pig in Cooler
Roasting a small pig is a long, slow job. Enjoy the process. Make the cooking an event in and of itself. Roasting a big pig is an even longer, slower process – think: all day. Take your time and enjoy the cooking with friends. If you’re new to it – do a smaller pig the first time to make it easier. If you can have help from someone who’s done it before then so much the better.
Price Weight Range in Pounds Suckling $5.00/lb 10……49 Roaster $4.00/lb 50……119 Whole $3.50/lb 120……300 ($150 minimum for pig)
Sucklings refers to a pig that is still nursing or drinking dairy which ours do their entire lives. Thus the term suckling refers to smaller roasters. Sucklings are as small as you would like down to birth weight which is only a few pounds but there is a minimum charge since we can sell that same piglet as a live weaner – this makes a 10 lb suckling very expensive per pound. Generally a 20 to 49 lb suckling makes a good small roaster and can even be cooked in the oven much like cooking a turkey. Note that very small pigs don’t have proportionally as much meat as medium and larger pigs so allow more per guest.
Very large roasters take a very long time to cook. I would recommend that you start with a small or medium sized roaster for your first event as it is easier to get right.
All pigs are USDA slaughtered and dressed ready for cooking. Add $45 slaughter per pig.
See the order form for pricing and full details.
Final price is based in the actual hanging weight measured by the butcher. We can not guarantee the exact weight on fresh pigs. If you want an exact weight, check the freezer inventory above.
How Large a Pig: How large a pig depends on how many guests you are going to have and what else you’ll be feeding them. Part of it is going to depend on the ages of the people (teens eat a lot for example) and part on what else is being served (e.g., chicken, turkey, beef, etc). The rule of thumb is 1/4 to 1/2 lb of meat per person for large roaster pigs. For small roaster pigs increase that to 1/2 to 1 lb per person because small roasters have less meat proportionally although they are much easier to cook – a trade off. For this reason some people do two small pigs rather than one large one.
Transportation: When transporting your pig you can wrap it in Foil-Bubble-Bubble-Foil, a space blanket or the like to help keep heat out. Also pack it in ice, adding more ice as that melts if you’re on a long trip.
Holding: When you get to your destination put it in a clean container for thawing and brining if you will be doing that. A bath tub works well. A very large picnic cooler works if the pig is small enough. We can also build a specially made insulated box for you for $75 which has a return for $50 credit on your next roaster if you bring the box back in good condition. What ever you use, wash it out with a bleach solution and rinse it before putting the pig in it.
Thawing: All frozen pigs were fast deep frozen from fresh to maintain top quality. They are kept at a very low freezer temperature so allow extra time for thawing. Thawing typically takes three to four days. The meat must be kept cold below 40°F while thawing.
Brining: A good method of thawing is to thaw in a brine with water, salt and your favorite spices. See this article about How to Brine a Ham for ideas on how we do brining. Keep some ice in the brine to act as a temperature indicator. When the ice melts it is time to add more ice. A thermometer is also useful – some even have alarms for when the temperature gets too high. Brining in ice water works whether you’re starting with a frozen pig or a fresh pig. Just keep the temperature below 40°F.
Pig Roast by Chef Cameron Giezendanner
Cooking: We do not have pig roasters available for rent. They are reasonably easy to make in a variety of styles if you’re at all handy. Check the Internet for ideas. The key in roasting a pig is to cook it slowly over coals not flame. Slow cooking gives the best results producing mouthwateringly tender, juicy meat. Be aware that larger pigs take a lot longer to cook. If you’ve never done a pig roast before I would suggest having someone with experience help you and perhaps starting with a small pig the first time. When you get your pig, ask about getting some extra back fat to put on the roaster – makes crispin’s too. If you are looking for a chef to help you let us know and we can put you in contact some who have experience doing pig roasts.
WASHINGTON, May 24, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating its recommendation for safely cooking pork, steaks, roasts, and chops. USDA recommends cooking all whole cuts of meat to 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat, then allowing the meat to rest for three minutes before carving or consuming.
-New USDA guidelines
Fresh vs Frozen: Properly frozen meat is every bit as good as fresh meat. Many of our high end restaurant customers use frozen to produce their delicious dishes. The advantage of frozen is you know what size pig you are getting from the existing inventory and you can get it quickly. The advantage of fresh is that you can order a different size pig but you must order at least one month in advance with a deposit. Realize we can not guarantee we will hit the size exactly because to do a fresh pig we must go out into the field and guess the pig’s weight, deliver it to the butcher for slaughter and then we find out what the real hanging weight is. You pay based on the final hanging weight either way, fresh or frozen.
Delivery: $10 along our regular weekly delivery route typically on Wednesdays or Thursdays. We do not ship meat or pigs. You must be capable of hefting pigs over 50 lbs as my wife Holly who makes deliveries will not lift them. Bring help if you will need it.
How to Order: Call or email to check availability and let us know your event date and the size pig you’re looking for as well as any other details. To order a roaster pig send a note of the date of your event and size pig you are aiming for with a non-refundable $100 deposit to:
Sugar Mountain Farm
252 Riddle Pond Road
West Topsham, VT 05086
walterj@sugarmtnfarm.com
(802) 439-6462 noon to 2 pm < -- Phone is for ordering only. See the contact page for contact about anything else.
Do not call after 7 pm.
Do you have a recipie for Pig Roast, for the spices?
Your website is very interisting, I enjoyed it.
At this stage, the easy part of pigs is raising and feeding them. The challenge is to cut it into pieces and learn to cook and eat pork. I like them more alive. Do you maybe have a recipie book in connection with pork meals?
Kind Regards
Magda
I don’t at this time have such recipes but our son Will is working on putting something together along these lines so watch this space in the future. See the brining article for what we use to brine hams and bacon. That could be used for a pig roast too.