Whole Hog Cooking - Cowboy Kent Rollins

Servings to 15

Ingredients

1 35 to 40 lb. hog
6 to 8 tablespoons Kent’s Rib Rub or your favorite pork rub

Hog Injection

16 ounces apple juice
16 ounces water
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup corn syrup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup rib rub
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 stick butter melted

Mexican Mop Sauce

2 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups apple juice
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
¼ cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 large white onion rough chopped
4 Hatch chiles or guajillo peppers or guajillo peppers

Instructions

To properly prep the pig, please reference our video. Link listed below.
For the injection: In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Dry the inside and outside of the hog well with paper towels.
With a syringe, inject the hog in the hams, loins and shoulders, making sure to inject about every 3 to 4 inches apart. Use half of the injection sauce and reserve the remaining sauce.
Generously season the inside of the hog with Kent’s Rib Rub, or substitute. Rub in the seasoning. Be careful not to get any seasoning on the outside skin of the hog.
For the Mexican Mop Sauce: combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the onions and pepper are tender, stirring occasionally.
If cooking the hog running-style, place on a 225 degree F. smoker and cook 5 to 6 hours, or until the internal temps are 165 to 175 degrees F. in the hams, 165 to 170 degrees F. in the loins and 200 degrees F. in the shoulders. Generously baste the hog with the mop sauce at least three times while smoking.
If cooking the hog splayed out over a pit (as shown in video), lay the hog over the fire meat side down and then sprinkle heavily with salt all over the outer skin. Place coals around the outside edge of the pit, with coals heavily placed directly under the hams and shoulders.
After 45 minutes, turn the hog over and baste with the mop sauce. Let is set for about 5 minutes then flip the hog back over meat side down, and continue to cook for about 2 ½ to 3 hours.
When the internal temp of the hams have reached 150 degrees F., flip the hog over, with skin-side down, and continue to cook for another 2 hours, or until the internal temperatures are 165 to 175 degrees F. in the hams, 165 to 170 degrees F. in the loins and 200 degrees F. in the shoulders.
Remove the hog from the rack and let it rest for about 30 to or until cool enough to handle. Peel back the skin and begin to shred the meat. Serve with additional mop sauce, if desired.

Notes

For our cooking how to watch our video https://youtu.be/F5iKZwzJLvc