Hog Roast

[Fallow Buck]

My dad did this little hog roast on my B'day last week in Cyprus so I thought I'd post a couple of photo's.







Does anyone do hog/spit roasts here in the UK? If so Do you know where I might get the parts made?

Thanks,
FB

[Paul Kribs]

Now that's my kind of food, looks great.

Don't know where you can find the equipment here in the UK. Maybe if you could find a blacksmith.. I didn't know we had a blacksmith in Eltham until he closed last year..

Regards, Paul Kribs

[hmmm sausages]

I'm at work at the moment so can't see the pictures But I look forward to going home and having a look, I love hog roasts!

I went to Roves Farm near Swindon at the weekend with my little boy and they can be hired for functions, they had a great big thing there for Hog Roasting, looked like a good idea for a party!!

[saucisson]

I sincerely regret not picking up a spit set at a steam rally a year or so ago. Unless you want to spend >�1200 on a flash bit of stainless steel kit a world away from what you want there are few choices. Unless you have a blacksmith still alive anywhere nearby. Whereabouts are you FB? There is a place near here that does bespoke stuff (Culham)

Dave

[jenny_haddow]

You could try local colleges running metal working courses. Could be an interesting project for a student and a few bob in his pocket. When my daughter was a student they would often take on outside jobs, the college were pleased for them to get the experience.

Jen

[Fallow Buck]

Saucison,

I'm near Bromley in Kent. I spoke to a freind yesterday that in a Stainless Steel welder who assures me he can make anything for me. I just need to make the drawings first so he can see if it is feasable.

I'm not massively keen on these spit roasts you see with big bars going through the pig, which is why I like the system dad had made. It is basically a ring that slides over the main 20mm spitand clamps in place with a wing nut. Out of the side are two protrusions of about 4" with a 10mm ring on the end. there are 2 rods that go through the rings and clamp together so you end up with the main spit and two supporting rods that gothrough the legs of a bigger animal or just act as support on a smaller one.



Jenny,

That is a good idea to approach a local college. If my freind doesn't have time to make it then I thik that is the way I'll go.

Rgds,
FB

[dougal]

Someone you might consider contacting...
http://forum.downsizer.net/viewtopic.ph ... 817#162817

[saucisson]

Gosh, I wonder who was the mystery man who bought the one off ebay mentioned in that link?:

Quote:

I just bought the one off ebay, I could have probably made one myself but don't seem to have the time, I'll let you know how I get on with it.

Franco"

Unquote

Must be a coincidence

Dave

[snorkers_good_oh]

Have a look in Hugh Fearnley-W,stalls book "Meat"

Then get out and shoot a yearling doe this winter as they will be in superb condition after this summer Mmmmmm.

[pokerpete]

The Hog Roast outfit I normally see is usually at Horse Racing Meeting, but no doubt he attends other events.
It is fired by propa/ butagaz bottles and was made out of old gas fires riveted onto a SS backplate.
The spit drive is a reduction geared motor, and the other end of the spit rests in a bracket that is simply secured.
The pig is being cooked as he drives along to the venue.
Brilliant idea methinks, and he has no probs flogging his product in a bun. Apple sauce, or stuffing available for all.

[Fricandeau]

Second post. I recently got dragooned into doing a hog roast for a mate. He called me at 11 on a Friday night and told me that he'd bought an 80 pound pig and had a spit made by a local blacksmith (we're horsey types, so blacksmiths are people we know). I have a bit of a rep as someone who can cook almost anything, and my mate can't even make tea, but I started the hog at ten thirty and my "friend" kept telling folk it would be ready by 7 that evening . In the end I did sixteen hours, non-stop, and all I wanted at the end was a small salad and a glass of water.

I have a few of words of warning:
1. Get the pig well in advance: it needs to be at ambient temperature before it goes on the spit (overnight in the garage is fine, but straight out of the butchers cold-store is bad. It'll take six hours to get to temperature at the middle of the neck BEFORE it starts to cook.)
2. Make sure you have loads of good, well-seasoned wood on hand, or enough charcoal to keep a forge in business for a month. Running out of fuel is bad.
3. Score or prick the skin straight out of the cold-store. As soon as the skin dries it makes the job ten times harder.
4. If you have a manual spit make sure that there is someone to give the main cook a break, and give anyone who takes a turn turning the pig plenty to drink (and not just beer, as this can cause the chef to fall over.)

The above is hard earned experience, and the intelligent reader can gather what happened.

The spit was made by a local (Hampshire) smith, and cost about two hundred quid, but it's big enough to do two swine or four lambs at once. I'll see if I can get some photo's up, if someone can give me a few hints how to.

PS. My friend and I haven't spoken since, but I made a huge quantity of rillettes out of the leftovers, so I'm not complaining. He is, tho'

[georgebaker]

Hi
I go to a farmers market where there is a "Hog roast", ggod meat, cracling, apple sauce----BAD buns, shop bought cheap pappy things, so bad I do not buy, ruins a good product!

George

[aris]

You can get spits at Green Lanes in London - there is one particular butcher there that sells them - sorry can't remember the name. Green Lanes is a very Cypriot/Turkish area - though the size of spits they sell are more for lambs.

If you want to do a whole hog - you can hire these fancy pork spits which run on gas, and even close up to speed up the cooking process.

[Fricandeau]

The last commercial hog-roast I tasted was like Georgebaker's example: lovely meat, home made apple sauce and stuffing, but cheap burger buns. So I went and bought a nice crisp bagette and had the guy stuff that instead. Top grub.

Talk about spoiling a ship for a ha'p'th of tar .

[Fallow Buck]

Aris,

I haven't been up there for a while. to be honest the Lamb size ones would be fine for me as a 40-50lb pig is the biggest animal I will ever cook on it. In fact I would probably not often do more than half of that.

If you are up there I would really appreciate a phone number if it is not too much trouble.

Best regards,
FB