* Dean recommends that people use whatever amounts of seasoning they like but warns to stay away from too much fennel seed, as “it can leave a case of indigestion later that is deadly to you and friends near by.”
| Total: | 8 hr |
| Prep: | 2 hr |
| Cook: | 6 hr |
| Yield: | 30 to 40 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (60 pound) fresh pig
- 40 pounds good quality pork butts
- 1 cup fennel seed
- 1 1/2 cups fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 cup fresh oregano
- 1 cup fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup crushed red pepper
- 1 cup coarse ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups coarse salt
- 6 cups fresh garlic cloves
- 3 cups olive oil
- Chicken wire and wood chips, for grilling
Instructions
- Debone the pig by removing the back bone and rib cage. This leaves the head, legs and skin of the body. You can ask your butcher to do this. Quarter the pork butts. Chop all seasonings to the texture of coarse ground pepper. Pour all seasoning in a large mixing bowl with garlic and olive oil. Mix until texture is similar to wallpaper paste. Poke holes in the pork butt with a knife. Open the holes with your fingers and fill with seasoning. Take the remainder of the seasoning and coat the inside of the pig. Fill the gut of the pig with the pork butts and sew the stomach of the pig as you go along using steel wire and needle nosed pliers. Once the pig is stuffed, take stainless steel chicken wire and wrap the pig (this is a substitute for the ribcage) to hold it together while cooking. Fill a large grill with wood chips and heat to 425 to 450 degrees F. After the grill is heated, place 2 large pieces of wet oak on the fire. Place the pig on a large grill (use wood chips for your charcoal– it is a nice hot steady temperature which lasts along time). BBQ for approximately 6 to 8 hours, maintaining a grill temperature of 425 to 450 degrees F.