Whole Hog Porchetta

Instructions

• Step 1: With the hog on its back and using a sharp boning knife, cut under the rib bones towards the spine, being careful not to cut through the skin. Trim all along the spine from just behind the head to the hip joints.
• Step 2: Using a handsaw or Sawzall cut through the spine just behind the head and the hip and remove the center section of the ribcage and spine. Be very careful to not cut through the skin.
• Step 3: Debone the front shoulders, including the first section of the trotters. Any large pieces of meat trimmed away by accident can be added later.
• Step 4: Debone the hams down to the top of the hind trotters, reserve any pieces of meat trimmed.
• Step 5: Carefully ensure any pieces of cartilage and bone are removed.
• Step 6: Generously salt and pepper the boneless hog cavity, rub with garlic and the fresh herbs. Any large pieces of meat that were trimmed away in step 3 & 4 can be seasoned and added to the center cavity.
• Step 7: Using a larding needle and butcher's twine, carefully close the cavity by tying the hog together from the head to the hind quarter.
• Step 8: Once secured, lay the hog on its trotters and secure across the belly in 6-8 places to hold the hog in a tight cylinder. Allow the hog to rest in the fridge for 8-12 hours for maximum flavor.
• Step 9: Preheat recteq to 325ºF.
• Step 10: Lay the porchetta on the cooking grate with the trotters keeping the hog upright. Spray with olive oil or duck fat every 30 minutes until the skin is crisp and the thickest part of the hams and shoulders probe 195ºF-200ºF.
• Step 11: Remove the porchetta and allow to rest for 30 minutes before slicing. Be careful to remove any butcher's twine.