Pork on the spit..

[traveller]

Hey all..

Next weekend I'm cooking some pork on the spit for the wifes birthday. I have about 12 adults and 3 kids to cook for, so I figure about a 4kg piece of pork will do. I'm planning to buy a rolled loin and rub some oil and salt on, then I'll cook it on my Anaconda mini spit. (Height adjustable.) We want good crackling and tender meat, so any tips appreciated. Cooking times etc..

cheers.

[Shane_H]

When I do pork i seperate the coals so thet there is no direct heat under the pork, have the bar at a height that you can hold your hand there for about 3-4 seconds before it burns,

slow cook it that way till its almost done then drop the bar and get the coals directly under it for 10-15 mins to get the crackling going, keep an eye on it cause you may get a few flare ups at this point!

Cheers

Shane

[doc dogg]

I'm cooking a rolled pork leg on my spit at the moment. It is a bit of an experiment as it is a new spit and I'm trying different flavours and different meats. First go was with a rolled leg of lamb with a herb and lemon marinade that was WAAAAY to lemony. This pork leg I've gone with thyme, oregano and basil I picked fresh from the garden, olive oil, smoked paprika, dried ground garlic, 1 lemon and a good handful of salt and black pepper. All blitzed in a bowl with my stick blender and liberally coating the pork leg. I was going to mop it with a cider baste, but the leg is quite fatty so I think I might let it self baste as it spins. I'll reassess later if it is drying out.

Now for the obligatory photos, one of the meat


And one of our fresh beans from the garden

[overspiceddave]

I keep most of the fuel pushed toward the back of my spit when doing a pork. I leave a small amount directly under then towards the end move a lot under the pork to finish the crackling off.

I find that this stops any big flare ups when most of the fat is running out early in the cook.

Dave

[doc dogg]

fuel pushed toward the back...stops any big flare ups

Good point Dave, I haven't had any issues with big flare ups with the legs of meat I'm using, but I'll keep it in mind when I graduate to whole beasts.

My mini spit was a flare monster and I had to keep the coals away from the fat, which was near impossible in such a small unit This new beasty is long and deep and the spit is height adjustable, I'm in love with it

Here are some more photos now the pork is almost at temp.

[doc dogg]

Just finished eating. I think the cook time of 6.5 hours was a bit long, I might try more coals over a bigger area next time. Heat was good, but I think I need it everywhere rather than just where the meat is. Had a second go at oven baking some balsamic beetroots tonight as well, they are very tasty The crackling was light and fluffy and very crispy too which is a big thumbs up. Overall I give it a 7/10

[Narmnaleg]

Looks good Doc. Making me hungry!