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Seven Things I’m Going to Do Differently when I Smoke My Second Whole Hog This Fall

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Monk: As we near the end of the summer and fall starts to get close, my mind inevitably turns to the question I’ve thought about off and on since Father’s Day of 2019: “when am I going to smoke another whole hog?”

Well, 2025 is the year I am making firm plans to do just that. I was quite happy with how everything turned out last time but I did learn some lessons from the initial cook that I plan on changing up for my second pig 6 years later. In no particular order, here’s what I’m going to do differently:

I’m going to use a pig cooker (a BQ Grill, specifically)

As fun as a cinder block and rebar pit was, for me that experience may end up being a one and done. Thankfully, I at least didn’t have to purchase 80-odd cinder blocks and instead was able to borrow them from Garren of Jon G’s Barbecue. And while Garren graciously offered to drop them off and pick them up, those blocks were a pain to get from the driveway to my backyard and then back again when time came to pick them back up. Not to mention I was out of town when Garren needed to pick them up and my poor dad had to do it by himself in the July summer heat.

I will get a bunch of wood coals going before I start the cook

One of the lessons learned from the first time around was that I didn’t get enough coals going so I was constantly playing catch up in terms of waiting for coals to burn down before I could add them to keep the temperature consistent. So much so to the point that Speedy made a middle of the night run to a 24-hour Wal-mart to pick up a few bags of charcoal to get help kickstart the fire. This time around, I’m loading the burn barrel full of wood and will keep that adding more and more while also going ahead and proactively getting a couple bags of charcoal in case I need them.

I’m going to crisp up the skin and chop it into the pork

Last time around I made a half hearted attempt to crisp up the skin as party attendees arrived but ultimately did not get it crispy enough so that you had a contrast between the texture of the crispy skin and the pork. Thinking back to some of the best pork I’ve had both this year (at City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia, SC) and all-time (from Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC and from Sam Jones’ pop ups as well as his restaurants in Winterville and Raleigh), those crispy bits are really what set it apart. I’m going to make it a point to recreate that as best I can.

I’ll probably throw some pork butts on (just in case)

In hindsight, I played a slightly risky game smoking the pig last time around with no plan B. What if I struggled to get the fire going? What if Speedy and I both fell asleep (literally) on the job? What if the pig cook took longer than I had planned? What if people started showing up and I couldn’t tell them when the food would be ready? That’s the nightmare of any cook, barbecue or not, so I’m going to make sure I am well prepared just in case.

I will try the head this time

The head was included with the pig last time around and I may have thrown it on the pit for show but I did not even think of trying any part of it, which as any barbecue afficionado knows is known for being really tasty. Had I researched ahead of time I would have realized that the muscles in a pig’s head, especially the cheeks, are known for being tender and flavorful due to their high fat and collagen content. Next time around I’m going to make sure I at least try some pig cheeks.

I will not waste any pig this time around

Due to carelessness, not enough rebar, and a lack of sleep, last time around I ended up accidentally dropping a whole quarter of the pig onto the ground of the pit. Now, I was able to salvage most of what dropped but the last thing you want to do is spend all that time, energy, and money on a pig only to (accidentally or not) waste any of it.

I’m going to recruit a crew to not only help out but enjoy the cook

Last time around it was just Speedy and me, and while we more than managed, we were both pretty pooped the next day for the actual party after taking shift through the night. I’ve got some friends who I’m planning to call upon to not only help out with the cook but also help make the time passing more enjoyable. Because if you’re going to do a whole hog, you might as well enjoy the process right?

Want to see how cook #2 goes? Follow along on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and we’ll have a follow up post next month.

My 5 favorite barbecue bites in 2025 so far

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Monk: It’s been a lighter year, barbecue-wise for me but I have managed to hit several big hitters across the southeast (including four restaurants on the Texas Monthly United States of Texas Barbecue list from Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina). I’m looking at it as trying a few worthwhile places instead of a bunch of mediocre ones, and hopefully in the second half of the year I’ll get to a few more places to round out my list by the end of 2025.

In chronological order, here are the best things I have eaten from the first half of the year:

Smoked half chicken from Union Barbecue (review from 2024)

Last year, the carnitas from Union Barbecue was one of my favorite bites of the year (not to mention the brisket and the out-of-this-world Big Deborah oatmeal cream pie). On a subsequent stop in January I tried the smoked half chicken topped with white sauce, salsa macha, and cilantro for a change of pace and found it to be a nice, lighter alternative to the heavier meats.

Pork from Shotgun Willie’s (review)

Shotgun Willie’s outside Nashville did a lot of good things fairly well – brisket, sausage, Brunswick stew – but their pork shoulder dusted with pork rub was my pick of the platter.

Smoked brisket burger from Dampf Good BBQ (review)

While there was a lot to like at Dampf Good BBQ earlier this year, the smoked brisket burger took the cake over the brisket, ribs, and sausage. So much so that I forgot to take photos of it until I had taken a few bites of the delicious burger made from smoked brisket trimmings and topped with cheese, pickles, and mayo on a potato bun. It was a special on that day, but be on the look out if you are checking them out in Cary.

Beef cheek from Owens & Hull (review)

I live by a simple rule: if I see beef cheeks on the menu, I’m going to buy it. Maybe I’ve been lucky but the two places I’ve tried – Palmira Barbecue in Charleston and Owens & Hull in Smyrna – have put out some seriously tasty renditions that are must orders at their respective restaurants.

Chopped pork with crispy skins from City Limits Barbeque (review)

Robbie Robinson mixes in pork belly with his whole pork shoulders and then chops in some crispy skin to finish it off. It’s going to take a lot to knock this sandwich from the West Columbia restaurant off its perch as my favorite bite of barbecue in 2025. Honorable mentions to the barbecue hash and the sweet jalapeno pimento cheese.

So you’ve made it to the Masters; should you get the barbecue sandwich?

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Monk: So you’ve won the literal lottery and have Master’s tickets. What’s the move when it comes to food?

At a price of $3, it would be very tempting to snag a barbecue sandwich in the concession line (which may look lengthy but in my experience always moves at a pretty quick pace). But should you?

In my experience…no, not really. That is, if you are expecting anything resembling true barbecue. There’s no semblance of smoke and it’s doused in a sweet sauce and while it’s a tasty enough snack, it’s really more akin to taking a pork shoulder cooked in a crockpot, adding some Sweet Baby Ray’s, and scooping it between a cheap burger bun.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s just not what I’m looking for in a pork barbecue sandwich and I assume the same for readers of this blog.

Instead of the barbecue, I’d recommend ordering the following. Quick power ranking of the other sandwiches I tried at the 2025 Masters go:

  1. Egg Salad Sandwich – alongside the pimento, the other classic Masters sandwich for the low, low price of $1.50. This was by far my favorite sandwich of the day.
  2. Chicken Salad Sandwich – this one also costs $3 same as the barbecue sandwich. Obviously, I liked it much more but it’s just a solid, solid sandwich.
  3. Pimento Cheese Sandwich – I think I got a dud of a sandwich because the bread to pimento cheese ratio was way off. That said, I don’t know if the pimento cheese itself was as good as I was expecting. I have heard stories of people combining the pimento cheese and barbecue sandwiches but to me that just sounds like mid + mid = mid.

If you’re at the Masters, you really can’t do wrong with buying any of them though. And thanks to their legendary pricing, you really can try it all and not be out more than a $10 bill.

And plus, you’re at the Masters! The food won’t make or break your day because you’re at a bucket list life event. Get whatever sandwich(es) you’re feeling, get a $6 beer, and eventually get a peach ice cream sandwich. You’re going to have a good day no matter what.

A Traeger feels like cheating but Speedy doesn’t care

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Speedy: How many grills is too many grills? I have a Weber gas grill, a Big Green Egg, and feel like I really need a griddle too. Oh, and I just got a pellet grill. Behold, the Traeger Pro 22.

It’s never too early for a review, so after my inaugural cook of a tri-tip and Brussel sprouts, here’s a first impressions review:

Ease of Use – 10/10

Not that different from a gas grill in terms of how easy it is to use. As for assembly, it was also easy. I did by myself in about an hour

Smoke Flavor – 10/10

I was worried about this because didn’t see a lot of smoke but thankfully, the tri-tip had tons of smoke flavor.

Temperature Holding – 9/10

Pretty easy. Saw a couple spikes when I assume new pellets ignited. I had it set to 225 and reading was generally there but got up to 240 (and down to 215).

Evenness of Cook – 8/10

Tough to do on a tri-tip, but actually the skinny end was a little under the rest. Maybe the middle of the grill is not quite as hot?

My only complaint was there was zero bark on the meat so the hard seer was a must. I did not try cranking the temp at the end (supposedly gets up to 500) so might try that next time.

Overall experience – 9/10

I got one of the cheaper versions with no Wi-Fi. While that would be nice I don’t think I really need it. It was not a pain to check and had no issues. Would be helpful for overnight cook but I wouldn’t really worry about setting it and forgetting it at 225.

Total Rating – 46/50
(roughly equivalent to a 4.5 on the hogs scale)

So what say you? Is Speedy cheating by adding a pellet grill to his arsenal?