Barbecued Whole Pig

Ingredients

• 1 (75- to 100-pound) dressed Pig
• 1/2 pound salt
• 30 pounds charcoal briquets, divided
• Barbecue Sauce

Preparation

1. Split backbone to allow pig to lay flat, being careful not to pierce skin . Trim and discard any excess fat. Sprinkle salt inside cavity. Set pig aside.
2. Place 20 pounds charcoal in pork cooker. Pour 1 quart charcoal lighter fluid over top, and ignite. Let burn until charcoal has turned ash - grey . Place heavy gauge wire, about the size of pig , over pork cooker, 13 inches from coals.
3. Place pig flat , skin side up, on wire surface. Close lid of cooker; cook at 225° for 6 hours, adding additional lighted coals as needed to maintain temperature in cooker.
4. Place a second piece of wire over pig, sandwiching pig between the 2 layers of wire. Turn pig over; remove wire from top. Insert meat thermometer in thigh; do not touch bone.
5. Baste meat with barbecue sauce; pour sauce in rib cavity to measure 1 inch . Close pork cooker lid; cook at 225° for 2 hours or until meat thermometer registers 170° and no pink meat is visible when hams and shoulders are cut.
6. Slice and chop meat or allow guests to pull (pick) meat from bones. Serve with barbecue sauce.
7. Note: Meat maybe cooked and frozen for up to 3 months.