Pig pickin'
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A pig pickin' is a type of party or gathering held in the Carolinas and other parts of the South involving the barbecuing of a whole hog.
[edit] Cooking
A hog, often around 80-120 pounds dressed weight, is split in half and spread onto a large charcoal grill (sometimes made from a converted oil drum) and covered in salt. Many practitioners use a separate stove filled with hardwood to produce coals which are then transferred under the grill by shovel; other practitioners use charcoal with chunks of either hickory wood or some other hardwood added for flavor.
The cooking process is communal and usually done by men; the host is helped by friends or family. It usually takes 8 to 9 hours to cook the hog completely; the hog is initially started "meat-side" down, and then is flipped one time once the hog has stopped dripping rendered fat. Some practitioners clean ashes from the skin with paper towels or a small whisk broom before flipping the hog to help produce high quality cracklings from the skin.
The sauce, usually a vinegar-based barbecue sauce that is a "secret recipe" of the cook, is added afterwards. When the cooking is complete, the meat falls off the bone. The meat is then either chopped into traditional Carolina-style pork barbecue or, more often, is picked off the hog itself by the guests, which gives the gathering its name. The barbecue is most often eaten with hushpuppies (fried cornbread, occasionally flavored with onions), coleslaw, and sometimes Brunswick stew. In South Carolina, it is common to serve perlau or hash as a side dish. Hash is a blend of leftover pork mixed with barbecue sauce and served over rice.
The beverages of choice are sweetened iced tea (or just "sweet tea") or a pilsner beer, both favorites in the Carolinas and both are used in defference to the Carolina heat and humidity.
[edit] Culture
The pig pickin' is an important part of culture in North Carolina and South Carolina; the necessary work and time needed to cook the hog makes it ideal for church gatherings ("dinner on the grounds") or family reunions, and they can be held year-round (thanks in part to the Carolinas' mild winters}. The pig pickin' has been long associated with politics; many local political parties and politicians still use the pig pickin' to attract people to meetings and campaign rallies. In 1984, Rufus Edmisten, running for Governor of North Carolina at the time, was overheard stating that he was "sick of eating barbecue"; he lost the election and partially blames that comment for his defeat.
