Curing a Whole Suckling

[Wormfather]

OK, I can find nothing of this here or on the internet.  Usually a bad sign.  So am I going into brave new territory or am I about to kill my family?

I was going to use instacure #1 in a brine for 10-14 days, then smoke, then spit. 

Any tips?  Should I put some aside and let everyone else test it, wait 48 hours then have mine?

[SiFumar]

Just curious...why do you want to cure a whole suckling pig?  So it all tastes like ham?

[Wormfather]

Somewhat and a textural thing.  One more question and it will be obvious that I have very little clue about which I speak of...please be careful.

[viper125]

Beats me but I'm sure they will be some one here who knows. For curiosity how big is this pig ? Lbs and length. Could be a lot of brine. And what size fridge you have to put it in. LOL You basically want Bacon on the hoof! Right?

[KyNola]

V125 asked the right question.  How big is this suckling pig?  That is the unknown variable to your question.  Still not sure why you want to cure an entire suckling pig but suits me. :)

[3rensho]

Another question - is the little feller skin on??  If so that reduces the surface area where the cure can easily penetrate.  You might want to pump the thicker parts to be on the safe side.

[viper125]

I go along with KyNola! Never heard of it being done. But we brine chickens and whole turkeys for the hammy taste why not a whole pig. I too think there is going to be a lot of injections in hams,loins and shoulder areas to mention a few. Also the container will be a pretty big one to cover pig and let brine in. And will take a cold refrigerator or spot to cure it in. But take lots of pics I will be watching this one closely.  Hopefully Habs comes along soon. If any one has done it it will be him or he'll know how.

[KyNola]

Been thinking more about curing a whole suckling pig.  Back in the day prior to refrigeration when they slaughtered a hog it had to be preserved in some manner.  In many cases it was salting and/or smoking.  Today it's not necessary and curing now days is more for flavor and not so much for preservation.

I agree you are going to need a really large container for brining and large refrigerator space in which to place the container containing the pig and brine.  I also agree that pumping will probably be required for the thicker cuts and you are going to need to know the weight of the suckling pig in order to know the correct amount of cure and water in the brine.

[NePaSmoKer]

wet curing a whole hog it will taste like ham (which aint bad) if you like major ham eating.

You said smoke on a spit? Im sure the heat will be above 190* so why cure it? If you want flavor use some Mojito.

Ditto what Ky said and to add. When my dad was on the farm they used to take the chunks of hog or beef and submerge completely in a barrel full of lard, This would keep long term, keep air, water and bugs away from the meat. Just for storage not curing.

[viper125]

Thats funny! I was just talking to my favorite Aunt. Her and my Uncle use to make the family sausage 1 time a year. couple hundred lbs at a time. That would be for a family of 7 for the year. They would can there sausage in jars by putting into grease. He would then be able to take a jar to work for lunch all the time. Also they then used the grease for cooking and baking. I wasnt aware of this type of storage till then seemed funny you mention it today. LOL
Now sorry for hijacking the thread. Please continue.

[Habanero Smoker]

As 3rensho pointed out different areas are going to cure at a different rate, and you would need to inject the ham and shoulder areas. The weight of the suckling will help approximate the weight of the hams and shoulder. If inject properly, you should only need to cure for half the length of time, maybe 5 - 7 days.

Is it necessary to cure the whole suckling? It would be better to fabricate it into its' major cuts. That way you can cure the individual cuts, in the manner that is best, and not cure those you may want to cook another way, such as the shoulders, loin, and ribs. Also cooking a whole hog (though a suckling is much smaller), is difficult to do and have all areas cook evenly; without the loin drying out before the hams are done.