What's the smallest smoker for a while hog?

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SO42N8

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Aug 13, 2020
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Alexandria
Name or Nickame
Peter
Does anyone have a recommendation on what size a smoker should be to accommodate a while pig? I have no immediate plans to smoke a whole hog at this time, but as I get ready to make the leap to a decent offset, I'm thinking ahead to a day when I may want to at least try my hand at a whole pig. I have been thinking about an LSG 24x48, single door pipe smoker, but only if it could accommodate a whole pig one day. If people say that's not really big enough, I'll probably go with the 24x40 instead.

I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are.
 
Personally I'd go with at least a 24x60 if "whole animal" is something you want to cook in the future. When it comes to offset smokers really one of the worst things you can do is go too small, as going bigger means you have to start all over.

I did an 85Lb pig on my Johnson Smokers 24x60 and it was a tight fight. Mind you my smoker had 2 doors and the food grates were partitioned for each door, so getting the pig in there (and out) was kind of a pain in the butt. As you said for whole animal cooks you'll want a single door with grates spanning the entire width of the cook chamber.

Here's a pic of the pig inside my cooker just to give you a reference point. Going any smaller (24 x 48 ) gives you a foot less of cooking space, so you're going to be maxed at roughly a 50-60 Lb pig. Going that small means you're going to end up with a pig that has almost no fat, and is very lean and without much meat at all.

646mtHY.jpg
 
I have a 20x50 Klose BYC, biggest I can fit in there is close to 70# max, and I gotta go kinda diagonal to make it fit - I do 'em racer style. I definitely wouldn't go smaller than that, and in all honesty I wouldn't mind having a bigger chamber for cooking a whole pig - but there's block pits, rotissiries, etc. for going bigger if needed.
 
i have seen some videos of people cooking a small on one the Rec Tec 680. Have been really want to try that myself
 
I like the idea of a block pit for pig - make it as big as you need it. Making a cooker "a bit bigger" is not really a thing after it's delivered.
 
This is all very helpful. I'm beginning to think I should just get the 40" and shelf the dream. I know I could never get away with a 60" cooker before the kids move out (the oldest is 7!), let alone anything bigger.

Maybe I can upgrade one day to something that could accommodate a decent sized hog.
 
If it's a one time thing or even a once a year thing, I'd go for an open fire or firepit setup that you can take down when you're done. Another fun project :wink:
 
If I recall I believe Paul Shirley said a 24x50 patio model could cook a 80-90lb pig. I have a 24x48 and I'm pretty sure I could get an 80-90lb pig on it.
 
@SO42N8

Pig cooks aren't really all that glamorous and they are kind of a rip off to be honest. What I mean by this is that you're paying for a lot of weight in that pig that you won't be able to eat. As an example on a 100Lb pig I generally pay $2/Lb for whole pig, so that's going to cost me $200. I would consider myself luck to get 30Lbs of meat from a 100Lb pig. So this means the end product which you're left with is roughly $7/Lb and that's just the meat...doesn't include the cost of fuel or seasoning / injection.

I run a BBQ food truck and people often want a whole pig for a pig-picking, but when I tell them the cost they almost always get upset with me...as they think I'm trying to rip them off or something. But once I break down the costs and logistics involved with a whole pig, and then offer pork butts and pulled pork at a much cheaper price, they almost always choose the pulled pork rather than the pig-picking.

As others have said if you really want to do a pig a cinder block pit will run you about $300. You can purchase which ever offset will work for you and your family, and if you still are feeling that urge to cook a whole pig you can erect a cinder block pit for a very reasonable cost. As a side note to this Sam Jones (Sam Jones BBQ in Greenville, NC) has a book out where he details how to cook a pig on a cinder block pit from start to finish. He discusses cinder block construction, gives materials needed, pictures, basically a very easy to follow guide on whole hog BBQ via cinder block pit.

Here's the link to his book if you're interested.
Whole Hog BBQ: The Gospel of Carolina Barbecue with Recipes from Skylight Inn and Sam Jones BBQ
 
You can always buy a suckling pig to fit whatever size pit you chose.
 
Unless you plan on doing multiple 100#+ pig roasts a year, renting a pig roaster is your most cost effective option.
 
While not a smoker there is always the cajun microwave AKA la caja china to roast pigs.

While I've never seen one used the one I like the looks of is the Asador Cubano.

https://www.asadorcubano.com/english.html

the la caja china's use charcoal outside/on top of the cooking box while the Asador Cubano uses charcoal inside the cook box.
 
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