The Great BBQ Split: whole hog vs. individual cuts debate got ugly at my cousin's cookout last Saturday

So I'm at my cousin Mike's place in Nashville for his annual summer cookout, right? Everything's going fine until his buddy Dave rolls up with a trailer smoker and a whole hog he'd been cooking for 18 hours. Mike had prepped like 30 pounds of pork shoulders and ribs from the butcher. Dave takes one look and says 'real BBQ doesn't come in pieces, man, you're serving fancy sandwiches.' Mike got red in the face and fired back that whole hogs are just a show for Instagram and the dark meat is always dry. They went back and forth for 20 minutes while the burgers sat there getting cold. I ended up eating a plate with both and honestly the whole hog had this one bite of cheek meat that was incredible but the shoulders were way more consistent. Has anyone else had a BBQ debate turn into a real fight like this? What side are you on when it comes to serving style for a crowd?

3 comments

3 Comments

felixlane3d ago

Yeah "for show" is exactly how I saw it till I tried hog done right and it changed my mind.

abbyp613d ago

Oh man, I had the exact same thing happen with a buddy's cookout last summer. @felixlane, what flipped it for me was when a friend did a smaller pig, like 80 pounds, and brined it overnight before the smoke. The meat came off so tender and juicy, even the loin which is usually the dry part. We didn't even touch the shoulders or ribs until after everyone had gone through the belly and the crispy skin. I still prefer individual cuts for a regular weekend, but that whole hog made a believer out of me for the right occasion.

emmaking3d ago

Dave's whole hog was dry as hell last time I had one at a buddy's place. Individual cuts are way easier to control and keep juicy for a crowd. Whole hog is for show, shoulders and ribs are for eating.