How To Cook A Whole Pig

If there’s ever a time to go whole hog—in every sense—it’s Uncle Sam’s birthday. Cooking a whole pig (in this case, a 75- to 125-pounder, butterflied and with hair removed) in a backyard pit puts the neighborhood on notice: You’re taking the party to a new level. Come hungry, y’all, and bring your friends. This D.I.Y. cooker goes up, and breaks down, in an hour tops. Check local laws about open fires in town limits, but many larger cities allow open flames as long as you’re cooking. And, brother, you will be cooking!

What You’ll Need

- 40 cinder blocks

- Approx. 5x6-foot grill platform made from non-galvanized* expanded metal

- Extra-heavy-duty aluminum foil

- Shovel or two

- Half cord of firewood

Note: Don't Use Galvanized Metal *Galvanized metal will emit toxic fumes

1. Clear an area of level ground of any combustible leaves or sticks. Lay out a two-layer base of blocks as shown. Build a fire inside the pit. After the coals have burned down, divide them into thirds: You’ll want 4 inches of coals on each end, and an inch or two in the middle.

2. Rest the grate on the pit. If the metal can’t support the pig, add three pieces of rebar across the width.

3. Place the pig skin-side up on the grate, then add the third layer of blocks. Cover the entire grill with foil.

4. Halfway through cooking time, flip the pig. Two guys lift the pig with shovels, while two others pull on gloves and grab hooves to help guide the porker onto his back.

Baste the pig liberally with BBQ sauce through the day. Shovel in coals as need by removing the block

 (A) on either of the ends. You can regulate heat by regulating airflow; cover the holes on the sideways-turned cinder blocks 

(B) as needed. All helpers get to eat the ribs, which are ready first. The hog is done when the internal temp of the hams hits 180 degrees.

Other suggestions:

Whole Pig Cooking

Roasting a Hog in Three Steps

1) Buying your hog

• Order your pig from a specialty meat packer, grocery store or local locker. It is often necessary to give them 7 days advance notice. Before purchasing make sure the pig is absolutely clean.
• See Chart 2 for serving portions
• Dressed pigs are 70% of the live weight.
• Smaller animals will have a greater percentage of bone and skin and will yield proportionately fewer servings of meat.
• The carcass should be opened butterfly-fashion.

2) Equipment
There are three methods for roasting a hog.

Grill

• The temperature at the roast should be kept constant and around 200-250 degrees F.
• Most grills will have thermometers installed to monitor temperature. If not, use a large meat thermometer inserted in a top vent.
• The outside temperature, wind, type of equipment, all will have an effect on maintaining this temperature.
• Split the rib bones at the spine to allow pig to lay flat, being careful not to pierce skin.
• Fill grill with charcoal. (see Chart 1)
• Let charcoal burn until it has turned ash-grey.
• Place heavy wire, the size of the pig, over the grill, 13 inches from the coals.
• Place pig flat, skin side up on wire surface.
• Place second wire over pig, sandwiching pig between the 2 layers of wire

Rotisserie

• If using a rotisserie make sure weight is evenly distributed.
• Follow directions from your rotisserie manual.

Rock-lined Pit

• Dig hole 2 ½ to 3 feet deep at center with a diameter of 5 to 7 feet, depending on the size of the pig.
• Line the pit with rocks.
• Light fire.
• Additional small round rocks should be place in fire to be heated.
• As fire burns down, wet the burlap and dress pig as desired.
• Place pig on chicken wire.
• Under the legs make slits big enough to insert round heated rocks.
• When rocks are very hot, use tongs to fill the abdominal cavity and slits.
• Tie front legs together, then back legs.
• Wrap pig in chicken wire, fastening well so it can be lifted.
• Completely cover ashed coals and rocks with corn stalks and leaves or grass trimmings.
• Lower pig onto the leaves.
• Cover it generously on top with some leaves
• Place wet burlap over leaves to hold the heat and steam the pig.
• Cover with large canvas!!!
• Shovel dirt or gravel over canvas to keep steam in.

Chinese Box

The Chinese roasting box, also known as “La Caja China,” is a hot trend among barbecue enthusiasts. Contrary to the name, the device was invented by a Cuban American, Roberto Guerra Sanchez. In a Chinese roasting box, the hog is placed in a thick wooden box lined with sheet-metal and fitted with a removable pan in the bottom to catch cooking juices. Coals are piled on the box’s steel top to provide heat.

The device is inspired by the American oven broiler with its heat source located above the food. The Chinese roasting box combines a broiling method with an enclosure reminiscent of the pit traditionally used in roasting hogs and other large meat cuts. The box cooks primarily by radiation. The box’s metal lining reflects the infrared radiation throughout the enclosure, similar to a microwave oven, so all the surfaces of the pig are heated, not just the top.

3) Cooking

• Hog is better if thawed.

Grill

• Because of variants in sizes, shapes, weights, air currents and methods of barbecuing, among others, it is difficult to give a rule of minutes per pound.
• For estimate grilling times see Chart 1.
• Always check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.
• Once the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, the roast should be removed.
• A good place to check is the ham, as it is the largest section of the hog.
• Turn hog over half way through cooking process.
• ***Time is a variant! One must be flexible in the timing and cooking process, checking the hog often is essential.

Rotisserie

• Cook the pig 12” away from the source of heat.
• Keep the heat constant.
• Fluctuating heat will add to your cooking time.
• 110 pound live weight estimated cooking time is 8-10 hours.
• When pig reaches 160 degrees F move the pig away from the heat.
• An estimated 1-2 hours will keep the pig warm without drying out.
• ***Time is a variant! One must be flexible in the timing and cooking process, checking the hog often is essential.

Rock-lined Pit

• Estimated cooking times
  2 hours for 25 pound live weight
  2 ½ hours for 50 pound live weight
  4 hours for 75 pound live weight
  8 hours for 150 pound live weight
• When in doubt, leave it in the pit a big longer. The pig will not burn as it is cooked by the steam.
• Start cooking 12 hours ahead of serving time depending on the above table, periodically checking internal temperature.
• When pig reaches 160 degrees F move the pig away from the heat.
• An estimated 1-2 hours will keep the pig warm without drying out.
• ***Time is a variant! One must be flexible in the timing and cooking process, checking the hog often is essential.

Chart 1

Weight of Pig	Charcoal	Amount of Gas	Wood	Cooker Temperature	Estimated Cooking Time with Closed Lid
75 lbs	60 lbs	40 lbs. Cylinder	1/3 Cord	225-250	6 to 7 hours
100 lbs.	70 lbs	40 lbs. Cylinder	1/3 – 1/2 Cord	225-250	7 to 8 hours
125 lbs.	80 lbs.	40 lbs. Cylinder	1/2 Cord	225-250	8 to 9 hours

Chart 2

Estimating serving sizes from dressed pig.

75 lbs. dressed pig:	30 lbs. cooked, chopped pork
100 lbs. dressed pig:	40 lbs. cooked, chopped pork
125 lbs. dressed pig:	50 lbs. cooked, chopped pork
14 lbs. uncooked shoulder:	10 lbs. cooked
6-7 lbs. uncooked Boston Butt:	3 lbs. cooked
14 lbs. uncooked ham:	6-7 lbs. cooked

A good est½te is 1 1/2 lbs serving size per person

How Many Homes Fit On A Football Field?

About 5 and a half for single-family homes. From an end zone to the 18 yard line times five is to the nine yard line of the opposite field plus 1/2 home is to the other end zone. From one goal line to the other is 5.5 residential homes. And an acre is equal to 91% of the playing field.

Given that single-family homes have been generally getting larger, it may be tempting to assume that the lots they’re sitting on are getting larger as well. However, according to the Census Bureau’s Characteristics of New Single-Family Houses Sold, the opposite is closer to the truth.  The median lot size of a new single-family detached home sold was an even 10,000 square feet from 1992 through 1995, then drifted downward until it reached 8,833 square feet in 2004.

After 2004, median lot size bounced back up to over 9,000 square feet for a few years before resuming a downward trend.  By 2012, the median lot size of a new single-family detached home sold had fallen to 8,687 square feet, and in 2013 is was still only 8,720–the smallest two numbers in the historical Census series.

An acre is 43,560 square feet, so the above median lot size for 2013 is almost exactly one-fifth of an acre.  Not everyone has a good sense of how big an acre is.  To help visualize it, consider that, between the goal lines, a football field covers just about 1.1 acre.  This means that, if you placed a median-sized lot for a single-family detached home sold that filled the width of the field (160 feet) on the goal line, it would reach just past the 18 yard line.  And if you laid 5 of them side by side they would extend nearly to the opposite 9 yard line–leaving space for almost exactly half another median-sized lot before reaching the other end zone.

By definition, the single-family detached homes sold discussed above exclude “custom” homes built on the home owner’s land, either with the owner hiring a builder or serving as the general contractor him or herself.  They also exclude single-family attached homes–that is, homes built side-by-side in a townhouse arrangement.

Lot sizes for custom homes tend to be larger.  The median lot size for custom single-family detached homes started was exactly one acre (suggesting some rounding in the data) every year from 1999 through 2012.  In 2013, it dropped 10 percent to 39,204 square feet.  Custom homes don’t involve the work of a professional land developer subdividing a property, and some people may not think of them as sitting on lots in the conventional sense.  Currently, custom homes account for a little under a quarter of the single-family market.

On the other hand, townhouses–currently a little over 10 percent of the single-family market–tend to have smaller lots.  In 2013, median lot size for single-family attached homes sold was 2,984 square feet.  Median lot size for all single-family homes sold in 2013–attached and detached combined–was 8,596 square feet.

So, although it becomes a little harder to visualize, if you had a normal mix of detached and attached single-family homes built for sale with the median lot size, about 5.6 of them would fit on a standard American football field between the goal lines, compared to almost exactly 5 and a half for single-family detached only.

Often an acre of land is compared to a football field. In reality, an acre is equal to about 76% of a football field, when you consider both end zones.

A football field (including the two end zones) is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide for a total of 57,600 square feet. When you take away the two 30-foot-long end zones at each end, the field is 48,000 square feet, making an acre about 91% of the field.

An acre, which is a common measurement of land area, is equal to 43,560 square feet.

Conversion Table

1	43560		26	1132560		51	2221560		76	3310560
2	87120		27	1176120		52	2265120		77	3354120
3	130680		28	1219680		53	2308680		78	3397680
4	174240		29	1263240		54	2352240		79	3441240
5	217800		30	1306800		55	2395800		80	3484800
6	261360		31	1350360		56	2439360		81	3528360
7	304920		32	1393920		57	2482920		82	3571920
8	348480		33	1437480		58	2526480		83	3615480
9	392040		34	1481040		59	2570040		84	3659040
10	435600		35	1524600		60	2613600		85	3702600
11	479160		36	1568160		61	2657160		86	3746160
12	522720		37	1611720		62	2700720		87	3789720
13	566280		38	1655280		63	2744280		88	3833280
14	609840		39	1698840		64	2787840		89	3876840
15	653400		40	1742400		65	2831400		90	3920400
16	696960		41	1785960		66	2874960		100	4356000
17	740520		42	1829520		67	2918520		125	5445000
18	784080		43	1873080		68	2962080		150	6534000
19	827640		44	1916640		69	3005640		175	7623000
20	871200		45	1960200		70	3049200		200	8712000
21	914760		46	2003760		71	3092760		250	10890000
22	958320		47	2047320		72	3136320		300	13068000
23	1001880		48	2090880		73	3179880		500	21780000
24	1045440		49	2134440		74	3223440		750	32670000
25	1089000		50	2178000		75	3267000		1000	43560000

Kidnapped Dog Freed After Ransom Was Paid Nicknamed 'Lucky' By His Owners

 

'Lucky' During His Stay With His Kidnappers.  He

Was Kept In A Pen And Restrained With Duct Tape

The kidnappers released footage of Lucky periodically, and as time went on it looked increasingly unlikely that he would survive. But after almost 13 months a ransom was paid, by Lucky's family, his owners.

Throughout Lucky's captivity, the police had failed to make any useful contribution, and had offered his family little more than sympathy. At the home later, makes the point more bluntly: "The family was pretty pissed off with what they got from the police."

'Lucky' Back With His Owners

The painfully gaunt face we saw during Lucky's captivity has gone, and the dog now looks healthy and relaxed, bearing no visible trace of what he went through. In fact, it's quite hard to believe that this time last year he was being held for 200,000 dollars ransom. His owners say they rarely even think about their dogs time in captivity now.

The owners have stated that they got tired of the police saying, "We can do nothing," but then refer the family to private kidnapping consultants. 

"What our family needed," stated the owners, "was immediate crisis-management advice – advice on what their options were, including negotiating a ransom. Also, our dog's captors were very aware that media coverage would increase their chances of getting a lot of money from us."

An police spokesman has said its team did "everything they could to secure the dog's safe release", but this raises only an ironic half-smile. "It may well be true that they did everything they could," agrees the family. "But they didn't treat our family as the intelligent people that we are. If our family hadn't wanted to help and pay the ransom, we'd still be waiting for his return." 

It was private consultants who helped the family negotiate with the kidnappers, whose demand for $200,000 was painstakingly whittled down to $100,000. The ransom was dropped in a suitcase from an airplane to the kidnappers. Initially, the kidnappers had been encouraged to hold out for more by media speculation that other parties might also pay to set the dog free. But after almost five months of negotiation, their dog was finally released and the ransom was personally delivered to the kidnappers via airplane drop in exchange for the dog.

The dog had spent 388 days in captivity, some in solitary confinement and most in a makeshift camp, guarded by young men. Severely beaten at one point, and malnourished by a diet of occasional soup, Lucky endured mental and physical torment that would drive most dogs quite mad. 

How Lucky kept his sanity is a miracle. Maybe by revisiting memories and daydreaming about his owners and their family. 

It was as if he had read guidance notes on how to be a good hostage his owners have said.  

The kidnappers didn't give a damn about Lucky and his owners.

Because life's too short his owners couldn't wait any longer so the agreed with the amount and were overjoyed to be reunited with their dog Lucky

Now Lucky's family laughs affectionately and they all agree, "We're so fortunate to have him back home."

Lucky had been with the family for six months before the kidnapping. 

Skydiver: I Just Wanted To Come Back To Earth Again Alive

Felix Baumgartner is celebrating his record-breaking skydive from the edge of space, during which he became the first person in history to break the sound barrier during a free-fall.

Felix Baumgartner stood poised in the open hatch of a capsule suspended above Earth. Twenty four miles (38 kilometers) below him, millions of people were watching on the Internet and marveling at the moment.

A second later, the he stepped off and barreled toward a U.S. desert as a white speck against a dark sky. The Austrian-born Baumgartner shattered the sound barrier and landed safely about nine minutes later, becoming the world's first supersonic skydiver.

Baumgartner's team included Joe Kittinger, who first tried to break the sound barrier from 19.5 miles (31 kilometers) up in 1960, reaching speeds of 614 mph (988 kph). With Kittinger inside mission control, the two men could be heard going over technical details during the ascension.

"Our guardian angel will take care of you," Kittinger radioed to Baumgartner.

This attempt marked the end of a long road for Baumgartner, a record-setting high-altitude jumper. He has said this was his final jump.

At Baumgartner's insistence, some 30 cameras recorded his stunt. Shortly after the launch early Sunday, screens at mission control showed the capsule, dangling from the massive balloon, as it rose gracefully above the New Mexico desert. 

Baumgartner could be seen on video, calmly checking instruments inside.

Baumgartner said traveling faster than sound is "hard to describe because you don't feel it." The pressurized suit prevented him from feeling the rushing air or even the loud noise he made when breaking the sound barrier.

With no reference points, "you don't know how fast you travel," he said.

Baumgartner's accomplishment came on the 65th anniversary of the day that U.S. test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first man to officially break the sound barrier in a jet. Yeager commemorated that feat on Sunday, flying in the back seat of an F-15 Eagle as it broke the sound barrier at more than 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) above California's Mojave Desert.

The 43-year-old former paratrooper reached speeds of up to 706mph (1,135km/h) after leaping from a capsule attached to a giant helium balloon 24 miles (39km) above Roswell, New Mexico.

It took him over two hours to ascend to 128,097ft but just over ten minutes to reach the ground. After opening his parachute and floating down into the New Mexico desert for a perfect landing, Baumgartner fell to his knees and held his hands aloft in celebration.

‘When you’re standing there on top of the world you become so humble,’ he told reporters shortly after landing. ‘The only thing I wanted was to be brought back to Earth again, alive.’ 

Speaking later to ServusTV from his native Austria, Baumgartner admitted his relief at completing his mission, which he has previously said would be his last major jump.

‘I think 20 tonnes have fallen from my shoulders. I prepared for this for seven years,’ he said.

Almost everything went exactly according to plan for the Red Bull Stratos team, with a minor problem with Baumgartner’s helmet the only blip.

A problem with an external heater meant his visor fogged up whenever he exhaled, resulting in him activating his parachute earlier than necessary, understandably to be on the safe side, when he could not see his instruments properly during free-fall.

Felix Baumgartner addresses the media after a safe landing 

In a poetic result, however, it meant the 52-year record for the longest free-fall in terms of time remained with Joe Kittinger, the retired US Air Force colonel who was Baumgartner’s mentor for the skydive.

As well as breaking the sound barrier, Baumgartner also made history with the highest free-fall and highest manned balloon flight.

‘Even on a day like this when you start so well, then there’s a little glitch,’ he said, referencing the helmet problem.

‘And you think you’ll have to abort – what if you’ve prepared everything and it fails on a visor problem. But I finally decided to jump. And it was the right decision.’

Before stepping of the capsule of his platform for his death-defying leap, Baumgartner had echoed the words of the late Neil Armstrong when he stepped on the Moon.

‘Sometimes you have (go) up really high to (realise) how small you are,’  Baumgartner said.

Sarah Jessica Parker Isn't From Planet Earth

Sarah Jessica Parker played Annie in the Broadway musical in 1979, and is best known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw on HBO's Sex and the City.

Several insiders have discovered vital information about Sarah Jessica Parker. That she isn't human. She's a product from the Grey race of aliens.

The Greys

This is the group of aliens who abducted Betty and Barney Hill in 1958. and these are the ones who have supposedly been doing the majority of the abductions. They are said to have no emotions and little regard for human life . 

The dim point of light known to us as Zeta Reticuli is actually a binary star system, and its two stars are each very much like our own yellow sun. It is not visible in the northern hemisphere. 

In our (Earth) sky, it is approximately equidistant between the constellation Orion and the Celestial South Pole. The constellation Reticulum is a fairly small collection of faint stars, of which zeta is barely visible to the naked eye even though it is relatively close to us at approximately 40 light years ~ right around the corner in Galactic terms.

They 'feed' off of human and animal vital fluids by rubbing a 'liquid protein' formula on their bodies, which is then absorbed through the skin. Like typical reptiles which shed their skins the 'waste' is excreted back through the skin. The Greys range from 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 ft. tall on the average, with skin colors ranging from gray-white to grey-brown to gray-green to grey-blue. Aside from feeding off of human and animal proteins and fluids, they also allegedly feed off the 'life energy', the 'vital essence' or 'soul energy' of humans as do other reptilian species. This is why those humans seen working with the Greys (implanted and programmed 'drones', whether willingly or unwillingly) have appeared 'lifeless' and 'emotionless' to the witnesses who observed them. The Zeta's or Greys live in the Constellation "Reticulum" by the Star  "Zeta 2 Reticuli'.a planet was discovered there and then suddenly taken off the list!.

HUMAN TYPE ALIENS 

HUMAN TYPE A: These are of a genetic base similar to humans of earth. They appear of "normal" height (5-6ft?) and tend to be fair-skinned with blonde hair. These entities have been abducted by the greys or are the offspring of abductees and have been trained by the greys as servants. These entities are totally subservient to the greys. 

HUMAN TYPE B: These are aliens of similar genetics to earth humans and also, it seems, of the humans that serve the greys. These are from the Pleiades and are also of the blonde, fair-skinned appearance. This type is of a genuine highly evolved, spiritual, benevolent variety and have a kinship toward humans and are the only aliens to be truly trusted by earth humans at this time. They had at one time offered to be of assistance to earth leaders in dealing with the alien situation here but were rebuffed and so have taken a kind of "hands off" approach for the time being. These aliens are supposedly the forefather race of humankind. These are apparently not on earth much at this time due to serious problems in the area of their home.

HUMAN TYPE C: Very little is known about these. They are supposedly another of the highly evolved, spiritual type of great benevolence to earth humans. I understand that their appearance is similar to other human-type aliens. They are from Sirius and don't appear to be much involved with earth happenings at this time other than being concerned about the Grey scenario. They could desire to be of help to humans. 

There are other known human type aliens of this "more highly spiritually evolved" nature that are apparently aware of the situation on earth and considering some possible course of action. These are from Arcturus and Vega.

[GROUP A] Non Earth-Born Humans 

This GROUP consists of three peoples from three distinct colony zones, namely Sirius, Pleiades and Orion. Genetically, they are nearly identical to Earth-born humans with the following exceptions. Abductees refer to these beings as the talls. Males average up to approximately seven feet in height; females, six and a half feet. They are extremely fine featured, pale in complexion. Eyes are almond shaped, slightly slanted with a natural black liner, much like the renderings of ancient Egyptian royalty. There are three hair colors apparently related to colony origin: blonde (Pleiades), red (Orion), and black (Sirius). The insignia of these combined human races is a triangular arrangement of three spheres. This symbol has deep significance, and is found throughout Earth history. History records these beings as goddesses, gods, devas, etc. A subgroup of GROUP A females is in command of most Terran projects. 

[GROUP B] Earth-Born Humans

These are Homo Sapiens whose origin is the planet Earth. They can be divided into two separate classes.

[Class A] (Ancient) - These humans were the companions and house servants of a GROUP A military mining and occupation force. When this force left the Earth sometime between 1,000 BC and 3,500 BC, it was decided to remove all humans that had been in close proximity with them. It was felt that leaving them would only further disrupt normal human development. Class A humans are on an equal level with GROUP A and cooperate fully in all Earth projects. 

[Class M] (Modern) - These humans are working on the same cooperative level as Class A. They were taken from the Earth in modern times. During some abduction projects, twins (either identical or fraternal) are induced in a female subject. During the first trimester, one of the fetuses is removed. It is then grown to maturity by GROUP A. Abductees will meet their twins during some abductions. Very limited contact has been made by these humans.

[GROUP C] Genetically Modified Earth-Born Humans 

These humans are comprised of two classes and should not be confused with GROUP D Greys. 

[Class W] (Workers) - This class is the smallest in physical stature. They are described as approximately three and a half feet in height, large head and eyes, pale white in complexion.

These workers were created by GROUP A through genetic modification of Earth human fetuses. Their function is to perform menial tasks requiring limited reasoning abilities. In mental capacity, they are equivalent to a five year-old child. They are incapable of violence and, in some cases, are kept as companions by GROUP A individuals. 

[Class T] (Technicians) - These humans are basically the same as Class W. they are slightly larger, at approximately four and a half feet in height. Their complexion is tan or yellowish. Their reasoning and deductive abilities are higher. This allows them to perform more complex operations. They are often seen operating ship controls and in transport activities. 

Both Classes W and T are telepathically camouflaged to appear as Greys to abductees. This is done to conceal the true nature of GROUP C. 

It is felt that perception of GROUP A maintaining a human slave population would hinder future contact efforts. 

This point will undoubtedly be a source of much heated debate in the near future.