How to Salt a Pig for Cooking

Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images

Sometimes an occasion just screams for a special gathering with exceptional food. A pig roast can provide enough food to feed the whole neighborhood or all of your extended relatives, with delectably tender meat roasted to perfection. Before you pop the pig into the pit, prepare it properly, salting it to make it taste divine.

Wash the Pig

Place the pig in a spot where you can work on it to empty the organs and wash it thoroughly inside and out. To develop the best taste, the cavities of the pig must be impeccably clean with nothing remaining inside. The outside skin must be spotlessly clean also. Big John Grills and Rotisseries, an outdoor grill seller based in Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, recommends scrubbing the feet, ears and snout of the pig, especially if you have diners who will want to try these parts.

Salt the Cavities

Make a seasoning for salting the pig. Combine kosher salt, black pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder and sage, or add salt and pepper to a package of dried salad dressing or dip mix. Start grabbing handfuls and working the salt seasoning into every cavity of the pig to coat the interior thoroughly with the salt. The salt infuses flavor as you roast the pig and makes the meat tender and juicy.

Stuff the Pig

Almost anything you can fit inside the pig makes a good stuffing: whole chickens, turkey breasts, Italian sausage, sauerkraut, bread stuffing, pineapple, apples, spinach greens, cabbage and bratwurst. Any combination of foods can be ideal for stuffing the pig. Tie up the cavities with heavy twine after you stuff them to keep the good stuff from falling out during the roasting process.

Salt the Skin

Grab handfuls of the salt seasoning again and rub to coat the entire outer skin. Because you already salted the cavities, the combination of salt on the inside and salt covering the outside seals in the flavors and juices, creating a succulent roast pig.