I like to spend a day cooking a pig: tending to the coals, keeping the smoke billowing out of the cooker, basting the meat, and best of all, picking at the pig! If you've never experienced a pig pickin, and I don't mean just showing up and eating it, then you've missed out on one of life's greatest simplest pleasures.

Once you have the cooker, you'll need a volunteer to cook. A pig that is! If you can't find a whole pig, pork shoulders are readily available at your grocery store and cook very well. I would recommend doing 5 or 6 shoulders at a time, especially if you'll have many mouths to feed. You may also want to smoke a few chickens, or even a turkey with the pig. Cover the grill with meat. You'll want to put some in the freezer to enjoy another day.

You'll need about 40 pounds of charcoal. I recommend the Kingsford brand. It may cost a little more, but it lasts longer and burns better than the cheaper brands, so it is actually cheaper in the long run. To start, you'll need to get about 10 to 15 pounds of coals going. Remove the grill if possible, and pile them in the bottom of the cooker, dowse with starter fluid, and be careful when you light them! If the grill cannot be easily removed, then start your coals in another grill and use a shovel to transfer them to the pig cooker.

Once the coals are ready, spread them across the bottom of the cooker. Then place a few pieces of split hickory log on top of the coals. I like to start my pig with the skin side down. You will want to end the cooking process with the skin side down, because the skin holds the juice (grease) and keeps the meat from drying out.

Many people cook their pig for about 10 to 12 hours. I can't wait that long, so I cook mine for about 6 hours, at a higher temperature. You know you have the temperature right when smoke is billowing out the stacks and from every opening in the cooker. You don't want the firewood to flame up, so set the vents to allow just enough air to the coals to keep the smoke billowing. You should be able to keep your hand flat on the top of the cooker for just about 1 to 2 seconds. Start a shovel full of charcoal about every half-hour and add to cooker. Throw in a few more pieces of hickory, too. I usually use a large wheel barrow load of split hickory (about 4 or 5 one-foot diameter logs, 1.5 feet in length) to cook a pig. If you can't find the split hickory, the grocery store sells bags of hickory chips. I would estimate that at least 10 bags would be necessary. If you use the chips, soak them in water at least an hour prior to cooking.

1.5 hours after putting the pig on, flip to the bone side. You'll want to cook this side for about 2 hours. It will be difficult to flip the pig back onto the skin side for the final cooking time if it cooks too fast, so you may want to start the pig on the bone side and cook for about 2.5 to 3 hours, then flip it. With shoulders, cook one side for 3.5 hours, then flip. Once the cooking on the skin side begins, you may want to baste the meat with barbeque sauce, although it is not really necessary at this point in the cooking process. The time to start "saucing the pig" is when it is time to begin picking at it. The best kind of sauce is vinegar based, and spicy.

You'll know that the meat is fully cooked when you grab a rib and it comes out fairly easily. For a whole pig, the meat should be simmering in its juices and the sauce. Generally, if you can pick at the meat and it comes out stringy and hot, it's time to eat. And if you have cooked a whole pig, the tongue is the best part! I'm not brave enough to try the brain, though.

One of the best ways to prepare the meat for dinner is to remove the bones and fat, chop the meat, place it in a large pan or container, and add the barbeque sauce to it, stir well. I like to pick the meat off the pig while cooking, so I'm usually full by the time it is ready to be taken off the grill.