How Much Food Will You Need?
Estimate portions based on the number of guests, expected yield and the other foods being served.
Plan for seconds and, when appropriate, take-home BBQ without simply buying an unnecessarily large hog.
Southern Thunder BBQ Cooking School
Whole Hog Pitmaster Workshop
8-Hour Hands-On Workshop
Learn to cook the hog — and put on the whole event.
See Upcoming DatesThink Cooking a Whole Hog Isn't Doable? Think Again.
Cooking a whole hog can seem intimidating.
How big a hog do you need? What kind of pit do you need? How long will it take? How do you control the fire? How much food will you need? And how do you get everything ready at the same time when guests are waiting?
The Whole Hog Pitmaster Workshop breaks the process into practical, manageable steps.
You'll learn how to prepare and cook the hog — and how to plan the event around it.
Cook a Manageable Whole Hog
Bigger isn't necessarily better.
The Southern Thunder approach uses a manageable hog rather than making the cooking process increasingly difficult as the guest list grows.
Students work through the complete process, including preparation, positioning the hog, managing the fire and temperature, monitoring the cook, recognizing doneness, finishing, presentation and serving.
The goal is to make whole-hog cooking something students understand well enough to reproduce for their own event.
Build and Manage the Pit
You don't necessarily need an expensive dedicated hog cooker to put on a whole-hog BBQ.
Learn how a straightforward pit can be built and operated for the cook.
Southern Thunder's method uses offset heat rather than building the fire directly beneath the hog.
Cover the principles of:
- Pit setup
- Positioning the fire
- Controlling heat
- Managing the cook
- Maintaining appropriate cooking temperature
- Monitoring progress
- Adjusting the fire as conditions change
Make the Hog the Centerpiece
A whole hog should look as impressive as it tastes.
Students learn how to finish and present the hog as the centerpiece of the event.
Southern Thunder's presentation includes the distinctive finished whole-hog appearance that makes bringing the hog out of the pit part of the occasion.
Feed the Crowd Without Cooking an Enormous Hog
One of the biggest mistakes in planning a whole-hog event is assuming the hog has to get larger every time the guest list grows.
We'll teach you how to estimate the amount of finished meat your guests will need and how to plan enough food for the crowd.
A practical approach is to keep the showpiece hog manageable and supplement it with pork prepared ahead of time when necessary.
That reduces cooking complexity and gives you greater control over how much food will be available and when it can be served.
Keep the hog manageable. Make sure the crowd gets fed.
Put On Your Own Whole-Hog BBQ
Cooking the hog is only one part of the job.
A successful whole-hog BBQ also requires planning everything happening around the pit.
Students learn how to think through the event from the guests' point of view and develop a practical plan before cooking begins.
Plan the Sides
Choose sides that work with the menu and can be prepared or staged without creating unnecessary last-minute work.
Plan the Beverages
Think through beverages, ice, coolers, serving locations and quantities before guests arrive.
Build a Cooking and Serving Timeline
Work backward from the planned serving time.
Allow for the realities of BBQ cooking, finishing the hog, holding food, preparing sides, setting up the serving area and unexpected delays.
Organize the Serving Line
Plan how guests will move through the serving area, where the meat and sides will be placed, and how food will be replenished.
Have a Backup Plan
Successful events allow for things not going exactly according to plan.
Students learn how to build flexibility into the food quantities and timing so a cooking delay or larger-than-expected appetite doesn't ruin the event.
The Goal Is More Than a Great Hog
A beautifully cooked hog is important.
But your guests will remember whether the food was ready, whether there was enough of it, whether serving went smoothly — and whether everyone had a good time.
That's why Southern Thunder teaches the event as well as the cook.
Learn Why → See How → Do It → Put Your Skills to Work
Learn Why
See How
Do It
Put Your Skills to Work
Students learn the principles behind the process, see the techniques demonstrated, participate in the cook, and leave with a practical framework they can use to put on their own whole-hog BBQ.
Bring Your Pit Crew
A whole-hog BBQ is often a team effort.
The workshop is well suited to friends, family members, coworkers, organizations or others who expect to work together when they put on their own event.
Ask about Pit Crew Pricing for two or more people attending together.
Ready to Put On Your Own Whole-Hog BBQ?
See upcoming dates, pricing and availability.
See Upcoming Dates