About the cook

My name is Chris Calvey, funeral director by day, barbecue chef by night. I live in Pennsylvania and work at Jennings-Calvey Funeral Home. I love cooking - it's one of my favorite hobbies. When I heard about the Passare BBQ community, I knew I had to share some of my most recent recipes. For this cook, I smoked a whole hog on my Traeger Pellet Grill. While it is a little more advanced, I promise you that it's worth it if you have the time and passion for cooking. It's incredible!

One of my other recent cooks was a bacon-wrapped gator - now that was one for the books! You can check it out here: Bacon-wrapped Gator on the Traeger Pellet Grill >>>

Smoked Pork done right

It's easy to get overwhelmed by a recipe that requires a lot of ingredients and steps, but think of it this way, the steps in this recipe are quite similar to cooking a Thanksgiving turkey. I took the whole suckling hog and brined it for a good while (just like brining a turkey) and after a good brine, I stuffed the pig with fingerling potatoes that had been tossed in truffle oil. Then, after slathering the pig in a mustard rub, I tossed it in the grill for a slow, low cook. 

See? Just like cooking a Thanksgiving turkey - only better. Cook this for your guests this holiday season, and they won't be disappointed.

Ingredients and supplies

• Whole suckling hog
• Rosemary

For the mustard rub:

• Dijon mustard
• Garlic
• Salt
• Cracked pepper
• Onion Powder

For the fingerling potatoes:

• Potatoes 
• Truffle oil & salt

Cooking instructions

Prep the hog:

Brine that baby! Brine the pig for a good while before prepping.

After a good brine, prep the fingerling potatoes by tossing them in truffle oil, salt, rosemary, cracked pepper and garlic.

Fill the cavity of the hog with the potatoes.

Make pin-point incisions all over the pig and stuff each one with half garlic cloves and rosemary. 

Mix together the dijon mustard, onion powder and cracked pepper.

Slather the entire pig with the mustard mixture.

Start cookin':

After you've successfully prepped the pig, toss it on the Traeger.

Cook it low, and cook it slow.

Once it's reached the correct internal temperature, and you've got a nice brown crust on the outside, take it off the grill to rest.

You can serve it as you carve off the bone, or you can carve off all the meat and make sandwiches. Cheers!

Finger lickin' good

Before I get started on what to prepare on the side, let me just say that the fingerling potatoes from inside the hog will be crazy good after the cooking is done. Serve those alongside the meat and it will tie in all the flavors. On top of that, here are some of my recommendations for additional sides: 

A nice Tuscan kale fricassee works amazing, especially with some pancetta and cannellini beans.

If you're making sandwiches, fresh baked rolls are an essential. You can get these at your local grocery store bakery, or make them yourself. If you're feeling extra daring, throw on some sharp provolone and Denissimo Balsamico. Delicious!

Why I love funeral service

One of my favorite aspects of funeral service is the excitement of the profession. Our industry is rapidly evolving every day, and at this point it's basically the Wild West. Just like with my cooks, I'm a trailblazer and I really enjoy getting to be innovative and creative in my career.