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1
Combine the injection ingredients in a large bowl, and blend well.
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2
Place the pig on a tabletop, skin side down.
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3
Using a meat syringe, inject the entire amount of injection solution evenly into all of the meat.
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4
To make the rub, separate the cloves from all 8 heads of garlic and peel them.
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5
Place the whole garlic cloves, green onions, oregano, pepper, and salt in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
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6
Rub this mixture onto the belly of the pig, working it into all crevices and making sure that all exposed meat is seasoned thoroughly.
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7
Light 20 pounds of charcoal in the bottom of your direct cooker.
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8
When the charcoal is hot and grayish white, rake the coals into 4 equal piles in the corners of the cooker.
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9
Top each pile of glowing coal with another 5 pounds of unlit charcoal.
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10
Place the pig on the cooker grate skin side down.
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11
Center the pig, making sure it does not lie directly over the piles of burning coals.
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12
Every 2 hours, add 5 pounds more hot charcoal to each pile through the side access door.
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13
Cook the pig at 260F on the covered cooker for 8 hours, or until the internal temperature of the hams and shoulders registers 190F.
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14
Let the pig rest for 30 minutes prior to serving.
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15
The pig can either be offered whole, letting the guests use tongs to pull their own meat, or hand-pulled, chopped, and served.
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16
Serve with plenty of Caribbean Mojo Sauce on the side.
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17
Inject the meat evenly with the sour-orange mixture.
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18
Cover all exposed meat with the coarse rub, pressing it into the crevices.
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19
This will ensure more flavor and moisture both inside and on the outside of the meat.
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20
If you want to serve the pig with a traditional apple in its mouth, cook the pig with its mouth pried open.
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21
A stick about the same length as the diameter of the apple works well.
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22
When the pig is cooked, replace the stick with a raw apple.
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23
Indirect heat in a single-chamber cooker
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24
Hickory, Oak, Apricot
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25
1 single-chamber direct cooker (with firebox inside the main cooking chamber); 80 pounds charcoal
