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1
Place the butterflied pig on a heavy-gauge wire grate, skin side down.
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2
Score the meat of the hams and shoulders with a sharp knife; this allows the heat to penetrate.
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3
Use the full cup of salt to season the cavity of the hog, working the salt into all the crevices to make sure that all exposed meat is seasoned thoroughly.
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4
Flip the pig so it is skin side up on the wire grate.
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5
Light 20 pounds of charcoal in the bottom of the cooker, or if using wood, light 5 medium-size logs.
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6
When the charcoal is hot and grayish white or the wood coals are red hot, spread the coals into a barbell-shaped pile approximately the same size as the hog.
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7
This allows the thicker portions of the hog (shoulders and hams) to cook hotter and finish cooking at the same time as thinner portions (ribs and loin).
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8
When the coals are ready, grasp the wire grate with the hog on top and transfer it to the cooker.
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9
Center the hog over the barbell-shaped charcoal bed.
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10
When the hog has cooked for 2 hours, start 10 pounds of charcoal or wood in a separate burn pit.
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11
Transfer these hot coals to your primary cooker every hour or so, through the cookers side access door, during the cooking process to maintain a cooking temperature of 250 to 260F.
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12
Start another 10 pounds of charcoal or wood coals every hour to supplement the coals.
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13
After 4 hours, open the cooker, place the second wire grate over the pig, bind the edges of the wire grates together with rope or wire, and flip the pig.
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14
Be warned that this is a two-man operation.
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15
With one person standing at each end of the pig, grasp the edges of the grates and turn the pig.
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16
Close the cooker lid and cook for an additional 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the hams and shoulders reach 190 to 195F.
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17
Let the cooked pig rest for 30 minutes, then bone and chop all the serveable meat, adding the skin if desired (see Pitmasters Tip).
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18
Add your choice of vinegar sauce to the pile of chopped pork to taste, and mix well.
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19
When cooking North Carolinastyle chopped pig, the skin provides a couple of tasty serving options.
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20
The chopped meat may be placed back into the hollow, crisp pork skin and served buffet style.
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21
The other option would be to chop the crispy skin and add it to the meat to provide extra flavor.
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22
Direct heat
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23
Hickory
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24
1 single-chamber direct cooker (with firebox inside the main cooking chamber), plus an additional grill or burn pit; 80 pounds charcoal and wood chunks for seasoning or 1/4 cord of wood; 2 rectangles of heavy-gauge wire fencing or grate, slightly larger than the pig but smaller than the cooker.
