For those who are not aware what a pig cooker is, this is a large oven, big enough to cook a whole pig. You can build your own homemade propane pig cookers using a barrel, oil drum, an old propane tank or even a part of a ship bilge. You can use anything big enough to build an oven where you can insert a heat source. You can use coal, wood or a propane flame in roasting you’re your pig.
Tip #1 – Building a Pig Cooker Using Bricks
This is considered as the simplest and easiest type of Pig Cooker to build. Just simply stack some fire bricks forming a square platform that is one foot high. Put Metal rods across the firebricks securing them with screws into the bricks on both sides of the rod. You can use a screen of metal wire to cover the rods which serves to support the pig. Now you can build fire with the use of wood or coal that is placed under the pig roaster. You can cook the pig faster using more fire bricks.
homemade propane pig cookers
Tip #2 – Building a Pig Cooker Using a Tank or Barrel
You have to clean and sanitize the barrel first before converting it into a pig roaster. After which, create a venting hole on top of the barrel and also make an opening in the front at least 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall. Keep the section you cut out and in it attach a hinge to create a door. This door serves as a cover which can be opened and closed. Now you can insert a heating element inside the barrel. You can use a coal, wood or a barbecue grill propane element and you may route the piping through the barrel walls.
Now, drill a hole that is ½ inch wide at the middle of the bottom and another hole of the same size in the middle of the top of the barrel. This is where you insert a ½ inch metal rod which serves as the spit for your pig. You can now roast your pig until it’s done while it hangs on the spit inside the barrel.
Tip # 3 – Building a Pig Cooker Using a Drum
This is the most common material used for building a homemade pig cooker. Use a 55 gallon metal drum which is cut in half lengthwise from the top to the bottom in a vertical direction. So that it can be open and closes horizontally, attach steel hinges to the 2 halves. For good ventilation, drill 20-30 holes which are evenly distributed evenly at the bottom of the drum.
You need to cut the sheet of the metal so it will fit closely into the bottom portion of the drum above the drilled holes. This serves as the cooking grate where the pig is placed when roasting.
Having known these ways to build homemade propane pig cookers, you can now make your own and you no longer need to spend a lot of money buying for a commercialized one. You can now enjoy roasting your pig in the easiest and simplest way.
