Cooking a pig in Mattone Barile Grande

I’ve seen plenty of things online of people roasting pigs in brickwood ovens, though they all seem a little different than the form factor of the Mattone Barile.

I didn’t see any specific posts here in searching, but I was wondering if anyone has experience or a good source as to the best way to go about it.

I’ve roasted ham, turkey, chicken, and prime rib. I haven’t done a pig. Are you going to do a live fire or just residual heat? What size pig are we talking, suckling or a hog?

You will need a plan for the grease. The pig will put out a lot. Please post pics.

I was planning on mostly residual heat. Planning on more of a suckling size, but really whatever fits best would be ideal. You want a temp of 2-300F for anywhere from 2-8 hours depending on the size of the pig from what I’ve read.

I saw examples like these Whole Pig Roasted in a Wood Fired Brick Oven Recipe & Tips - The Bread Stone Ovens Company

Hi, Patrick!

@Newman covers all the essentials, and I know he’s been experimenting with all kinds of meats over the past 6 months.

I saw the posts and other images from Bread Stone Ovens as well, and the instructions are solid, but a bit skimpy.

The “baking sheet” they mention actually looks like a hotel catering pan. You want a number of those on hand, and they’re not terribly expensive. The key is that the sides are either 4 inches or 6 inches high, to contain all the fat that will render.

My go-to for cooking techniques is Andrea Mugnaini’s The Art of Wood-Fired Cooking, which includes an essential guide to firing your oven and setting it up for the different kinds of cooking you can do. She covers “La Porchetta,” which is the Italian way of saying we’re having roast pig. She recommends a large browning flame that transitions to a roasting flame (pretty much the opposite of the “Orgasmic Chef” recipe), and I’d suggest that’s much easier to accomplish. In short, start as though you’re making pizza, then pull some coals around to one side and keep the flame going more slowly over a period of about 3½ hours.

So: I’d start with making sure you have a good pan, and I recommend Mugnaini’s book as a resource. It doesn’t hurt to have 25 friends to help you eat the pork when it’s finished, and you may attract a few as the aroma wafts over your neighborhood.