Some call it magical, some call it mystical and some simply call it plain brilliant. The incredible taste of hog roast is the stuff of legend and something that must be a major contributing factor to the ever increasing popularity of the roasted pig. From the minute you walk into a venue where hog roast is underway, it hits you; that intoxicating aroma that you do not get with any other roast, only hog roast. It is almost impossible to describe but it is something quite special. I wonder if the medieval folk who created hog roast knew exactly what a culinary bit of genius they had created?
So, back to the original question. Just why does hog roast taste so fabulous. Well, the team here at Spitting Pig are a studious bunch and we have been mulling over this question for a while. Now we may not be able to give exact answers but this is why we think hog roast is the greatest taste there is.
You could say that one of the reasons is down to something that happens miles away and that is in the quality of the pigs. As you well know, hog roasting is not a quick fix of a catering solution but a finely crafted meal and for such a meal, you need superior ingredients. Well, with a hog roast there is only one prime ingredient and that is the pig, so the pig has to be a great quality specimen. Any old pig certainly won’t do, so the hog roast chef will go out of their way to ensure a superb pig from a quality supplier is sourced for every single roasting that they undertake, and as any chef will tell you, quality meat tastes better. Much better.
Then of course you need a great chef, and with Spitting Pig chefs, you have vastly experienced people cooking the pigs. A lot of skill and patience goes into each hog roast and that is almost certainly going to be reflected in the flavour. As for the machine that it is cooked in, well, it goes without saying that this is of supreme importance. Without the right cooking tools, you simply don’t get anything like the flavour you want.
Having said all this, it has to be the slow roasting that creates that all important roasted flavour that makes hog roast so wonderful. Six long hours is what it takes the standard pig to cook and that allows the all important flavours in the bones to be soaked up in the delicious meat creating that heavenly taste that is so amazing. But the fat plays a big part, too. When you roast for six hours, you need that fat to help keep the meat moist but the fat also helps impart extra flavour on the meat and this combines to make a mouth watering meat like no other. So, the simple answer is great cooking, great meat, great equipment and a nice long slow roasting. Apart from that, it’s all magic!