ANSC 117, Texas Barbecue students

The 2015 version of the ANSC 117, Texas Barbecue class came to the end on December 4th with the traditional whole pig cookery at our home. We roasted the pig in the cinder-block pit in our backyard.

Cinder-block pit

We purchased a 75-pound pig to roast, and it was injected with about a 20% by weight brine solution (salt, sugar, and water) overnight before cooking the next day. The pig was put in the cinder-block pit around 7:00 AM and was cooked until 4:30 PM before it was pulled out for the usual photo op with the students. The internal temperatures were 160°F in the hams and 150°F in the shoulders.

Whole pig on the grate before cooking

Ray checking temperature

Taking pig out of pit

Carrying pig from cinder-block pit

Whole roasted pig

The roasted pig was served as pulled pork for sandwiches along with cole slaw. Ray and the teaching assistants pulled the meat from the pig to serve to the students.

Ray preparing the pig

Ray serving pork to students

Taylor, Jennifer, and Ray pulling pork

Students in the serving line

As expected, the students loved the experience of the whole pig cooking class. The novelty of having a whole pig cooked in a cinder-block pit is something that most students have never seen, and they will always remember what they saw and what they ate.

Alec and Ray visiting

The end of the semester is always bittersweet. We have had the opportunity to mentor a great group of freshmen during this time, and we are sad to see them leave our class. We look forward to following the students through their undergraduate careers to see where they are headed.

Thanks go to the teaching assistants, Super Sophomores, Jazzy Juniors, and Snazzy Seniors, and graduate student, Hillary Henderson, for such great leadership this semester in helping lead the class each week. These students add to the rich experiences that our freshmen receive each semester, and we are so fortunate to have the chance to work with them over the years that they serve in this capacity.

Texas Barbecue teaching assistants, Julia, Kathleen, Autumn, Kelli, Jordan, Katy Jo, Marti, and Stephanie