Nothing says summer like planning a cookout with friends and family. To celebrate the season, we’re opting for a pig roast – perfect for feeding big groups and a fun way to spend any long summer day. The best part about a pig roast? The party lasts all day long!
Your friends and family will be impressed on your twist to the classic BBQ. And it doesn’t have to be hard! Planning + successfully executing the perfect pig roast may sound overwhelming, but we’re here to give you all the tips + tricks you’ll need to impress your foodie friends.
Let’s get cooking!
Pre-Pork Prep
Picking the perfect pig is easy with the help of any local butcher or farm. We recommend giving them at least one week notice so nothing is left to the last minute! TFG tip: allow for around 1 1/2 pounds of pig per person (a 20 pound pig will serve 13-14 people!) With that in mind, you want to have plenty for everyone, so make sure to nail down a solid RSVP list before putting in your pork order.
Pork will take the main stage, but that doesn’t mean you should leave the rest of your menu hanging! Decide on your side dishes – go classic with coleslaw or be bold and serve Southern Living’s Best-Ever Succotash. If you have vegetarian guests, skip out on the bacon in the recipe. They will love that this side dish is hearty enough to be a main meal and they will leave just as stuffed!
Summer Succotash:
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living
What you’ll need:
- 10 oz. fresh or frozen baby lima beans
- 4 center-cut bacon slices
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 4 oz. fresh okra, cut into thick slices
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears!)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Side-dish success:
- Place lima beans in a medium saucepan, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high before reducing to medium-low. Simmer here until beans are just tender, around 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- While beans simmer, place bacon slices in a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Cook until crisp, around 8 minutes, making sure to turn around the 5 minute mark. Transfer bacon to paper towels then crumble and reserve drippings in the skillet.
- Add the chopped onion, fresh okra, and garlic to skillet over medium and cook, stirring often, until onion is just tender (around 6 minutes).
- Stir in fresh corn kernels, salt, pepper, and drained beans, and cook, stirring often, until corn is tender and bright yellow (5 to 6 minutes). Add the butter and stir constantly until butter is melted. Remove from heat
- Stir in the halved tomatoes and sliced basil; sprinkle with crumbled bacon, and serve immediately.
Fan Favorites: Finger Food
Invite your guests over early in the day so everyone gets in on the pig-roasting action. While the pig cooks, make sure to keep some finger food on hand for easy snacking! You can never go wrong with a cheese plate. We love this Summer Grazing Board, from Domestikated Life.
TFG Tip: for extra personalization to your pig roast, serve up your gorgeous cheese platter on one of our wood cutting and serving boards!
Pork Party Products
A pig roast doesn’t happen every day, so make yours stand out with some personalized pig roast party products. Think of the essentials – napkins for sticky barbecue sauce messes, and cups to wash down that delicious pork! Keep messes to a minimum with our custom party napkins that come in a variety of personalized styles. Just make sure you order with plenty of time so you can get the customization you want.
Cooking the pig will take anywhere from 6-8 hours, so make sure you keep your favorite drink chilled all day long. We love staying on-theme with a personalized pig roast beer bottle hugger.
You can’t go wrong with any pulled pork dish, but we suggest getting the most out of your pig roast with a twist on the classic burger. Go big or go home with Trisha Yearwood’s Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger recipe – the bacon bits in this burger are a game changer! Plus, it’s nice to have a little variety for your barbecue.
Everyone Loves a Bacon Burger:
Recipe courtesy of The Food Network
What you’ll need:
- 12 oz package of thick-cut bacon
- 4 burger buns
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (preferably 80/20)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil for oiling grill grates
- American cheese
- 1/2 cup store-bought ranch dressing
- Bibb lettuce
- Roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Grillin’ time:
- Put the bacon in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Cook just until the fat is rendered out, 5 to 7 minutes (the bacon should not brown at all). Remove bacon from the pan and place in the bowl of a small food processor – there should be about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat that has collected in the pan.
- Place the buns into the warm bacon fat, cut-side down. Toast the buns until they are golden brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Set aside for burger assembly.
- Pulse the par-cooked bacon in the food processor until it is coarsely ground, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the bacon to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Use your hands to gently work the bacon and seasonings into the ground beef. Divide meat into portions and loosely pack into thick patties. Use your thumb to create a shallow dimple in the center of each and sprinkle the outside of each patty with salt and pepper as desired.
- Preheat the grill and generously oil the grill grates. Place patties on grill and cook to desired degree of doneness, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Top each patty with a slice of American cheese and cover the grill to allow cheese to melt (about 30 seconds).
- Assemble the burgers and top with ranch, lettuce, tomato, and red onion.
Time to Pork Out!
When your pig is fully cooked, set up a long table for family-style dining and cover with a table cover or newspaper that will allow for quick cleanup.
Carve up your pig and serve alongside the bacon cheeseburgers and your choice of sides. The only thing missing now is a perfectly paired cocktail. Set up a drink station and prep with ingredients for the summer’s coolest cocktails. Choose any of these recipes from Esquire and serve up over ice (we love the Salty Bird!). Personalize any of our custom Styrofoam cups for the final touch on this perfect pig roast!
A Perfect Pig Pairing:
Recipe courtesy of Esquire
What you’ll need:
- 1.5 oz aged rum
- .75 oz Campari
- 1.5 oz fresh pineapple juice
- .5 oz fresh lime juice
- .5 oz simple syrup
- pinch of salt
- dehydrated pineapple (optional)
Pour alongside your pork:
- Simple combine all ingredients, then shake and strain into your favorite custom cup over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a pinch of salt and the dehydrated pineapple.
- Now THAT’S what summertime tastes like!
The Party Never Ends
After a long day of cooking and eating off your hard work, send guests home with a sleeve of our personalized hard plastic cups so they will remember this day for years to come. See? Planning the perfect summer pig roast isn’t as hard as it seems… especially when you have Two Funny Girls by your side!
Happy Roasting!
