Cooking a Whole Pig
Jim Gibson, a Beaufort, South Carolina, lawyer with a long family tradition of barbecue, and Chris Lilly, pit master at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (no relation to Jim Gibson) in Decatur, Alabama, offer these basics.

A cinder block pit is easy to build; simply stack the blocks on top of one another, four rows high. We built a 60- x 46- x 27-inch pit. You can have a grate made at a sheet metal company. Edge the grate with cap blocks standing on their sides. Leave one side of the pit open so you can access the fire, using corrugated tin as a removable door. Start the fire on bare ground or on lava rocks. While Jim prefers to cook with charcoal, using indirect heat, Chris adds a small amount of seasoned wood and keeps a low fire directly under the hog.

Start with a split, eviscerated pig from which the head and feet have been removed. Remove the membrane lining the ribs. Slice into it with a sharp knife, then grab it with a paper towel and pull it off. Sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 cup kosher salt on the inside of each half, and rub the skin with olive oil. Put the meat on the grate skin side up, then cover it with heavy cardboard (flattened refrigerator boxes work well).

Stick a barbecue thermometer through the cardboard to make sure the temperature of the pit stays at 250°; check every hour. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the hams and shoulders. Once the hams reach about 145° (ours took five hours), it's time to turn. Pierce the skin in a few places before turning to let the excess fat run out. After turning, pour plenty of sauce into the rib cage, and mop the rest of the pig well with a barbecue mop. Cook until the hams are about 180° and the shoulders are about 190°, basting occasionally. Jim's sauce is included in this story. The cooking process will take eight or nine hours for a 100-pound hog.