The best pig roast - bar none

Ingredients:
One 100-pound pig on the spit
One enchanted garden
One breezy Santa Cruz evening
One Pacific ocean shimmering just over there
Friends, old and new

Mix all of those together and what do you get? The best pig roast ever. Well, o.k., the best pig roast ever in my very limited pig roasting experience.

The day before the roast, the two hosts Chris and Hugh drove thirty miles up the gorgeous California coast to Half Moon Bay to pick up the pig from Bar None Ranch. (It's May and it's Eat Local month, remember?) They chose a gorgeous black Birkshire pig from the line-up, and the people at the ranch did the rest. Hugh called her Henrietta.

They took her back to Hugh's cottage on the coast, stuffed her with Chorizo, got her tied up for the spit before rigor set in, and put her in Hugh's bathtub full of ice to wait for the party the next day. Can you imagine going to the bathroom with a dead pig all tied up in your tub? Emily, Chris's wife, said it was quite a scene from a horror movie. Lucky the guy with a ski mask and power saw didn't come crashing through the door in the night.

By the time we arrived the next day, the lovely Henrietta was already well on her way on the spit. The late afternoon sun was still high, the sky was bright, bright blue, the enchanted garden was all dressed up in fancy party dress, a merry band of friends old and new, and the Pacific ocean was shimmering just over there.

We took a little walk down to the ocean while Henrietta was slowly turning on the spit. The instructions form Hugh went something like this:

walk down to the edge of the garden, then down a few dodgy steps -looking not quite sturdy enough to step on but they surely were- then follow the train tracks to the dirt path, with a wide open field to your right and another wide open field to your left, but on this one you'd see some cows. Walk along the broken down fence, and at the end of it the ocean.

The last time I had a direction that cute it was given in French, avec l'accent midi.

Henrietta was finished just in time for the sunset. And we sat down under the torch light to savor the succulent meat and the crackling skin. Added to the indulgence was an array of sides, salsa and guagamole, tortillas, grilled corn, scallions, and even Nopales citrus. I also made a Thai Jaew sauce –a classic Northeastern Thai sauce for grilled meats. We drank Tecate and Schiener Bach by the keg, not to mention the magnum of '96 Hospices de Beaune Meursault that we brought.

The food and the fun lasted well into the night. Getting back to the car, we walked along the Highway 1 in the moonlight, the skies glimmering with numberless stars, faint echos of laughter still filled the air. What a perfect Santa Cruz evening. I am really liking it here.

Thai Jaew sauce
(The original version has mint as the main herb, but I added some lemon basil in this version.)

1 cup fish sauce
juice from 2-3 limes, depending on taste
1 tbsp sugar
chilli powder to taste
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 cup chopped mint
1 cup chopped lemon basil
1/4 cup rice (roasted in a dry pan until brown and fragrant, then grounded)
a small handful of chopped cilantro and scallions to garnish

Mix the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar together.
Toss in the chopped herbs.
Sprinkle the toasted rice powder, then the chilli powder.
Mix well and check the seasonings.
Serve as a condiment to grilled meats.

Local sources:
Pig: Bar None Ranches
Thai herbs: Chue's Farms (from the Ferry Plaza market)
Nopales edible cactus: Watsonville
Corns: San Louis Obispo (from Green Leaf produce)

tag(s):food|pig |pig roast |Jaew |nopales |Eat Local

Comments

[Tony of Bachelor cooking]

Reminds me very much of Obelisk lol

[Fred]

Pim,
Clearly not a beer person, Shiner Boch, the pride of Shiner Texas http://www.shiner.com/home.html but a good choice with a roast pig.......

F

[jen maiser]

Sounds amazing. Loved the picture of the nopales. Did you just eat them plain like that? I have only eaten them dressed in vinegar or as a part of a salad.

[barbara]

What a perfect evening Pim.

[Dianka]

Wow this looks amazing! Reminds me of a Luau in Hawaii but gourmet of course =)

~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/

[wandernut]

Oh gosh!
Henrietta looks... delicious.
I find it hard to eat an animal once it has a name.

My last Christmas turkey was named Rupert ;)

[Jeff]

Man...what a beautiful location for a partay!

[William]

Whoa, that's one hell of a pig-roasting rig! I want one...

[slurp!]

wow! beautiful garden, beautiful ocean views, "beatiful" piggy ... what a perfect fest! hmmm ... so here goes my weight-loss plan again :(

[Geoff Smith]

Eat locally, yeah. Where do you get fresh corn from at this time of year?

[Gerald]

What an amazing feast, I'm jealous.

[Emily Avila]

Hi Pim! Thanks for writing such a lovely description our pig roast fiesta. I thought it was a fabulous evening as well! One of the lucky aspects of hosting a party, is getting to eat leftovers all week (I'm almost sick of Chris' salsa verde, almost).

Emily

p.s. The corn was from the San Luis Obispo area. As Chris says, you can grow just about anything 9 months out of the year in southern california. And if it's fresh and available, his produce distributor is offering it to purchase.

[culinaryhag]

What a perfect wonderful evening. You've described it so well I felt as if I was there too. Poor Henrietta though. Ah well. As least she gave joy to many people.

[kishko]

hmmmm, i am considering moving to santa cruz now! i am bbq-ing a local chicken named mario tonight!

[Tanna]

Pig roasts are so incredible: indescribably delish! Sounds like great fun.

[NYreader]

Wooah, Pim, I just saw you in the NYTimes today! You look great in there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/style/tmagazine/t_l_1458_1459_well_pim_.html

[mae]

What a wonderful post! The evening was so well described. How funny that the pig was even named.

[mae]

Btw, i'm adding you to my links - hope you don't mind.

[Michelle]

I'm sure that it was a lovely evening for you, but, I couldn't get past the fact that your friends looked that pig in the eye, called her by her name, then had her killed and stuffed for an evening with friends. Ugh, creepy.

[Pim]

Tony: Obelisk??

Fred: You got me. No I'm not much fo a beer drinker. Have been loving Hefeweizen a lot lately though.

Jen: We cut them up and wrap them in a tortilla with the pork. Yum.

Barbara: Thanks. It was fun.

Dianka: We didn't have sauce à la truffe or anything. Hardly gourmet I'd say.

wandernut: Yes she sure was, and I'm sure so was Rupert. ;-)

Jeff: Hard to beat living in a cottage on the coast of California, for sure.

William: We rented it actually. Look in your phone book, you'd be amaze what contraption people have for rent to roast a piggy.

slurp!: hmm....you can run back and forth to the ocean a few times, that'd get rid of some calories no? Or, you can have the meal entirely of corn and leave the rest for us!

Geoff: I see that Emily has gotten to this question before me.

Gerald: It was great....and I'm grateful I wasn't the one hosting this!

Emily: You are so very welcome. We're thrilled to have been invited. Leftovers? I hardly believe there was any leftovers from the way we obliterate all the food! And thanks for answering the question about the corn.

culinaryhag: Henrietta was running happily in the pasture until we chose her for the party. She had a good life, and we made sure she was enjoyed fully and didn't go to waste.

Kishko: Yes, move here. It's fun. How was Mario?

Tanna: It was great fun thank you.

NYreader: Thanks for the note. I didn't even know that it was online yesterday. I knew it would come out this Sunday.

mae: Well we've got to call her something. Just 'pig' didn't sound so respectful.

[Pim]

"I'm sure that it was a lovely evening for you, but, I couldn't get past the fact that your friends looked that pig in the eye, called her by her name, then had her killed and stuffed for an evening with friends. Ugh, creepy".
Posted by: Michelle | May 7, 2006 7:24:36 AM

--------

Dear Michelle,

So, a piece of porkchop on a styrofoam tray wrapped tight in plastic is not as creepy in your mind?

Yes we called Henrietta by name, wouldn't you prefer it too Michelle, or would a simple 'hey you' do for you? She was living a good life in the open pasture when we chose her. She didn't spend her life in the sorry conditions of the factory farm. She was treated with respect and was put down humanely. When her life ended she provided a great meal and a wonderful time for so many people, and we made sure none of her go to waste.

What is the cruelty in that?

[Diane]

Thanks for the article. This sounds like a wonderful roast, and a responsible and respectful way to buy and cook meat. Very much in the spirit of eating local this months and thinking about what you eat.

PS - loved the NY Times article on you today - very cool! I'll be be trying some of the recipes later this week.

[Catherine]

Congratulations on your NY Times article! Way to go!

[mae]

I've just read the article on NY Times and i must say, you are just FABULOUS! Fantastic setting and all those recipes... yum!

[ray]

Pim,

Swadee kup...Lovely article on the roasted pig. As affcienados of thai food I enjoy yr blog so much......if your in LA sometime stop by the Palms in Hollywood, and enjoy the great Thai food and the unique live music from 7:30 pm on weekends.....the pla dok foo is the best I have had on the West Coast. I always judge a Thai restaurant by the quality and character of their pla dook foo

There is a great hidden thai treasure in the Valley that I will comment on next time.

Thank you and enjoy...

[Jimmy-in-Seattle]

Hi Pimmy...Congratulations on the NY Times feature. Speaking of which..I'm a little confused about this whole thing. Modelling clothes, presenting recipies, and cooking?! Hmmm What am I missing here? I like the fact that the people and the clothes are 'everyday.' The recepies were great too. However, I feel like I'm not getting it. Sorry. What was this all about?............jimmy-in-seattle

[Rose]

Loved seeing your recipe and the article in the NYTimes. You and your dining companions all looked so pretty in your nice duds :-)

[ray]

Pim

Great article on the NY TIMES nice background and some great pics as well...good luck to you in making the BIG TIME !!!! ENJOY and remember your ordinary friends......

regards,

Ray

[ray]

Pim

Great article on the NY TIMES nice background and some great pics as well...good luck to you in making the BIG TIME !!!! ENJOY and remember your ordinary friends......

regards,

Ray

[keiko]

Pim, I loved your Missoni dress, and of course your fabulous recipes too!

[Matt]

Why couldn't you wear your own clothes? Is it about the food or about the clothes? Of course, media in general IS fake, but I never thought you'd be so easy to get ;)

[Paul]

Wow that is a giant piece of pork, looks beautful.

Paul

[Yasmin]

mmmmmmmmm....pig roast....who got the ears? In my mom's family (they are Filippino) there was always a fight for the crispy ears when they had lechon!

And well done on the NY Times piece. Looking forward to more online and on paper..!

[Grace Gallego]

The roast pork event sounds scrumptious. Sounds like a perfect evening. BTW, where did you get the spit/roaster, etc?