Experience the delicious taste of slow-smoked whole suckling pig with this Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill recipe.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Trimming the skin away from the hams and shoulder exposes flesh directly to seasoning, rather than seasoning going to waste on skin that stays largely intact through the cook
- Straining the injection liquid before loading the injector keeps larger ingredients from clogging the needle mid-injection
- Positioning the pig "racing style," upright with legs tucked and extended, keeps it stable on the grate through a seven-hour cook
- Rotating which end sits over the firebox partway through gives both the hams and shoulders their turn closest to the heat, instead of one end cooking faster than the other the whole time
Smoked Suckling Pig
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.3 stars by 10 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Servings
120
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
7 hours 3 minutes
Calories
717
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for a whole Smoked Suckling Pig!
Ingredients
- 30 lb suckling pig
-
1 cup Smoke on Wheels Pork Marinade/Injection
-
1/2 cup Plowboys BBQ Tarheel Tang
-
Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub
-
Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat
-
Plowboys BBQ Tarheel Tang, for serving
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 250ºF.
- Trim any organs, glands, silver skin and/or stringy materials from the cavity of the pig. Optionally, trim away the skin around the hams and shoulder to reveal the flesh of the meat for better seasoning.
- To make the injection combine two parts Smoke on Wheels Pork Marinade/Injection with one part Plowboys BBQ Tarheel Tang. Strain to remove any larger ingredients that will clog the injector.
- Load the injection liquid into a pistol grip injector. From open cavity, inject the hams, shoulders, loins (on the opposite side of the ribs, at the sides of backbone) and anywhere else that the meat will hold injection.
- Wipe excess moisture from the surface with a towel.
- Season with Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub, only where the flesh of the pig is visible, not on the skin.
- Transfer to the main cooking grate of the grill. Position the pig sitting upright, with it’s hind legs under the body and front legs stretched out in front of the body. This is the “racing style.” Start with the hams over the firebox.
- Place probes in the hams and shoulders to monitor the internal temperature.
- Cook for about 2.5 - 3 hours, then rotate the pig to position the shoulders over the firebox. Spray the skin with duck fat to give it a nice shine, and help with the browning.
- Continue cooking until the internal reaches 195ºF in the hams and shoulders (about 7 hours total), spinning the pig as needed to keep the temperature even at both ends. You can also continue to spray the pig with the duck fat occasionally.
- Remove the pig from the grill. Let rest 30 minutes before picking the meat.
- Cut alongside the spine, then down the sides of the ribs toward the cavity to create a large flat of skin that can be peeled down to reveal the meat. Pick the meat from the belly, ribs, hams, shoulders and all other areas. Shred the meat and top with Plowboys BBQ Tarheel Tang Sauce to serve.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why trim the skin away from the hams and shoulder before seasoning?
Removing skin from those areas exposes the actual flesh underneath, so the rub reaches the meat directly instead of sitting on skin that mostly stays intact and unrubbed through the cook.
Why strain the injection liquid before loading it into the injector?
Straining removes larger bits from the marinade and sauce blend that would otherwise clog the injector needle, keeping the injection process smooth throughout.
Why position the pig upright in "racing style" instead of laying it flat?
Tucking the hind legs under the body and stretching the front legs out keeps the pig stable and balanced on the grate, which matters over a cook that runs about seven hours total.
Why rotate the pig partway through, moving the shoulders over the firebox?
Starting with the hams closest to the heat and switching to the shoulders partway through gives both ends time directly over the firebox, rather than one end always cooking faster than the other for the entire smoke.
Why spray the skin with duck fat partway through instead of at the start?
Waiting until the rotation gives the skin a shine and helps with browning during the second half of the cook, rather than applying it early when there's still several more hours of cooking left to dry it back out.
What internal temperature should the suckling pig actually reach?
This recipe cooks the hams and shoulders to 195°F, well above the USDA minimum of 145°F for whole-muscle pork. That higher target is what makes the meat tender enough to pick and shred, not a food safety requirement it clears the safety bar much earlier in the cook.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
1 out of 5 this is a whole animal cook built around a pellet grill's capacity and low, steady wood smoke over several hours. There's no practical way to replicate this in a home oven.
Recipe Highlights
Skin-trimmed seasoning zones: Focuses the rub on exposed flesh rather than skin.
Strained injection: Keeps the injector needle from clogging mid-cook.
Racing-style positioning: Keeps the pig stable through a multi-hour smoke.
Mid-cook rotation: Gives both hams and shoulders time closest to the heat.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 717
- Carbs
- 1 grams
- Protein
- 97 grams
- Fat
- 33 grams
- Sodium
- 247 milligrams
