How long to cook a 40 lb pig in a vertical pig roaster

I appreciate that, and we'll probe it throughout, but we're trying to get an estimate.

We've never done one before and need to decide if we should start at 2am, 4am, 6am for it to be ready for lunch.

My wife's family is from Mansura and twice a year we'd do just what your pic shows, but in front of an outdoor fireplace her dad had built in front of his house. We'd load that thing with pecan and get a nice fire going to get the coals needed to do the pig roast.

They had a small homemade rotisserie motor in a box that would slowly spin the pig in front of the fire and a large stainless drip pan under to catch the fat drippings as it ran off the pig.

It would take between 6-8 hours depending on the size of the pig they bought and most times they just went by how much fat was coming off the pig as it cooked. I really don't recall ever seeing them use a meat thermometer to check for temperature-----and it always came out great.

From my observation, they'd go by the amount of fat dripping off the pig to let them know when it was done.

ETA: When they decided it was fully cooked they'd do what they called "cloche the pig" and that meant they'd push the bottom half of the pig real close to the fire and let the skin crackle and then lean the top part of the pig and do the same. The skin would bubble just like cracklin' and was damn fine eating on it's own.

Need someone from Avoyelles Parish to weigh in on this thread. Also, that is called a couchon de lait. Best eating in the world!

With a hot fire that thing will cook one in 5-6 hours easy. If you’re not a good bucket of pig grease judger I would just use a meat thermometer.

Be sure to rub it down good with Chackbay first.

I cook in a rig like that. Pig is butterflied and lays flat. On average I figure 10 pounds per hour. Gotta keep the fire hot. Stick thermometers in the hams to manage the cooking.