subject: Hog Roast: Outdoor Catering With A Twist [print this page] Since medieval times, the hog roast has been the preferred form of entertainment and feeding the masses in the UK. There is nothing quite like a succulent hog slowly turning on the spit, browning before your very eyes, the juices sizzling on the coals. All your senses are overwhelmed by the feast preparing itself. Catering for a large group can be problematic the food is often less tasty, not very attractive and quite unimaginative. With hog roasting, the meat remains hot and juicy right up to the moment of dishing up to the slavering crowd.
The secret is to start with ingredients of the highest quality, to ensure a satisfying result. The rind needs to be scored evenly and salted correctly to ensure it produces superior crackling. Enough time should be allowed for the hog to cook slowly and evenly to perfection this could be up to five hours for a large porker. Many companies go the whole hog and do everything for the function themselves, but it is possible for the host, with some guidance and instruction, to do the roast by himself, thus impressing friend and foe alike.
Whether you are planning a back garden bash for friends and family or a dinner party with guests in evening wear, the hog roast is the perfect choice. It can be prepared outside as well as inside, as the latest preparation methods are clean and smoke-free and the roasters attractive and sleek. Most of the burners are gas-powered, making it the ideal method for preparing food in an isolated area with no access to electricity. The rotating spit is usually battery-powered for the same reason.
Sometimes the hog will be carved right on the spit; at other times it will be done on a carving platform within sight of the people, thus adding an element of interest to the proceedings. Guests could even have their own hunk of hog to carve on the table, creating a real entertainment factor.
People often leave a function feeling dissatisfied with the portions of food they received. With hog roasting, this is a problem of the past. Portions are generous and there is always the opportunity of going back for seconds. One hog could feed up to 200 mouths, so this form of entertaining is one of the most economical for any sizable group of guests. There are also the extras apple sauce or mustard, home-baked bread, sandwich platters, baps, salads and desserts to supplement the basic meat fare and satisfy even the health conscious.
So for your next function, forget the boring platters or predictable restaurant fare. Get guests contemplating and admiring the centrepiece of the function a juicy supreme hog roast north east enticingly revolving over hot coals, turning crisp and brown while giving off an intoxicating aroma. Now that is superior entertaining, whatever the weather.
