Food

Wild Hogs

How to Host Your Next Pig Roast

Nothing beats hosting a good pig roast in the summer. Except having someone else do all the pig-roasting (you’ve got lawn darts to toss). So here are five ways to throw the easiest, most pork-laden summer BBQ imaginable.

NIMBY CROWD

Your Bone Away from Home

The Setup: You’d love to have a backyard pig roast. You’d also love a backyard. Instead, borrow this patio. There’s no grass, but there is vodka-spiked sweet-tea lemonade.
Swine and Sides: Suckling pig, corn, even lobster, if you insist. (Please, insist.)
Starting At: $300 for one pig (feeds 15 to 20 people).

RHYTHM METHOD

They Smoke ’Em. You Got ’Em.

The Setup: You want your own private Ribfest. Fine. Whole-roasted pigs are available for pickup or delivery. They can hook you up with a band, in case you also want your own private Bluesfest.
Swine and Sides: Fourteen-hour wood-smoked piggies, cornbread, baked beans et al.
Starting At: $220 per 20-pound pig (feeds 15 to 20 people).

HAVE PIG, WILL TRAVEL

A Food Truck with Whole Pigs

The Setup: Truck arrives. It has a pig ready to be cooked. Your party may now begin.
Swine and Sides: They can do classic American, but a Filipino-style, banana-leaf-stuffed, crispy-skinned hog is what they’re best at. The creamy coconut mashed potatoes aren’t bad, either.
Starting At: $45 per person (for 25 to 35 people).

PORKING LOT

Ribs with a Side of Motor Home

The Setup: These guys pull up with a roaster and a big hog wherever you need them. Say, Soldier Field. August 9. Bears vs. Broncos. If you need a ride, rent their fully tricked-out RV.
Swine and Sides: Barbecue beans, slaw, cheesy potatoes.
Starting At: $500 (feeds 15 to 20 people), but that RV ride is extra.

THE LUAU

Grass Skirts Come Standard

The Setup: Someone comes to your home, digs a pit, fills it with coals, drops in a pig. Hula dancers and Polynesian fire dancers entertain you while it cooks.
Swine and Sides: The pig’s massive—85 people massive—but save room for Hawaiian salad.
Starting At: $1,000. Fire dancers don’t work cheap, as you know.