This “microwave” is a wooden box lined with metal flashing. The pig (or other meat) is placed inside the box, the lid is attached, and charcoal is placed on top of the lid to roast the meat inside. The grease flows out the bottom into a catch pan. It’s simple, but very effective.

Using this method, it’s possible to roast a pig in less than 4 hours. It’s very popular for family reunions, taitgating, graduations, Luau’s and anytime you need to feed a lot of people. It’s seems very simple to use and is priced affordably.

The Cajun Microwave is a similar pig roaster. Here’s an excerpt from CrawfishGuy.com that describes the cooking method in more detail:

All grease drips towards one end of the box and out through two holes in the floor (use a catch pan to eliminate any mess). The floor can be lined with heavy duty tin foil before each use (minimizing the cleaning needed). If the box does get grease on it, simply wash out with hot soapy water and let dry.

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, here’s a CD ROM with instructions for building a Cajun Microwave.

The picture at the right is a picture of my Weber Smokey Mountain bbq smoker in action earlier this year. For anyone looking for an economical bbq smoker, this fits the bill perfectly.

The WSM is versatile enough to use in the backyard or in bbq competition. I use the WSM at home to cook smaller quantities and in competition to cook our prize winning brisket. The WSM is a low cost, low tech bbq cooking solution.

Lid Lifter

If you’ve ever tried to pick-up a cast iron pot that’s been cooking for a while, you know how conductive they are for heat. The beauty of cast iron is the consistent and even heat the pots retain once they are hot. That conductive quality can be both a blessing and a burden. As you begin to cook with your Dutch oven, you’ll find it necessary to lift the lid from time-to-time to check on the progress of your food and to add more ingredients to the pot. To make that task easier, I suggest you pick up a lid lifter from Lodge or purchase from Amazon.com.

Lid Stand

Once you’ve opened the lid, you’ll need somewhere to set it while you tend to your meal and I’ve found nothing better for this job than the lid stand manufactured by Camp Chef. The lid stand is also available just in time for Christmas shopping from Amazon. Using the lid stand will prevent the temptation to put your hot lid on a table, on a table cloth, or heaven for bid–on the ground–for lack of a more suitable place.

Camp Table

And although it’s not entirely necessary if you have a place to build your fire pit on the ground or even inside a kettle grill or something similar, a Camp Chef or Lodge metal camp table will elevate your Dutch oven pots to a more manageable level and reduce back pain from bending and squatting to stir your food.

Different types of bbq meat lend themselves to certain situations. There’s a bbq meat for every taste, budget and occasion.

Chicken:

BBQ chicken thighs are a very affordable, easy to prepare bbq entree, that won’t break your budget. They can be prepared quickly for those spur-of-the-moment backyard dinners when guests stop by unannounced and you’re scrambling to find something to feed them. Just trim, season, bbq on a grill or slip them on the bullet smoker for an hour at 350 degrees until the skin turns golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 170 degrees and you’ll have a light, but tasty bbq treat.

Pork Butt:

If you need to serve a lot of food to a lot of people, bbq pulled pork butts are definitely the way to go. A two-pack of seven pound pork butts cost about $23-24 at the local Sam’s Club and will easily feed 30-40 people depending on the serving size and side items available. I like to cook them the weekend before (set aside 7-8 hours for this), pull or chop the meat, vacuum pack/seal, and pop it in the freezer. You can then transport the frozen pulled pork in an ice cooler for the family reunion, wedding reception, graduation party, or similar occasion. Reheat the vacuum pack in the oven or in a pot of hot water on the stove top. Serve the pork on a hamburger bun with baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, apple sauce, corn on the cob, or just about anything else that sounds good; for a stick-to-your-ribs meal that will please even the heartiest of appetites.

Pork Ribs:

BBQ pork ribs, whether baby backs or spares, are a couple rungs up the bbq ladder from chicken and pulled pork. Slightly more elegant than pulled pork or sliced brisket, ribs lend themselves to casual dining or something a little more formal like a sit-down dinner party. Ribs are easily prepared a few hours ahead of time, or up to a couple days ahead of the event and can be reheated in about 30 minutes in the oven or on a grill and glaze with bbq sauce when serving. If holding for more than a few hours, I recommend vacuum sealing and refrigerating or freezing. At the very least you can store them in a large Rubbermaid or Tupperware container in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours. Otherwise, I’d set aside about 6 hours for cooking prior to your guests’ arrival and plan to serve them hot off the smoker. It’s up to you.

Brisket:

If you know your guests would prefer to be eating a rib-eye, t-bone, or sirloin to the typical hamburger, hotdog, or deli meat sandwich; brisket might be solution. Cheap compared to steaks and enough for 20-30 guests, a $30 brisket will please even the most discriminating dinner guests. Cook it ahead of time (takes about 8-9 hours on the smoker), slice it, brush with a light coating of bbq sauce and store in a vacuum sealed pouch for up to a week, or in a Tupperware or Rubbermaid container overnight. Simply reheat when your guests arrive.

The book starts out more like a novel than a cookbook, which personalizes the bbq experience for readers. There are a lot of personal family memories, anecdotes and details about some of the “whys” behind the Mills’ family bbq obsession.

It’s got a lot of cool black and white photographs and “secret” recipes from the family cookbook. The book also details how Mr. Mills got his start in the bbq business, his early influences, and recent successes as he expands his bbq reach to Las Vegas and New York with the Memphis Championship BBQ restaurants.

I’ve tried the recipe for the Apple City bbq sauce and it’s pretty good. I look forward to trying the rubs and numerous side-dishes.

Choosing an Oven

There are many brands of Dutch ovens manufactured by Camp Chef, Lodge, MACA and others. You can purchase Dutch ovens at most large sporting goods stores and I’ve seen them at garage sales and flea markets. Many aspiring Dutch oven cooks have been introduced to cast iron cooking by a close relative. If you ask around amongst your family members, you might find out that your father, uncle or grandfather has one stashed away someplace just waiting to be re-discovered.Lodge is probably the most well-recognized brand name in cast iron cooking equipment. A Lodge pot costs more than most, but with Lodge you are not only purchasing a cooking utensil, you’re getting a family heirloom. As an example, it’s not uncommon for Lodge cast iron pots and skillets to be handed down from generation to generation, spanning many, many decades. During a recent visit to my mother’s house, she showed me a Lodge skillet that is more than 100 years old that she received from my grandmother.

I recommend purchasing a Dutch oven with legs on the bottom. The legs will elevate the oven just enough to allow you to cook by placing charcoal briquettes directly underneath the oven without the pot becoming unstable or “wobbly.” Cast iron ovens come in varying sizes ranging from 8″ (2 quart capacity) to 16″ (12 quart capacity) and in depths ranging from 3″ to 5″ depending on whether you choose a “deep” oven; typically deeper than 4″; or a standard size oven in the 3″ - 4″ range.

The depth will determine the type and quantity of food you can cook in the oven. A deeper oven provides room for larger cuts of meat or poultry such as rib roasts, whole chickens, and hams. As a reference point, I have cooked two cornish hens in my 10″ Lodge. The birds did touch the lid slightly, but not enough to keep it from closing tightly. My 12″ will accomodate a whole chicken and up to four cornish hens. 

The MacScouter and Byron’s Dutch Oven Cooking were used in researching this article.