I’m no fan of wild pigs because of the destruction they leave in their wake, but I am a fan of eating them. One of my favorite ways to cook a whole shoulder or ham is this Hawaiian-style BBQ.

Image: bbq_pork-7Hot and fast smoked wild pig ham makes a great sandwich.

Now, everyone knows that low and slow is the way to go on good pork BBQ, but you don’t always have 10-12 hours free to watch a smoker. Luckily, you can go hot and fast with very similar results and even get an entire shoulder or ham finished in as little as 6 hours. Don’t think the results will be as good?

Image: bbq_pork-6Cooking in this style yields similar results in half the time as traditional slow smoking.

Try both methods and taste them side by side. I bet you’ll be hard pressed to tell them apart. In fact, many of the top competition teams have switched over to this method entirely for their briskets and pulled pork. It makes turn-in time a lot easier to meet and the results win on a consistent basis.

What is the hot and fast method? Simply prep your pork as you always do, then cook it at 300 degrees. Once your meat reaches 165, wrap it in foil or place it in an aluminum pan and cover tightly with foil. Then it’s back on the smoker, still at 300 degrees, until it reaches an internal temperature of about 200 degrees. It’s that easy.

Trim up your shoulder or ham so that there is a thin layer of fat on the surface. Mix the rub ingredients and coat all surfaces well.

Image: bbq_pork-1Trim the ham.

Mix the rub.

Image: bbq_pork-2Mix the rub ingredients.

Place the seasoned meat on the smoker, uncovered, at 300 degrees. I used the MYRON MIXON BARQ for this one. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165. For this medium-sized ham, that took right at 3 hours.

Image: bbq_pork-3Put the seasoned meat on the smoker at 300 degrees.

Wrap the pork and return it to the smoker. Continue cooking until the meat reaches 200 degrees. Place the wrapped pork in an aluminum pan in a clean, dry cooler and cover it with a clean towel or two. Close the lid and allow it to rest for 1-2 hours.

Image: bbq_pork-4Add the ham to a pan, then cover tightly with foil and back on the smoker.

While the meat rests, add the sauce ingredients to a saucepan. Bring to a light boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the sauce for 10-15 minutes, stirring often.

Image: bbq_pork-5Heat the sauce ingredients together.

Unwrap the pork and shred the meat from the bone. Pour over the sauce and blend well.