8th Annual Deer Springs Pig Roast

What a glorious day for a pig roast..................although we did get rain upon our arrival. We were attending the annual Deer Springs Inn pig roast. "The Man" and myself look forward to this event every year.

The sponsors of this extravaganza are Ed and Mary King, owners/operators of Deer Springs Inn Resort. We met this couple in the Fall of 1999. We stayed at their resort, which by the way, is approximately 7 miles of any beaten path, and off the grid..........(NO T.V., NO blow dryers, No electric lights BUT they do have wood heat, kerosene lanterns or solar lights, flashlights, running water, toilets, tranquility.... lots of it!) It requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle or a vehicle with chains in the winter time to proceed back into their place, summer time you just need water, time and the view (I've seen turkey, wild horses, elk, deer and black bear)

We really, really like this couple, Mary especially! She is a fun gal............witty, kind, loyal and an all around good human being. Her significant other, he's funny (sometimes), a kind human (sometimes), a real talker (all the time). So, as I was saying, we love to attend this function.

The criteria for attending this function......you must know the Kings or be in tight with someone who does. You also have to bring a side dish to accompany the pig BBQ. It's a fun network of people, some we've met during the pig roast, some we've met while staying at the resort, some we know simply by yakking with them throughout the day.

This pig(who's name was "Ed" by the way) is slow roasted in an indirect method. Ed(the man, not the pig) feeds charcoal and wood to this pig, which is wired to two heavy-duty grates, placed in a shallow (grave), I mean "pit," covered in walls of tin including the top, and slow-roasted for many hours. The atmosphere is terrific, the smell of pig roasting permeates the tall pines, which makes everyone salivate profusely, which is why we all drink a lot.

Now when this pig is done roasting, Ed and his entourage of "worker bees," (I mean friends), gather round to hoist the pig up, and out of the fire, and onto a table. This is when Ed subjects his enemies( I mean friends) to "pig pullin' ." Now I've had the honor of pig pullin for a couple of years, my mama has had the honor of pig pullin a couple of years..............this year it was time for some new blood! I nominated my son-in-law Toby, and our new neighbor (from S. Cal) Joe Hicks, I also nominated them early that day, before anyone arrived so Ed would know who to "pick on." Sometimes Ed listens to me......................most often NOT!

This job is NOT for the weak or tender................this requires asbestos gloves, a big bucket of water (to cool your hands down in the asbestos gloves), and some real strength. The "pig pullin' " begins, they pull and pull, place in trays, pull and pull and place in more trays......until the entire carcass of the pig is plucked clean like a vultures been at it..................then the good times roll, we get to eat!

Now these eats are some of the best in the world. I have to say, they outdid themselves this year, it was the BEST pig to date. It was tender, mellow smoked, juicy, just a real FINE pig. Top that off with some of Jack's homemade BBQ sauce, a lil' slaw, some homemade bread, doesn't get much better folks. Also.....................Connie's Sangria was out of this world (it was hidden behind the pavilion, behind a tarp, in a cooler, in the back, and off the beaten path). In fact, I'm pretty sure that not too many people knew where the Sangria was hidden except for Ed, Mary, myself, Connie's son, and Connie. Man is that some good stuff!

Well, I'm real sorry ya'll missed this shingdig, it's a "hoot" of a time.................until next year, bon appetit!!

JACK'S FAMOUS BBQ SAUCE

80 ounces ketchup

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2-4 Tablespoons celery seed

6-12 cloves garlic, minced

cayenne to taste

3/4 cup Bourbon (not Canadian Club)

Add all together except the bourbon and let boil for approximately 5-10 minutes. Cool. Add Bourbon. Bottle.

*You may want to halve this recipe as this makes a large batch for a large crowd.