Roasting on a spit
Roasting meat on a turning spit in front of or over a fire is one of the oldest ways of cooking. Large houses had great kitchen fireplaces with spits turned by hand, by mechanisms or even by dogs in a wheel.
Feasts, fairs and celebrations
Whole animals roasted outdoors have long been part of British celebrations: harvest suppers, fairs, coronations and village feasts.
Frost fairs
When the Thames froze in London in past centuries, frost fairs were held on the ice, and contemporary accounts describe whole oxen being roasted there.
The modern hog roast
Today’s hog roasts usually use purpose-built roasters fuelled by bottled gas, which made it practical to roast a whole hog at a wedding, garden party or fête. The tradition of carving it in front of guests, with stuffing, apple sauce and crackling, carries on.
The spit and the kitchen
In great houses, roasting on a spit in front of an open fire was a skilled job, with the meat turned steadily so it cooked evenly. Drip trays caught the fat for basting. The same principle (slow, even heat and constant turning) is behind modern rotisserie roasting.
Why pork?
Pigs were kept widely in Britain, including by cottagers, and a pig could feed a lot of people. Roasting a whole pig was a natural way to feed a crowd at a celebration, and crackling made it special.
Apple sauce and stuffing
Pairing pork with apples is long established in British cooking, as is sage, which turns up in stuffing. The classic hog roast roll, with sage and onion stuffing, apple sauce and crackling, draws on that tradition.
Still a celebration food
Today a hog roast is still the food of celebrations: weddings, birthdays, fêtes and Christmas parties. The equipment has changed, but the idea of gathering round a roast and sharing it hasn’t.
Hog roasts around the world
Roasting a whole pig is a celebration food in many countries, from the lechón of the Philippines and Spain to the whole-hog barbecue of the American South and the porchetta of Italy. The British hog roast, served in a roll with stuffing, apple sauce and crackling, is our own version.
Today’s equipment
Modern hog roast machines are designed to cook a whole pig evenly and safely outdoors, usually on bottled gas, with covers or doors to hold the heat. They’re what made it practical for caterers to bring a hog roast to a garden, a field or a car park.
A meal for a crowd
Through all its history, the appeal of a whole roast has been the same: one animal, cooked slowly and shared by many people. It’s food that brings people together, which is why it still turns up at celebrations today.
Quick answers
Is the hog roast a British tradition?
Roasting whole animals for celebrations is a long tradition in Britain and many other countries.
What fuel do modern hog roasts use?
Most use bottled gas.
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