My friend, Arlene LaBorde, emailed me a few weeks ago and asked, “How would you like to come to a Pig Roast in Boulder Creek?” She explained, “Friends and hosts, Wes and Darlene Schroeder, get together with Jim and me each year. We share the cost and work involved prior to Mr. Pig’s seven hours rotation time on the grill.”
They invite their friends who are asked to bring salads, sides and desserts, and of course, libations of all kinds needed to wash down all that delicious food. How could we resist this Swine and Dine feast? I immediately emailed back, “We’re in!”
Hubby Norm was all smiles just thinking of the pork cracklings that would be available, and then he reminded me of our own Pig Roast that was a ‘near disaster’ from many years ago.
While living in VenturaCounty, Norm and I decided to have a pig roast. We invited well-meaning friends to help with this process. One fellow decided the pig was not rotating properly on the spit and turned off the motor, resulting in fat from the pig’s belly pouring down into the fire. Flames shot upward turning both the pig and the trees into an inferno. An hour later, after both pig and trees were doused with hose water, the pig was back to securely rotating on the spit.
So there we were, Labor day 2015, travelling from Ben Lomond through Boulder Creek all the while looking for those wooden pink pig cutouts sporting long black lashes nailed to a couple of trees that Arlene had told us to follow. Turning off Highway 9 onto a newly paved road deep into the woods, we caught our first smell of roasting pork, closely followed by smoke hovering low to the ground.
Arriving, we observed the operation set up by the Schroeders and LaBordes, and we immediately knew that this pig was going to complete its journey onto our plates, successfully.
This was the 18th Pig Roast by the Schroeders; 14 in Santa Clara, and the last four here in Boulder Creek with the LaBordes.
Here are some suggestions about pig roasting in case you have a desire to attempt this in your own back yard:
First Step — DO NOT set up the barbecue spit under trees.
Second Step — DO NOT let small children observe a ‘baby’ pig being roasted as Norm and I did one Easter many years ago. This resulted in our small son’s tears over the fact that no one told him that ‘pig was pork.’ Many of our guests felt so badly that appetites for pork quickly vanished.
Friends, you will need at least one or more couples to share the cost of over $200 for a 60-pound pig and its transportation (in ice) from Gilroy. Don’t forget to include the cost for stuffing.
You must have friends on standby to douse flame flare-ups, which create a charred burnt taste.
You will need a friend, such as Darlene Schroeder, laboring in her kitchen making her favorite barbecue sauce. Her recipe incorporates fresh peaches. The result is a sauce that is fragrant and uniquely delicious.
Friends like Arlene are needed to set tables using decorations that celebrate the holiday. Friends like Cherie and Alan Krause that arrive in their 1969 blue Corvette convertible, who are willing to lug in cold watermelon. Another friend, Jeri Shawhan, brought a cake decorated with a patriotic theme. Friends like these are needed to complete a perfect pig roasting day. That afternoon Norm and I witnessed the true friendship that exists among the Slowiks, Walters, Mellos, Rita Eriksson, Sam Khalil and fifty more guests. We enjoyed every minute under the redwoods with these newly-found friends. NEXT YEAR?
Colly Gruczelak, a Ben Lomond resident, loves people and loves to cook. Contact her at
cz****@co*****.net
BARBECUED PULLED PORK
Pork Rub for 6-8 lb. Shoulder Roast:
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup black pepper
¼ cup chili powder
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. dried thyme
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Mix well and rub whole amount onto roast.
1. Soak 10 cups hickory chips in water for 1 hr. Drain.
2. Divide chips on 5 sheets of foil and pull up sides making a pouch. Leave 2” hole on top,
—allowing smoke to escape.
3. Move hot coals to one side of barbecue. If using propane, heat only one side.
4. Add 3 pouches on grate on top of hot coals.
5. On cold side, place pan holding 1” of water under grate.
6. Place pork on cold side of barbecue. Close lid. Roast for 45 min; then rotate roast clockwise
—33o. Repeat rotating 2 more times. Add additional pouches as needed to keep smoke going.
—After 2 hours and 15 min. of roasting, wrap pork in 2 layers of heavy duty foil. Return to cold
—side. Roast it for an additional 2 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily.
7. Heat 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce and add to meat. Mix in well. Serve on Hoagie rolls.
Colly Gruczelak, a Ben Lomond resident, loves people and loves to cook. Contact her at
cz****@co*****.net
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