We had a pig roast at our wedding! Yum!

I'm not sure if you mean to do it yourself or to have someone help you through. It seems like an ambitious undertaking for a DIY (getting a properly butchered pig and the proper storage space for it is enough of a chore, not to mention the right type of roaster), but if that's not what you're thinking I'm sure you can find folks who will cater the pig for you.

If you want to do it yourself at the very least find a local butcher or pig farmer to talk to!

I've been part of two types of pig roast, a traditional spit turned and a Hawaiian pit roast.

We bought a very large pig for the spit style which ended up taking about 16 hours of hand turning to cook.

My friends hosted the Hawaiian style which had a much smaller pig but took significantly less manual labor to cook. If I was going to host I'd go with the Hawaiian pit or the split pig roasting box method, Wikipedia has information on both. Just be prepared for decently long cook times.

We always bought the pigs live to save money but not everyone is prepared for that. Do some research on proper techniques if you decide to go this route.

There is a great oven for roasting pigs. Bobby Flay loves it and my mom used to have one.
http://www.lacajachina.com/
Start there! It's really not that much work other than the marinating the night before.
Then they all sit around drinking beer while the pig is cooking. Caja China makes it
clean and easy.
Cheers
irina

Ok, this will sound a bit sketchy, but it's how I've always seen friends do full pigs (cochon de lait) for Mardi Gras. And these people are setting up full pigs on the sidewalk basically!
Get a butcher. Get a whole pig from them. Ideally, get them to slit the pig down the breastbone so it flays wide and flat. Then get a meat injector, make up some juice to inject with (butter mostly is best) and go to town on it followed by any rubs or spices you want.
Lots of people use whats called a cajun microwave. Just a big homemade heat box/grill. There's some good free plans I just googled here: http://cajunmicrowaveplans.com/ but its definitely an undertaking to build it. The easier, cheaper solution is tie the pig to a large metal grate with wire so its spread wide. I've seen people make them from chicken wire or chainlink. Just walk around home depot and you'll find a few options. Make your coals. Charcoal is easiest and if you can, just pick a spot in your yard you're ok with and make the coals a long rectangle the length of your grate on the ground (be safe, obviously) When its ready, prop the grate directly over it (use anything nonmeltable) so its about 3 feet off the coals. Let it cook at least 3 hours bone side down then flip and cook skin side an hour or 2 til the bones pull apart easily. The times will depend on your pig size.

Hope this helps! It really is tasty and worth the trouble. Plus, its just cool to say you cooked a whole pig for your friends.

You should invite me.

Serious Eats did a whole feature on roasting a whole pig (it's cool to link to them, right? they're friends with the Kitchn from what I understand)
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/how-to-roast-a-pig-on-a-spit.html

We've roasted four pigs and a whole lamb using a cuban style open pit like these guys: http://www.cuban-christmas.com/pigroast.html
Our first try was definitely daunting, but now I feel like (and we have, actually) we could do this with basically no notice and no trouble (our butcher can get fresh pigs within 3-4 days depending on the farmer/packing house schedule, but you'll need to check with yours for details)
I think a rub made from brown sugar, kosher salt, tons of garlic, tons of pepper, maybe a few other spices/herbs is all the seasoning you'll need.
Also, we've found that we get the best smoky flavor if a whole log of hickory/sassafras/other wood is placed on top of the hot coals [which, by the way, you'll need way less of than you think, 2 bags max if you're doing it right--we've done it with less than one. Cooking time is variable and highly dependent on weather, buy a good digital probe thermometer to check internal temp in the shoulders.
You should also think about where/how you will process the animal after its done cooking... a large table makes it easy, but you're going to coat absolutely everything with pork fat (there is no clean or tidy way to do this--we've tried), so make sure you've thought about cleanup first (outside, hoseable surfaces, biodegradable soaps, etc).
Finally, I'd suggest you start small-- a 60-90 lb hog is going to be plenty plenty plenty of meat, (1lb/person will give you tons and tons of leftovers).... but I will say that frozen leftover smoked pork makes some pretty instant awesome dinners (stir fry, casserole, bbq sandwiches, etc).
Have fun! It makes for a great party!

I attended a wedding rehearsal dinner last summer where there was a whole roasted pig served. It was a show stopper, especially liked by the large group of men attending, and absolutely delicious. Our hostess was very smart....she had the local BBQ joint in town do all the prep (including side dishes) --bringing in all food items fully cooked and then do serving & clean up. Wonderful event!

best advice is just start early! and do as much ahead as possible.

Ditto on the recommendation to use a La Caja China. Your event sounds like so much fun! I actually work with Tender Greens (locations in California) and they host a whole animal roast using a La Caja China box at their Hollywood location during the summer. They have some great recipe ideas that you could borrow. :)

Chef Eric Hulme slow cooks the pig all day in a La Caja China, pretty easy to use. He'll usually prepares them with a rub and sometimes marinade injections to keep it flavorful and juicy during the cooking process. Here are a few of the preparations and sides he's done:
- Cherry Gastrique
- Eureka Lemon Salsa Verde
- Charred Tomatillo Relish
- Smoke Cherry Compote

I'd be happy to put you directly in touch with him if you'd like to pick his brain. Where do you live? I know a small farmer who raises all natural pigs I can introduce you to. Or if you live in the LA, SD or East Bay Tender Greens could cater it and do all the hard work for you.

http://www.theatlantic.com/ideastour/animals/white-full.html

I would definitely support the idea of getting someone with background knowledge to help you out. My dad has told stories of trying to do Hawaiian style pig while in the Marines and ending up with a pit full of rotting meat (because they didn't get the coals hot enough to maintain the heat)! You could also interview your local butcher to see if there are area joints that do whole pigs - one of our local butchers actually does it themselves and I've heard it's amazing!

A close friend of mine has had a roast every year, I've been there from start to finsh for each one of them. The pig was roasted over a steel charcoal filled trough, and the crank was made from a grinder motor with gears....THere a few little hints that seemed ingeious to me. Use a body bag to marinate and store the pig, you can buy them on the internet and they are sanitary. Always have somone on watch as there can be flare ups constantly throughout the day (A cooler full of beer and a comfy chair works well;), have a buffet of food available throughout the day with it so that you can serve the pig whenever it is done, you don't want to set an exact time it will be done because it could take longer than you think depending on wind/height of spinning pig/heat. We normally start at 7-8am and the pig is done around 6pm. This is a 100lbs pig and obviously dependent on heat and location of spit.

Use a caja china. It is much easier to operate and produces superior results for a novice. Pig is pretty forgiving and the timing on a caja china is pretty well explored.

Make sure you have a good assortment of non-meat items to balance the meat. And know that a percentage or your guests will NOT want to be involved with the whole animal.

I love going to a pig roast or cochon de lait! So much fun and delicious! A local grocery/caterer may be able to pre-cook the pig and bring it in to your party mostly done to cook the last few hours and tend to it as well as slice it up. Be prepared that some people will be surprised that it is a real pig and a lot of children just won't even try it. A salad, some simple appetizers, lots of good bread, roast vegetables and a light dessert round out the meal. Also-since there will be tons left over, be prepared to give everyone containers to bring home. Mmmmmmm, you are going to love it!

I've been to a couple of pig roasts, and the worst thing you can do is let the macho dudes get carried away with the lighter fluid. The entire pig can get suffused with the taste of it.

We DIYed a traditional Imu pit like they do at Luau's. We had no help and basically researched on the internet. Lesson's learned: Make sure you get the correct types of rocks to put inside the pig cavity. You need 2 people to carry even a small pig, unless you are really strong & don't mind slinging a carcass over your shoulder. Order your pig so that you can pick it up the day you are going to start cooking, that way you don't have to worry about where to keep your piggy. Unless you know how to carve a whole pig yourself invite someone with butchering experience! Lastly, if you do a Luau pig let me be the first to warn you that the pig does NOT look pretty when it comes out of the ground. You might think it isn't cooked but if you followed the directions well you will be in for some yummy pig!

Check out Steamy Kitchen - she did one and has a very nice step-by-step.

We do one ever other year. We provide the pig and beverages and ask everyone else to provide the side dishes and desserts. I use the Cuban Christmas site's recipes as a base but make my own versions of marinades, very different each year. It's a blast. I highly recommend everyone try a pig roast at least once!

Now in all fairness, I write the cookbooks for La Caja China, so I am unquestionably biased, lol...but I really do think that the Cuban-style roasting boxes are the way to go.

Very easy to use, very forgiving, and you can cook and grill (at the same time) all kinds of great stuff, up to, and including, whole pigs!

My .02,

-Perry

Perry P Perkins
Author
La Caja China Cooking
La Caja China World
La Caja China SMOKE (coming soon)