What is the trussing needle for?
It is very important to make sure the hog is securely tied to the spit before cooking. Since the hog is heavy, the cooking time is long, and over time the meat will shrink and lose its firm structure, you need to fasten the meat to the spit very well. Contrary to popular belief “skewering”, while good for a solid piece of meat, is not practical for a whole animal. Instead you are better off lashing the backbone directly to the spit. To do this, you need a special needle that is designed to help do this. Click here for instructions and illustrations on this technique.
