B2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 18,1984
Pork producer promotes
his product with 'pignics'
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
MECHANICSBURG - Cum
berland County Pork Producer
Kent Strock believes every farm
should promote what he produces.
For Kent, that means promoting
his favorite food - pork.
He and his wife, the former
Raelene Harbold of Lancaster
County, offer a “scent-sational
pignic” for a taste treat. Kent and
Raelene will roast a whole hog for
“pignics” and it is always a crowd
pleaser.
In 1982 Kent and Raelene had 15
pig roasts for friends and others;
in 1983 they gave 21, and this year
they have over 24 scheduled and
will be feeding about 3,300 people.
Asked why they have become so
popular, Kent says simply, “Once
you taste one, you want to have
one.”
Indeed, the succulent roast pig
coming off the spit after 6 to 12
hours of cooking over charcoal is a
tasty meal. Kent says, “The fact
Kent offers tidbits to waiting bystanders as he carves the
pig. It is the moment all have been waiting for once the pig is
lifted out of the oven. “Oooh, it's good!” is the most frequent
comment heard as they eat the succulent pig.
Raelene wears her "Scent-sational Pignic” shirt and a sturdy denim apron as she a
Kent begin to carve the carcass for eating. It takes from 30-45 minutes to reduce the pig
to fat and bones.
.that it’s done over charcoal,
slowly, makes it more tender and
juicy than ordinary pork roasts.
The ham, the loin and the shoulder
all taste the same - they have pork
flavor and that’s appealing.”
While pig roasts are becoming
increasingly better known here.
Kent first learned of them when he
was teaching at Austin Community
College in Minnesota. He said, “We
heard of it, and then rented a
roaster. We raised our own pigs, so
if people bought the pig, we’d roast
it. We did it in the summer when I
was teaching, so it worked out
well.”
When they returned to Cum
berland County, Kent borrowed
some ideas from the roaster he had
used in Minnesota, and proceeded
to build one with the help of his
father. “It took a long time,” he
recalls. “We started with a 275-
gallon fuel tank and an idea. We
worked on it whenever there
wasn’t a lot of farm work.”
Kent and his father Clyde have a
Part of the delicious taste of pig roasts comes from the charcoal. The amount of
charcoal needed varies with the weather, and Kent stays at the "pignic" site throughout
the day, adding charcoal as necessary to keep the roaster hot.
commercial farrow to finish
operations, Strocklyn Farms, just
outside of Mechanicsburg on
Williams Grove Road, with 80
sows. The elder Strocks also raise
3,300 turkeys, processing and
retailing them from the farm.
Very strong in his commitment
to the pork industry, Kent feels his
pig roasting business is just one
good way for him to take his
message to the public. “I figure it’s
part of my job as a hog farmer. It
is like someone advertising
breeding stock or going to a hog
show. I think it is good ‘PR’ for the
pork industry.” Furthermore, he
adds, “I enjoy it.”
Kent has also found it profitable,
but points out that it requires a
large time commitment,
especially on weekends because
that’s when most pignics are
scheduled. There is also a sub
stantial investment whether you
purchase a commercial roaster or
devise your own. A lot of people use
55 gallon drums for small pig
roasts, but they just are not
adequate for large roasts.
Kent and Raelene work together
when they put chi a roast. The work
begins from 6-9 hours before the
scheduled eating time, depending
upon the size of the pig and the
weather. Because of the size of
their operation, Kent says they can
provide almost any size pig any
time of the year. He has the hog
dressed by a butcher.
There is no “normal” size of hog
they use for cooking. Kent says
they plan one pound of carcass per
person, and about % pound per
child. “That way you always have
extra,” Kent states. He said he
now can choose a live pig to within
4-5 pounds of the carcass weight he
desires.
Kent drives the spit of the
rotisserie through a shoulder bone
and a leg bone to secure it, and has
designed prongs to hold the rest of
the carcass in place as it slowly
rotates. He and Raelene put the
spit in the roaster at the site of the
picnic, then Raelene ususally
returns home and he stays to
“baby-sit” the pig while it cooks.
The job of the baby-sitter is to
check the roast, and its internal
temperature, and add charcoal as
the day progresses. Kent points out
that the weather affects the time it
takes to complete a roast. On cool
days it takes more charcoal, and it
could make a difference of 20-30
pounds of charcoal.
If the roast is to be served at
lunch, it may mean getting up at 2
homestead
wifis
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**r u
These crafts give some hint to the variety of corn crafts
which will be on display during the Shippensburg Corn
Festival next weekend. Here, Dot Ocker shows some of her
creations.
a.m. to get it started. Sometimes
that means the “sitter” can take a
nap in the van. Usually the long
hours during the day are passed by
catching up on reading
newspapers and magazines, and
Kent says he likes to talk with
people while he waits and watches
he doesn’t leave it unattended.
The oven that Kent has built is
attached to a trailer for ease of
travel. It has a side opening, and
two large charcoal trays to hold
the coals. Al/10 horsepower motor
turns the spit.
The trailer is built with a wide
platform on either side, which
gives space to rest the finished pig
on while the carving takes place.
Taking the pig off the spit draws a
(Turn to Page B 4)
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