Brian Keenan’s love of all things food and agriculture started at a young age. At age 14, Keenan picked peaches on a farm in North Carolina. It was only a year later that he butchered and roasted a whole hog as a final school project. Later, Keenan became fascinated with Central Texas barbeque and fell in love with brisket similar to America’s love for brisket in the early 2010’s. He hosted backyard cookouts, which quickly grew in size. Over the years, Keenan’s barbeque business model shifted as he moved from catering, to a brick-and-mortar space and now to a new catering business: Keenan’s Pit Bar-B-Que.
For whole hog cooking, Keenan uses fresh, Berkshire Breed hogs, originally bred for their unique flavor and marbling. The final presentation depends partially on the size of the pig. For smaller hogs, Keenes uses a ‘whole hog’ approach and keeps the trotters intact. However, larger pigs that require longer cooking times are typically split down the middle with the trotters removed. Keenan remains tried and true with his seasoning selection. “The only seasoning I ever use on hogs is salt,” he says. “The cherry and oak do the rest. After it’s cooked, I dress the chopped meat with a little shake of our red rub and a splash of our vinegar sauce.”
Keenan’s process of whole hog cooking typically takes between twelve and fifteen hours. He starts the temperature at 250 degrees Fahrenheit with the hog in a ‘squatted’ position. In this position, the hog is belly down and remains that way for the entire cooking process. It’s only flipped if the hog is larger in size and split down the middle. Keenan’s rich barbeque experience allows him to determine the cooking length by feel and intuition. He gauges the doneness by the look of the skin and how it pulls away from the meat. After cooking, meat is pulled from the hams, shoulders, shanks, loins and belly and served together to provide a variety of textures and flavors. “Whole hog has a very unique and complex flavor you don’t get from cooking pork butts,” says Keenan. He makes sure to add pieces of the crispy skin to each plate for a little extra crunch. The meat is served alongside slaw and a piece of bread for sopping up the delicious juices.
Keenan prefers to focus on the barbeque staples versus the current trends. He also thinks it’s important to explore different kinds of barbeque. “I’ve never been pigeonholed into one certain style or region because I love all American barbeque and its rich history.” Instead of staying true to just one style, Keenan emphasizes the importance of putting forth a quality plate of food. “We make everything from scratch,” he says. “Every bite you take should be an experience and example of the time we put into all of our products.”
You can experience Keenan’s whole hog cooking on March 18th at Proper Hop Taphouse in Roswell.
Punk Foodie offers this weekly column about Punk Food, a moniker for a cuisine without defining or distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes which is being born out of the increasing infusion of the diverse cultures and experiences that live in our city. Find out where Keenan’s is popping up next and go deeper via Punk Foodie’s weekly guides and pop-up calendar.
