Hog Roast

Greg Gunthorp drove 600 miles from LaGrange, Indiana to Spruce Pine, North Carolina towing a big black custom-made metal smoker he’d welded and a hog he’d raised on his farm and recently slaughtered for our first-ever Rural Revival Project. Arrival was around midnight on the border of Friday and Saturday. Instead of staying in the swanky hotel we booked for him, he opted to start the charcoals going in the smoker, throw the pig over the coals, and sleep in the bed of his pickup truck in downtown Spruce Pine to make sure everything kept cooking properly.

First met Greg when he did a hog roast for an annual gathering of my highschool and college buddies we affectionately call Dudes Weekend. In conversation over the roasting pig, Greg and I soon discovered we had many mutual friends and a fast friendship sprouted. We’re both lifelong advocates for local food and pastured meats. The whole hog was a hit and he’s since been a fixture at Dudes Weekend ever since.

Greg’s one of the top minds in the nation regarding how to build local and regional meat processing, as he has his own slaughter facility and thriving regenerative farm. A couple years back he testified before congress in DC.

After multiple attempts to find a North Carolina farmer to slaughter and roast a pig, everyone was booked up, so reached out to Greg. He was all in. Asked him to speak and he was kind enough to accept.

At 4pm, Greg joined myself and three others to discuss, Strengthening North Carolina Agriculture, (which we’ll discuss here in detail next Sunday). After the conversation wrapped, we went outside to the parking lot where about 80 of us stood around and ate the now carmelized pork and baked beans. More than fifteen hours of slow cooking over the charcoal had imparted the meat with a complex smoky flavor. Most people went back for seconds. We stood around and discussed agriculture, life and the incredible vibes of the day. Got to talk with many friends, old and new.

Moments before consumption.

Almost the entire pig was eaten, and Greg thoughtfully wrapped up a few remaining morsels for the volunteers from Savage Freedoms as well as for Chris, Joey and the rest of the band. We walked the meat down backstage and they gratefully accepted it as Chris, Greg and I discussed the potential to bring the Rural Revival Project to Greg’s farm in Indiana. In the twilight, everything felt possible.

Dusk turned to dark and the band went on. Greg, Abe and I walked down past the back of the stage and found a little corner where we could see the performance from the side. We swayed back and forth with thousands of people on Lower Street. Abraham would situp on my shoulders in spurts because he was too heavy to carry indefinitely. From time to time, Greg and I would share a glance and smile at our incredible luck.

From left to right: Greg, Abraham, me. Of course Chris is on stage behind us, and Pastor Mike to my right looking out over the crowd. (Photo credit: Nice person standing next to us)