Project 1 from NRM. Category 8: Cooker (Huli Huli Setup)

Here is my huli huli (huli means to turn/rotate/flip in Hawaiian) setup I have been working on for a while. It has come a long way from the first one I made. I use the large spit to cook pigs (40-65 lbs) and the small spit to cook chickens/roasts. The setup is corrugated metal around the spit and the meat rotates in the center. I use kiawe (mesquite) wood or propane just depends what I have on hand. The stands are adjustable from 12” – 24” and I use cinder blocks under the stands.
Pics 1-4 Pig rod, adjustable stands, and the motor,
Pics 5&6 the Chicken spit and coupler,
Pic 7 Motor in the stand
Pic 8 Spit tips
Attachment 6913Attachment 6914Attachment 6915Attachment 6916Attachment 6917Attachment 6918Attachment 6919Attachment 6920

Hopefully I will get to huli huli a pig on July 4th and again on the wife’s birthday (happy wife, happy life!).

That's a fine looking rig you've got... I thought Hawaiians cook em in the ground with banana leaves and hot rocks.

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Originally Posted by NRM

Here is my huli huli (huli means to turn/rotate/flip in Hawaiian) setup I have been working on for a while. It has come a long way from the first one I made. I use the large spit to cook pigs (40-65 lbs) and the small spit to cook chickens/roasts. The setup is corrugated metal around the spit and the meat rotates in the center. I use kiawe (mesquite) wood or propane just depends what I have on hand. The stands are adjustable from 12” – 24” and I use cinder blocks under the stands.
Pics 1-4 Pig rod, adjustable stands, and the motor,
Pics 5&6 the Chicken spit and coupler,
Pic 7 Motor in the stand
Pic 8 Spit tips

Hopefully I will get to huli huli a pig on July 4th and again on the wife’s birthday (happy wife, happy life!).

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Oh yeah .... now I'm REALLY getting hungry (in my neck of the woods, it's lunch time now so double threat here) I can see why you mentioned you might want to make the base of the stands wider. Let's us know how they hold up. You can always weld the current stands to a wider plate or weld tabs on the feet of the current base to bolt them onto the cinder blocks(?)

Nice to see it all together and set up - ready to go! :D

You could make an extra set of bases with a spike on the bottom so that you wouldn't need the blocks. Attachment 6921

Nice setup! It looks like that will hold a pretty big hog.

Well living in the middle of thousands of acres of Texas Mesquite I was quite shocked to find it grows in Hawaii. I learn something new every day. Very nice work on the motorized spit.

Thurmond

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Originally Posted by zoama585

You could make an extra set of bases with a spike on the bottom so that you wouldn't need the blocks. Attachment 6921

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Ah, but maybe the cinder blocks are also to raise everything up so that larger pieces of meat can be cooked! :D

Thurmond kiawe cooking is great, from the meat to how the house smells two days after.

Zoama/Undercut the cinder blocks are to raise the stands but more importantly the provide a level surface. Once I deciede where the dedicated cooking area will be in the yard I might use a setup like Zoama suggested.

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Originally Posted by NRM

Thurmond kiawe cooking is great, from the meat to how the house smells two days after.

Zoama/Undercut the cinder blocks are to raise the stands but more importantly the provide a level surface. Once I deciede where the dedicated cooking area will be in the yard I might use a setup like Zoama suggested.

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From the looks of it, you have NO IDEA what you are doing. You need a couple of "inspectors" to check it out for you and to ensure the food is edible .... :D :D

If I knew what I was doing I wouldn't have as much fun. Inspect away if you ever find yourself in Hawaii.

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Originally Posted by NRM

Zoama/Undercut the cinder blocks are to raise the stands but more importantly the provide a level surface. Once I deciede where the dedicated cooking area will be in the yard I might use a setup like Zoama suggested.

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That's the purpose of the holes... pull the pins and raise the upper half to the desired hight. :)

How much money do you think you have in it?

NCSU that’s a funny question because if I included everything it’s probably close to $5000. Long story short a guy I work with from TX originally came out for 3 months and liked it out here so he moved about 1.5 years ago (that’s how long this has been going on). After packing his stuff he brought back some TX BBQ and had lunch for the office and it was good. We started talking BBQ and we got to whole hog and I like crispy skin so the huli huli idea was born. I had seen it before and my dad had a small one to do quarter hinds but not the whole pig. The first one was built using what I had around the house and a couple of purchased items and was bolted together ..:mad:. It worked did two pigs but I hated it big and just plain didn’t look good so I had to learn how to weld. This is where it started getting expensive. Most of the expense was getting the right instruction/equipment like a welder, argon, air filter, filler, taps/dies, clamps, flap/grinding/cut-off wheels, magnets, helmet, gloves and two classes at the local CC. Dad did some machine work on the side and had most of the other tools which I couldn’t have done this project without.

Cost for actual parts was about $580 give or take some:
Motor $90 (but got it free b/c it was labeled wrong from Grainger)
SS Spit rods lg (1”sch 40x10’) $120 sm (1” tubex10’) $100
SS 1.25 sch 40x3’ ~$50
SS .75”x.125” angle x12’ ~$30
SS 2”x2” angle x4’ ~$40
SS 1”x1” angle x4’ ~30
SS .3125” round bar x12’ ~$14
SS .25’ round bar x12’ ~$12
SS 1.25” round bar x6” ~$30
SS misc nuts/bolts/washers/pins ~$25
Electrical stuff ~$25
Bearings ~$15

I’m embarrassed to post pics of version 1 but I will later today.

Pics 1 & 2 are of version 1 before I had a welder and could weld.
Attachment 6937Attachment 6938
Pics 3 – 6 is the first roast using Kiawe wood, using version 1. That’s my buddy Fred in pic 3 and that day it was pouring rain that’s why I had to put the box over the motor.
Attachment 6939Attachment 6940Attachment 6941Attachment 6942
Pics 7 – 9 is the second roast using propane, a new corrugated metal setup and version 1.
Attachment 6943Attachment 6944Attachment 6945

Looking back is making me hungry:)

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Originally Posted by NRM

...so I had to learn how to weld.

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A great story! Learn to weld to create the perfect barbecue, I like it.

Thanks for posting the "embarassing" pics, too. I like the idea of inverted casters to work as the shaft bearings, I'll definitely store that away for future use.

How long does it take to cook a whole pig?

Bolting everything together was such a PIA and bulky when I was done. Version 1 did work and everybody was happy (including myself) with the way the pig turned out. The inverted casters are such an easy way to doing things my only concern was the plastic/rubber wheels melting. I have seen others that use metal wheels.

Cooking time is usually 1 hour for every 10lbs so the first pig was 44lbs and took about 5 hours and the second was 60lbs and took about 6.5 hours. The key I’m told, is to keep the temp between 200°F - 250°F and optimum is 225°F. The last 30min or so drop the pig down too really crisp up the skin. Let it rest for 15min - 20min then start carving. When it’s done I like to get one of the crispy pig ears ……….sooooo gooood with beer.

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Originally Posted by NRM

Bolting everything together was such a PIA and bulky when I was done. Version 1 did work and everybody was happy (including myself) with the way the pig turned out. The inverted casters are such an easy way to doing things my only concern was the plastic/rubber wheels melting. I have seen others that use metal wheels.

Cooking time is usually 1 hour for every 10lbs so the first pig was 44lbs and took about 5 hours and the second was 60lbs and took about 6.5 hours. The key I’m told, is to keep the temp between 200°F - 250°F and optimum is 225°F. The last 30min or so drop the pig down too really crisp up the skin. Let it rest for 15min - 20min then start carving. When it’s done I like to get one of the crispy pig ears ……….sooooo gooood with beer.

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If we come to Hawaii we can stay with you for a week or four right ? :D

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Originally Posted by zoama585

If we come to Hawaii we can stay with you for a week or four right ? :D

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Hey! Wait minute. I called dibs many, many posts prior. Get back in line! :D You can have my leftovers ....

Come on over, in trade you can show me how to stack dimes correctly or at least get them in order.

OK, Picture #6 of post 14 just change my lunch plans for today and it is only 9:30AM here..

My son went to a number of the islands last year. I'm sure he would have stopped in to show stacks of dimes for free pork.