Pig Roast

Title: Pig Roast

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

He is a worker for the Roofing Department in FO&M here at Dartmouth. He has been at Dartmouth for over 25 years and is the last worker in his department who has not retired, though works with other FO&M employees. He carries a strong passion for keeping Dartmouth in tip top shape. Being assigned to the same fraternity for 25+ years has allowed him to form long lasting connections with the brothers that come and go.

Contextual Data:

The Theta Delta Chi fraternity hosts several barbecues every year. The informant, responsible for certain operations of the fraternity, has been working these pig roasts for over two decades. It’s during events like these that have allowed the informant to extend into a folk group with Dartmouth students.

Item:

With help from other FO&M employees, he hauls in a big smoker in the morning and begins his preparation. The first step is to fill the grill with hard wood to make coals–a process that takes between four and six hours. After the coals are ready, he puts the pig in the smoker which can take 7-12 hours. When it is finally ready, people pick off meat and have the option to take some of his wife’s homemade barbecue sauce and bread. The sauce consists of barbecue sauce, ketchup, onions, garlic, and other secret ingredients. The bread is made with real Vermont maple syrup. In the end, the employees and the brothers of the frat can enjoy this tradition with friends and family for hours into the night.

Informant’s Comments:

Collector’s Comments:

This tradition combines the FO&M employee folk group with a fraternity folk group here at Dartmouth. The informant explained that the sense of camaraderie he feels within the brotherhood is what keeps him so closely involved in running the pig roasts every year.

Collector’s Name: Harlan Smart

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive