Pig Roast tips for La Caja China: How to Achieve Hog Roasting Perfection

The tradition of the whole roasted pig goes back, well, probably to around the time man discovered fire. So lets just say it's been around a while. With Spring quickly approaching, and the weather slowly beginning to resemble something other than a scene from Frozen, the rekindling of this timeless tradition is near.You consider yourself as someone "in the know" when it comes to barbecuing. You got your Caja China all prepped and ready to fire up. This is the year we are going to reach a state of culinary nirvana. Our goal...the perfect pig roast. Let us be your guide...

1. Acquiring your "guest of honor"

Pulling off the perfect hog roast without a pig can be difficult. When you are thinking about how and where to get your pig, the fresh route is always best. Buying fresh will allow you to have the pig butterflied, which will make roasting easier. Also, thawing a frozen whole pig takes time, and can lead to the hog being placed inside your roasting box at a less than optimal temperature. In order to achieve the perfect roast, you will want your pig to be at room temperature when cooking begins. Having a digital thermometer is an essential tool throughout the cooking process, and this the first example of its importance. When deciding on how large of a pig you will need, 1/2 lb per person is a good rule of thumb. Keep in mind that a hog will lose approximately 30% of its live weight when dressed (innards removed). We are in the process of building a database of farms and businesses that offer whole pigs and will be adding it to the website soon.

2. Prepping your pig before roasting

Before it is time to marinate your pig we recommend brining for 24-48 hours. Brining your hog means leaving it soaking in a salt and cold water solution. Depending on the type of seasoning that will be used, sugar and/or other ingredients can be added to the brine as well. The purpose of the brine is to enhance the moisture and tenderness of the meat by allowing it to absorb the solution during the brining process. Once absorbed, the meat will retain an enhanced level of tenderness while cooking.

3. Marinating - How to get the best results

We recommend a three-pronged approach to marinating the pig before placing it in the roaster. First, if using our La Caja China mojo criollo, strain the marinade to separate the liquid from the solids. Using a marinating syringe inject the liquid at points about 3 inches apart. Be sure to pay particular attention to the pork shoulder and pork butt, where the majority of the meat is located. Next, take the solids and rub them liberally into the cavity and entire underside of the pig. Last, flip the pig over onto the skin side and apply a liberal coating of salt. We prefer fine, non-course salts as they more easily are absorbed onto the skin. Keep in mind that pork, by nature, is not a particularly flavorful meat. Particularly in the case of a whole pig, operate without much fear of over marinating.

4. Let's fire it up!

At this point, the pig is ready to get cooking. Our Caja China "How To" can be viewed from the Blog page here. When firing up the box, add 12-15 lbs. of charcoal and allow approximately 20 minutes for the coals to grey. At that point, spread the coals evenly over the box. Cooking time begins now.

5. Achieving legendary status

The key to turning a great pig roast into the stuff of legend is giving your guests something they will talk about for a long time to come. When using a china box, the best way to do this is by crisping the pig's skin to mouth-watering perfection. Here's how to do it: Once the pigs internal temperature has reached approximately 180 degrees, open the box and flip the pig so the skin side is now facing up. Using a quality knife, score the skin with an "x" inside each square that is created by the steel rack holding the meat. Scoring the skin will allow the fat to render during the final hour of cooking, creating a crispy, bronzed layer of skin that will make you a very popular guy (or girl). After scoring the skin, resealing the box, and adding fresh coal, check the skin after about 30 minutes and every 15 minutes after that until that perfectly bronzed, crispy greatness arrives. You are now a grilling legend. Congratulations.

We hope these tips help you with your next cookout. Thank you for shopping with us at Latin Touch, and welcome to the community! The tradition of the Cuban pig roast is something that spans geographic borders and hemispheres. Whether your family calls it a pig picking, cajun microwave roast, lechon asado, luau, or something else, we all share one thing...a love of great barbecue, great food, and great times!

To order your La Caja China or La Caja Asadora call 1-888-272-7629 or visit our Roasters page.