After years of trying and creating recipes for our La Caja China style (Cajun Microwave) roasting boxes, here’s a recipe that never fails to please: the classic Cuban pig roast. No one who owns a pig roaster should go without trying this at least one in their lifetime!
Classic Cuban Mojo Seasoning! The key to doing a Cuban pig roast (beside using a “Caja Asadora” or Roasting Box) is the marinade. The flavors this recipe calls for are classic Caribbean fare, common from Puerto Rico throughout the islands, and into Cuba. They include garlic, sour orange (or “naranja agria” in spanish), salt, black peppercorns, and oregano. If unable to find sour orange, a two to one mixture of orange and lemon juice can be used instead. For a whole roast pig, use four or five large heads of garlic (70 to 80 cloves). For every 10 cloves add about ½ teaspoon of salt and black pepper and oregano to taste. Use a mortar and pestle to mash the mixture into a paste and scoop into a separate bowl. Continue this procedure until all the garlic cloves are gone, then stir in about one quart of sour orange. This amount is desired to barbecue whole pig. It is preferable to brine the hog the night before your pig roast. This will ensure that the hog does not dry out while cooking in your Caja China box. Brining is basically covering the pig in a liquid solution that is one-gallon water to one-cup salt, and allow it to sit overnight. For Latin Touch events, we inject the whole pig (especially in the pork shoulders and pork butt) prior to brining, allowing the marinade more time to work its magic. When placing the whole pig onto the Caja China Roasting Box rack you can also use a dry mojo rub on the skin prior to cooking. If available, you can add halved sour oranges along the ribs and cavity as well. Three to four hours later (after flipping the pig for the last 30-45 minutes) you can officially consider yourself an honorary Cuban. You have just prepared a classic dish dating back generations, and because you did it in a Caja China (or La Caja China) box, it didn’t take 8 hours to do it! Serve with “moro” (white rice and black beans) and yucca and you will have the perfect side dishes for your classic Caja China Cuban pig roast.
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