How to Roast a Pig Using La Caja China
Posted by Roberto Guerra jr on Jul 01, 2022
People love to socialize, hold parties, and cookouts. These are great ways to share good times and stories with family and friends. Some common staples on these events are beer, soda, and of course, the food.
Have you ever thought about how to roast a pig and having one on your next get together?It is definitely something unique and it creates that "something new buzz" all hosts want at their party. But, like any other specialty meal, there are certain procedures you need to follow before achieving the perfect way of roasting a pig. You need to follow the correct instructions on how to prepare everything. We would like to share with you a few steps on roasting a pig using your La Caja China.
Steps to Roasting the Pig
Step # 1- Season the Pig
Lay the pork flat skin down, do not cut or poke holes into the upper or side skin. You are now ready to marinate the pig. Inject the Mojo juice into the pork shoulders and hams, 4 - 5 shots in the hams, 3 - 4 shots in the shoulders, make sure to strain the Mojo so that you don't clog the needle in the injector.
Next, turn the pork over, and wet the skin with the Mojo juice. Now, evenly apply Adobo and salt all over the pig.
Once done, tie the pig in between the racks using the 4 S-Hooks. Place the racks with the pig inside on top of the grease tray.
Close the Caja China with the ash pan and charcoal grid. It is vital that at the time of roasting, the pig or other meat should be at room temperature, colder meats will take longer to roast.
Step # 2 - Preparing the charcoal
Opt for charcoal that lights fast, burns even, and lasts a long time - something like Kingsford Charcoal. We advise you to NEVER use instant charcoal.
You can start with 14 lbs for La Caja China model number 1 and 16 lbs for La Caja China model number 2, Place charcoal in two piles of equal amount on each end, for easy lighting of the coal. It is very, very important not to use more of the recommend charcoal, this will only delay the cooking time because it will create more ashes that will reduce the amount of charcoal going down. Remember the heat is going down not up.
Light the charcoal using a chimney starter oy by adding lighting fluid (follow the manufacturer's instructions on the container). Once lit spread it evenly over the grid, the lighting process should take approx. 20 - 25 minutes, make sure your charcoal is well lit before spreading it.
Step # 3 - Roasting the Pig
Your cooking time starts after you spread the charcoal evenly over the grid, Every hour after; you will add 6 - 7 Lbs of charcoal on top of the existing charcoal, do not pre-lit the charcoal before adding it to the lit charcoal this will only slow down and will take more charcoal to roast.
Step # 4 Flipping the Pig over to Crispy the Skin (The Best Part)
Now we will open the Box for the first time by placing the charcoal tray and grid on top of the long handles, this is easily done with the help of a friend, once you dispose of the ashes (METAL GARBAGE CAN OR IN THE GROUND. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO POUR WATER OVER THE HOT ASHES, IT CAN CAUSE A FIRE OR BODILY HARM)
Turn the pork over and score the skin using a knife, the recommended way is to make a cross inside of the square of the meat racks. Then, replace the ash pan and charcoal grid with charcoal on top of the box and continue the roasting process for crispy skin. You can check the skin in 20 minutes for Model #1 or 30 minutes for Model #2, this is done by slightly opening the box at one of the corners to take a peak. Do this continuously for ten minutes until the skin is crispy.
Use Your La Caja China Pig Cooker
So don't forget, when hosting your next party, check out our roasters, now that to you know how to roast a pig and figure out which one of our boxes is the best fit for you.