China Box / Pig Roast

[Lucky_Hippo]

I'm trying to convince myself that I need a La Canja China box to play around with this summer. I've never cooked a whole hog/pig before but have always wanted to give it a shot. I'll be using it for family get-together's and the like. I'm stuck on size. How much meat should you count on per person with leftovers to send home and such? Should I just say screw it and go with the 100 lbs size or is that overkill? On average, most partys would have 30 people or less I'm guessing.

All tips/advice from those who've done this in the past welcome!!!!!

[elderboy02]

Mmmm...... pig :dr

[Lucky_Hippo]

Mmmm...... pig :dr

Sorry Dan, it won't be served with ketchup. :r

[elderboy02]

Sorry Dan, it won't be served with ketchup. :r

Dang :td :r

[Smokin Gator]

Get the big one... It doesn't take much more fuel and you will never wish you had more room like you will inevitably with the smaller ones.

BTW... you can also cook bunches of pork butts and chickens in one!!

[T.G]

The China box pig weight ratings are somewhat deceptive, they are more of a max rating than a recommended rating. Take about 20lbs off of the ratings and you get a better idea of what you can actually cook properly in one.

The boxes are the same length and width, just different depths. The #1 (70lb) is only 8-3/4" deep. The #2 (100lb) is 12-3/4".

Here are some herf China box pig roast photos from a few years ago:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/picture.php?albumid=511&pictureid=3797
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/picture.php?albumid=511&pictureid=3798
(all photo credits to wyteyes)

The top pig was about a 70lb pig, the lower one was around 85-87lbs IIRC. Notice the difference in the quality/evenness of the cook just by the 15lb difference?

The 100lb #2 box does a fantastic job with 70-80lbs pigs. Papi (the man in the 2nd photo) tried to cook a 96lb pig in the #2 once. It did not work out well. It took 4 hours longer than expected to cook, the leg joints had to be dislocated to fit in the box, and because the pig was so large it had to be flipped during cooking, take a guess what happened to the legs? Yup, they fell off. Try to put a 70lb in a #1 and the loss of the 4" of extra vertical space that the #2 has is going to probably cause you to burn the entire back of the pig in the #1.

70-80lbs feeds about 30 or so, leftovers dependant on how many sides and other food you have for people to eat. At the Cardenas roasts, there is hardly any meat left over by the end of the day.

[ucla695]

This thread is making me hungry! :dr Luckily, I like mine w/o ketchup. ;)

[Lucky_Hippo]

Wow Adam. Now that's what I'm talkin about !!!


:tu :dr :dr :dr :tu

[T.G]

Couple of cooking notes based on how Papi cooks pigs in his.

-Marinate the pig. As one could expect, being Cuban, Papi marinates them in in mojo: orange juice, garlic, oregano, and a few other spices - there are many variations on mojo but a sample recipe can be found here (http://icuban.com/food/mojo.html). He literally buys the pig before noon, takes it home, throws the pig in a trash bag, pours the marinade in with it, then ties the bag off and leaves it in the bathtub overnight - giving it about 18-20 hours worth of marinade time.

-Loading the pig into the wire cage: most everything about the china box is a two person job, for the most part, it's simply not a one-man cooking apparatus, but this part can even be a three person job. Load the pig on the bottom rack, have someone press the rack down while you flatten the pig out and set the hooks to hold the racks together. The stock s-hooks are meh, they pop loose easily, and if you have to flip the pig, you could loose a few, so Papi supplements them by using pieces of wire coat hangers. Since the coat hanger loops are twisted closed, they can't pop off like the s-hooks. Just keep a pair of linemans pliers around for both twisting and cutting the hangers.

-After you have it in the cage, stuff chopped garlic into the meat at various locations. Doesn't seem to be very scientific, just stab the pig and put a spoonful of garlic and tiny bit of oregano and maybe some cumin in the wound.

-partway though the cook, you'll probably have to lift the coal grate off and dump the ashes from the collection pan.

-right at the end, like the last 30-45 minutes, he'll dump the ash grate and stab the skin a few times here and there to one, check doneness, two, allows the fat to fun over the top of the skin for crisping, Then, when the meat is almost done, dumps another half bag of briquettes on and lets it fly on the temperatures to brown and crisp the skin.


If you use it alot, you might find that the coal grate and ash pan are kind of flimsy, so you'll need to get someone to weld some 3/4" square tube steel around the lip of the ash pan and the coal grate, along with a few pieces of bent rebar for new lifting handles on the coal grate.

[Smokin Gator]

Marinating sure does help... but I think injecting works even better. The best I ever had was a mixture of 1 gallon garlic butter and one gallon Texas Pete hot sauce. That hog won the Whole Hog "Best of the Best" Invitational at the 2008 National BBQ festival in Douglas GA.

[e-man67]

That looks tremendous!

[T.G]

Marinating sure does help... but I think injecting works even better. The best I ever had was a mixture of 1 gallon garlic butter and one gallon Texas Pete hot sauce. That hog won the Whole Hog "Best of the Best" Invitational at the 2008 National BBQ festival in Douglas GA.

Under the right circumstances I think injecting is great, just so long as it's not the jars of premade injection marinade (Cajun Injector brand for example) being used. Every one of those I tried, it always seemed to create a funky texture in the meat and a very off flavor after the cooked meat has been refigerated overnight.
:2

[Blueface]

Lots of photos on here on CA of some of my pig roasts.
One in the South Florida herf that we did a few weeks ago.

I inject mine.
I take the mojo that has orange juice, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, and spices and separate the garlic from the juice.
I inject my pig the night before and then I rub plenty of salt, followed by the garlic from the mojo and let it sit overnight in the Caja China, iced down.
The next day, I fire it up using Leña instead of chacoal. It burns better, hotter, cleaner with less ash.
I have been using Caja China for a long while and am a big fan of it.
Just ask the 100 or so folks that attended the Mega Herf we did in Florida a couple of years ago or the guys that were over my house a couple of weeks ago.
Any help I can provide, will be glad to.

BTW,
For 30 people, 100 lbs is an overkill.
Smaller pigs cook better and tastier.
I did a 38 lb one for 24 folks a couple of weeks ago and plenty of meat was left over to give away, after everyone slaughtered the heck out of the finished pig.

Check out the photos starting on this page.
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=27541&page=8

Adam,
The result to the skin doesn;t have to do with the size of the pig.
I can toast any size the way mine is in these photos.
My skin on my pig was amazingly crispy to eat with beer.
I turn over the pig and cut slits in its back. I then add additional salt.
I then add lots of more carbon and finish it off for about an hour.
The first side cooked until 180 based on digital therm in thigh.

I never add seasoning to inside meat.
Pork is very flavorful as is. Injection is purely to break down meat overnight.
Seasoning goes on outside and let it sweat in.
Big secret to a well cooked pork involves salt and no infusion of seasoning into the meat. Never needs it and alters the flavor drastically.

With the right carbon, three to four hours gets you to 180, and additional hour to get it nice and crispy on the skin.

[Blueface]

Pulled out photos from that link.
I take great pride in my pig roasts, passed down the line.
Amazingly, a cigar maker's dad is responsible for helping me put the final touches in my process. That was Eric's dad from 601.
I use the mojo sold directly from lacajachina.com. I go down to Miami and pick it up in person. BTW, with that mojo, the maker's son beat Bobby Flay on Throwdown show.

http://www.fototime.com/C4C49E9E184BCFA/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/B13949F0335F1CB/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/0AC78B9F60290EC/standard.jpg

[T.G]

Carlos,

Everyone cooks differently so I'm curious as to some of the methods you used, but you're contradicting yourself, so it's a bit confusing. First you say you inject mojo with spices, then you go on to say you're not adding spices inside the meat. So which is it?

The main reason the mojo you are using breaks down the meat is the bromelain in the pineapple juice. Without that, it won't tenderize.

Also, I think you misunderstood what I was saying about the skin and why it burned on the larger pig.

Oh, and yes, now that you mention it and I remeber back, Marcelino cuts slits in the back on his pig too.

[Blueface]

Carlos,

You're contradicting yourself. First you say you inject mojo with spices, then you go on to say you're not adding spices inside the meat. So which is it?

The main reason the mojo you are using breaks down the meat is the bromelain in the pineapple juice. Without that, it won't tenderize.

Also, I think you misunderstood what I was saying about the skin and why it burned on the larger pig.

Not contradiction, perhaps misunderstood.

I take all the spices and garlic after sifting/straining it and leave nothing but the liquid.
I inject the liquid into the meat.
The liquid will add flavor but mostly tenderizes. Along with the pineapple juice, orange juice combined with vinegar rival naranja agrida (sour oranges), which is also well known to break down and tenderize meat. In fact, a southern recipe for tenderizing ribs is to marinade in orange juice and vinegar.
The main source of the flavor for my pork comes from then rubbing the remaining sifted ingredients along with ample salt, all over.
I never, ever do what some folks do which is to cut slits and stuff garlic and other things in the pig. Don't like the flavor nor what it does to the pig, which often results in drying it out as juices come out of the slits.

I assure you, the flavor is amazing. The meat falls off the bone and you struggle to scrape it out of the pan.

Great thing about this is there are many styles. I have tried all of them. I just landed on this one as a winner. Ironically, as I mentioned, this recipe beat Bobby Flay in the show Throwdown as it is identical to what the folks from La Caja China do. I added the cut slits to the back and additional salt when turning it over.

Cooking a pig in a La Caja China is truly an evolution in attempts.
One thing I strongly believe in and will emphasize, when getting a pig, smaller is so, so much tastier than bigger.
I find considerable difference in a pig less than 40 lbs as compared to a 70+ as an example.

[Blueface]

Of all the ways I have tried and all the mojos I have experimented with, this is the granddaddy of them all.
They will ship anywhere.
http://www.lacajachina.com/Mojo_Cuban_Style_Marinating_Sauce_BBQ_Rubs_Spice_p/lcc-a518.htm

Ingredients:
Water
Pineapple juice
Vinegar
Orange juice
Salt
Garlic
Spices

You can get the half gallon for any size pig or the gallon which will do two pigs.

[T.G]

Not contradiction, perhaps misunderstood.

I take all the spices and garlic after sifting/straining it and leave nothing but the liquid.
I inject the liquid into the meat.
The liquid will add flavor but mostly tenderizes. Along with the pineapple juice, orange juice combined with vinegar rival naranja agrida (sour oranges), which is also well known to break down and tenderize meat. In fact, a southern recipe for tenderizing ribs is to marinade in orange juice and vinegar.
The main source of the flavor for my pork comes from then rubbing the remaining sifted ingredients along with ample salt, all over.
I never, ever do what some folks do which is to cut slits and stuff garlic and other things in the pig. Don't like the flavor nor what it does to the pig, which often results in drying it out as juices come out of the slits.

I assure you, the flavor is amazing. The meat falls off the bone and you struggle to scrape it out of the pan.

Great thing about this is there are many styles. I have tried all of them. I just landed on this one as a winner. Ironically, as I mentioned, this recipe beat Bobby Flay in the show Throwdown as it is identical to what the folks from La Caja China do. I added the cut slits to the back and additional salt when turning it over.

Cooking a pig in a La Caja China is truly an evolution in attempts.
One thing I strongly believe in and will emphasize, when getting a pig, smaller is so, so much tastier than bigger.

Gotcha.

Yeah, we're using terms differently, now your method is making more sense. :tu

I was just passing on how Marcelino cooks with his, if I had a china box of my own, I'd happily give your method a try. Cooking is a journey, not a destination.

[T.G]

One thing I strongly believe in and will emphasize, when getting a pig, smaller is so, so much tastier than bigger.
I find considerable difference in a pig less than 40 lbs as compared to a 70+ as an example.

Abso-****ing-lutely.

[Blueface]

Cooking is a journey, not a destination.

COMPLETELY agree.

I hear ya.
I was just trying to share something I am passionate about and have truly experimented every which way to Sunday.
If someone comes along and gives me a new tip, I gladly take it. That is how I evolved to this point. I think I have 20 styles combined in one.:r
Eric Espinosas' father taught me quite a bit. That man can make a pig that makes my mouth water.

[T.G]

I was just trying to share something I am passionate about and have truly experimented every which way to Sunday.

Stuff like that is what makes cooking so awesome.

And thank you for sharing it Carlos.

[RonC]

i just got done with my first pig roast last week. I have the 70 lb box, and it easily fit a 65lb pig with the head on.

I brined it for 2 days, and injected marinade the morning of the roast.

one mistake that i did make was that a started roasting the pig when it had an internal temp of about 50 degrees. It took an extra 1.5 hours to cook.

The pig turned out great. actually, it was better than great.

[CasaDooley]

Could you guys make me any more hungry. I think not!:r I loves me some roasted pig!
Thanks for all the different info and suggestions!:tu

[Neuromancer]

Hey Carlos...got your PM...am letting everyone here know that out of all roast pigs, your roast pig is the crowning achievement in roast pigs!!! :banger

PS - You don't have to send a check, you should have my address, so you can just drop a $20 bill in an envelope to me for the above product endorsement, as you promised...:ss

[Steve]

Marinating sure does help... but I think injecting works even better. The best I ever had was a mixture of 1 gallon garlic butter and one gallon Texas Pete hot sauce. That hog won the Whole Hog "Best of the Best" Invitational at the 2008 National BBQ festival in Douglas GA.

:tu:tu

[Lucky_Hippo]

Thanks for all the different info and suggestions!:tu

:tpd:

I knew I'd run into the experts by posting here. Thanks for all of the info and tips guys. This was exactly what I was looking for and I'm taking notes.

As soon as the weather breaks I'm pulling the trigger on a box. :tu

I just can't find any excuse not to after all the tasty pics posted. :dr

[landhoney]

Hey Carlos...got your PM...am letting everyone here know that out of all roast pigs, your roast pig is the crowning achievement in roast pigs!!! :banger


The man takes pride in his hog and likes to show it off, nothing wrong with that. :r

Seriously though, when we few went into the front yard and were pulling pieces off the pig and dipping into the juice at the bottom of the box....well it doesn't get much better than that. :dr Thanks for the great pig Carlos and letting us all have a pull on your hog.....:r