Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Heading down to Miami tomorrow morning to pick out the pig and have it slaughtered for the Caja China and pick up some mojo to marinade it in the evening for our traditional Christmas Eve big family dinner.

Thanks to my expected winnings in two Fantasy Football leagues as I am in the championship game in both, decided to splurge on this table instead of what I would normally do (cigars).

Dominoes, along with booze and cigars, will surely be fun as we wait for the pig to cook.

I am getting the table from a guy in Miami that works out of his home. The price is very good for this type of table. If anyone is ever interested in one, let me know.

Note the neat cigars to hold up the dominoes.

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Will you be throwing water out the door on New Year's Eve as well?

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

:r:r:r
Yup.
Wife will have the bucket ready and will dodge everyone to run outside and take care of that.
Next, don't forget, 12 grapes a must.

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

What time should I be over? Sounds like my kind of party.

My Christmas Eve will be Brazilian style at my wife's friend's house. Everybody will be late, bring uninvited friends, stay late drinking and singing and people will hook up and formerly single girls will be pregnant for the New Year. Always happens.

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

:r:r:r

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

The final product will hopefully look like this previous one.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0264.jpg

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...o/DSC_0272.jpg

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Special box for the occasion.:r:r:r

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...photo/59_2.jpg

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Lechon @ Noche Buena, that is the Christmas food I am familiar with. I miss home.

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

The whole on the pig's left thigh is from us jumping all over the crispy skin with beer. Hmm, Hmm good!!!

The funny thing is I usually place the Caja China in the driveway and the smoke and smell of that pig brings out all the neighbors.
It becomes a conversation piece.

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Dang, that looks tasty :dr

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Dan,
The mojo contains pineapple juice, vinegar and orange juice, along with condiments and garlic.
I use a half gallon of it and separate the liquid from the garlic and inject the entire pig. After that, half a container of salt is rubbed all over and finally, the garlic is rubbed. That marinades overnight.
The pig then cooks slowly for about 5 hours.
The smell and the taste is amazing.
When you pull a rib, you get only the bone and have to scoop up the meat that fell off.
Quite a few from CA got to taste one a couple of years ago when we did a big herf in Florida.

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Oh my.... :dr

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Sounds AWESOME Carlos! And love that table!

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

You going to Mary's Ranch to get it? Also, I have seen that same table with a Don Lina Africa theme at Sabor Havana PGA...

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

That pig at MMH III was fantastic!!

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

I go to Matadera Matson off Okeechobee in Hialeah.
I use to go to another one up the road (can't remember the name now - Cabrera I think) but that one is so much bigger and so much busier that I found Matson an easier in and out for me.

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Dave,
I am trying to recall if even the bones survived the piranhas.:r

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Cabrera is the same as Mary's Ranch (the wholesale version of Cabrera) I buy from them fairly regularly.

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

What kind of booze do you does everyone drink at the table?

Re: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)....Cuban Style
 

Sounds like fun...

We have a typical Italian Christmas Eve. No meat, we usually have a fish sauce. There will be some poker, some cigars, and a whole lot of expresso and Sambuca!

We also have a tradition of letting the kids open one present before they go to bed. :tu