Cuban Style Roast Suckling Pig Recipes

Steps:

• Place pig skin side down on a large work surface. Strain one recipe of the mojo into a bowl, reserving solids. Transfer liquid to a large syringe and inject the mojo into the meat of the pig every 3 to 4 inches, taking care not to push syringe down so far that it punctures the skin on the underside of the meat. Sprinkle the interior and exterior of the pig with adobo criollo and rub all over; rub reserved solids from mojo over rib cage. Cover and let marinate, chilled, overnight.
• Bring pig to room temperature. Lock the pig into the wire rack of the Caja China by using the S-hooks. Place locked pig in the Caja China on top of the drip pan, skin side down. Insert a meat thermometer with a cable attachment into the thickest rear section of the pig.
• Place ash pan and grid tray on top of the Caja China. Fill the bottoms of two large chimney starters with crumpled newspaper. Starting with16 pounds of charcoal briquettes (not instant), fill the tops of the chimney starters with some of the 16 pounds of charcoal. Place a chimney starter on each end of the grid tray; light the newspaper in each chimney starter. Flames will sweep up through the chimney, igniting charcoal. When charcoal is red-hot, after 15 to 20 minutes, dump out charcoal from starters and add remaining charcoal to total 16 pounds; spread evenly across grid tray. After 1 hour of cooking, evenly add 8 pounds charcoal. Repeat process every hour until pig reaches 185 to 187 degrees, about 3 1/2 hours.
• When pig has reached 185 to 187 degrees, two people wearing protective gloves should raise the grid tray and carefully shake ashes off the coals and into ash pan. Carefully place the grid tray on the long handles. Two people should then lift the ash pan with ashes and safely dispose of them, adding water to ensure they do not cause a fire.
• Using protective gloves, carefully turn pig skin side up and return to the Caja China. With a knife, carefully make cross cuts into skin between each grid of the rack, taking care not to cut into the meat. Return ash pan and grid tray with hot coals to the Caja China and cook, until skin is crisp, 30 to 45 minutes more.
• Heat remaining recipe mojo and transfer to a serving bowl. Remove ash pan and grid tray from Caja China. Lift wire rack containing pig out of the Caja China. Detach S-hooks and remove top rack. Serve meat on rolls topped with warm mojo and chopped onions, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add the diced liver, kidneys and heart and saute for two to three minutes. Add the rice, beans, guava paste and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and correct seasoning.
• Stuff the pig loosely with the mixture and sew the cavity or secure with skewers. Place the pig on a roasting rack and rub with olive oil. Roast for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until an internal temperature of 155 to 160 degrees is reached.

Steps:

• This recipe is a two day procedure. Make sure that your butcher thoroughly cleans the suckling pig. By cleaning inside and out and removes the eyeballs. With a knife make several cuts on the pig's skin so the skin doesn't burst during cooking. Prop the pig's mouth open with a small yam. Season the entire pig with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Place the pig in a garbage bag and tie the back tightly. Place the pig in the refrigerator and chill for 12 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and rinse thoroughly. In a mixing bowl combine the garlic, parsley, thyme, cumin, bay leaves, onions, juice of the orange, lime, lemon, olive oil and wine. Whisk the marinade until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Place the pig back in the bag and pour the marinade over the pig. Tie the back tightly and place back in the refrigerator. Turn the pig every three hours. Refrigerate the pig for 12 hours. Remove the pig from the refrigerator and out of the bag, reserve the marinade. Stuff the cavity with the stuffing. Using a kitchen needle and thread, tie up the cavity. Tie the front legs and then back legs. Cover the tail with aluminum foil. Place the pig on a large roasting pan and pour the reserved marinade over the pig. Place the pig in the oven. Roast the pig in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes per pound, about 5 hours, basting and turning the pig every hour. For unstuffed pig, roast at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound. Internal temperature should be about 155 to 160 degrees for both methods. Remove the pig from the oven and allow the pig to rest for about 30 minutes before slicing.
• In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables for 2 minutes. Add the ground pork and continue to saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and parsley. Continue to saute for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and turn into a mixing bowl. Stir in the beans and rice. Season with salt and pepper. Moisten the stuffing with the juice of 2 oranges.

Steps:

• Make marinade: peel and mash the garlic cloves. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Let stand for a minimum of 1 hour. Strain marinade and then inject the marinade into the pig. Let marinate overnight, in the refrigerator, for best results.
• Open the pork by the belly, but do not cut or poke holes into the upper or side skin. Place the grease tray inside the Caja China. Tie the pig in between the grids, on its back, and place in the grease tray. Close the Caja China with the ash pan and charcoal grid. Allow 4 inches of separation between the roast and the ash pan. We recommend the pork be at room temperature at the time of roasting.
• Prepare the charcoal: we recommend Kingsford Charcoal because it lights faster, burns evenly, and lasts longer. Never use instant charcoal. Start with 14 pounds of charcoal for Caja China Model #1 and 16 pounds for Model #2. Place the charcoal into 2 piles of equal size, on each end of the charcoal tray. Never place charcoal on center of tray. Add lighter fluid and light.
• When the charcoal is lit for 15 minutes, distribute it evenly throughout the tray. Once this process is completed, roast pork for 3 hours, without opening the Caja China. Add more charcoal after 1 hour and distribute evenly throughout the tray. After 3 hours, wearing heavy-duty silicone mitts, remove the charcoal tray, ash pan, and dump the ashes. Then turn the pork over and cut into the skin, every 4 to 6 inches. Place the ash pan and charcoal tray, filled with new charcoal, back into position and continue the roasting process. Check the skin after 20 minutes, slightly opening the box by 1 of the corners. You can continue this process until the skin's crispness is to your liking. For a pig this large, it will probably require a full hour on its second side.
• Remove the pork from the Caja China. Deposit the contents of the grease tray into a container, let cool, and discard with trash. You can slice the pork with a plate; it is not necessary to use a knife.

Steps:

• Combine the juice, garlic, oregano, and salt in a mixing bowl. Transfer to a large, deep roasting pan and place the pig, belly down, into the pan. Thoroughly coat the pig with the marinade, massaging it in. Let sit in the marinade overnight. Baste the pig occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 275°F.
• Remove the pig from the marinade and place it on a large baking sheet. Cover the pig's ears, snout, and tail with aluminum foil. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 4 to 4 1/2 hours (20 minutes per pound).
• Remove the foil when you take the pig out of the oven. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Serve with the mojo, and some black beans and rice .

Steps:

• Rub lime halves all over the body of the pig, squeezing lime juice liberally, rub cavity with limes, too.
• With a sharp knife tip, cut slits 3/4 inch deep all over the body of the pig. (Do not prick the head.) Cut 5 garlic cloves into 8 pieces each and stuff the pieces into the slits in the pig.
• In medium bowl mix together the remaining 13 garlic cloves, finely minced, the oregano, caperswith brine, olive oil, salt, pepper and curry powder. Stuff half of this mixture into the cavity and rub the remainder all over the outside.
• Let the pig rest, covered, in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400* F.
• Place pig on rack in larger roasting pan and bake for 30 minutes. Turn heat down to 350* and roast for 3 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear when pig is pricked with a knife.
• Place a small apple in the pig's mouth, serve on a large platter decorated with watercress and kumquats.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare the pig: Wash it, including the cavity, under cold running water, and towel-dry thoroughly, the way you would dry a small child after a bath - ears, armpits, chest cavity, face, legs, backs of knees.
• Sometimes there are imperfections remaining after the slaughtering and processing of the animal. Use dish towels or sturdy paper towels to rub away any dark spots on the ears, any little bit of remaining bristles around the mouth. Like that yellow, papery flaking skin you sometimes find on chickens, which can be peeled off to reveal tender, fresh skin underneath, a similar bit of crud can remain on pigs' chins and under their belly flaps. Clean this little cutie as if you were detailing your car! The purple U.S.D.A. stamp, however, is indelible. But not inedible.
• Bard the pig with all 20 garlic cloves, making deep incisions all over with a thin filleting knife and shoving the cloves into each pocket; include the cheeks and the neck and the rump and the thighs and the loin down the back and the front shoulders, all areas of the small creature that have enough flesh to be able to receive a clove of garlic. (Sometimes I find I have to slice the larger cloves of garlic in half to get them to slide into the incision.)
• Rub the entire pig in oil exactly as you would apply suntan oil to a sunbathing goddess of another era, when people still were ignorant of the harmful effects of the sun. Massage and rub and get the whole creature slick and glistening. I do this directly in a very large roasting pan.
• Wash and dry your hands. Take large pinches of kosher salt, and raising your arm high above the pig, rain down the salt in an even, light dusting all over. You can start with the pig on its back and get the cavity and the crotch, and then turn it over and get the back and the head and flanks. Or vice versa. But in the end, the whole animal is salted evenly and lightly, snout to tail.
• Arrange the pig in the roasting pan, spine up, rear legs tucked under, with feet pointing toward its ears and its two front legs out ahead in front. Sometimes the pig needs a sharp, sturdy, confident chiropractic crack on its arching spine, just to settle it in comfortably to the roasting pan, so it won't list to one side or topple over.
• Put the potato deep into its mouth, and place in the oven, on the bottom rack, and roast slowly for about 4 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your pig. (Plan 15 minutes of roasting time per pound of pig; if you have a 20-pounder, then you'd need about 5 hours total cooking time.) Add a little water to the roasting pan along the way if you see the juices are in danger of scorching, and loosely tent the animal with aluminum foil in vulnerable spots - ears, snout, arc of back - if you see them burning. For the last half-hour, raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees, and cook until the skin gets crisp and even blistered, checking every 10 minutes.
• Tap on it with your knuckle to hear a kind of hollow sound, letting you know the skin has inflated and separated from the interior flesh; observe splitting of the skin at knuckles - all good signs the pig is done. Or use a meat thermometer inserted deep in the neck; the pig is ready at 160 degrees. Let rest 45 minutes before serving.
• Remove the potato, and replace it with the apple. Transfer the pig to a large platter; nestle big bouquets of herbs around the pig as garnish. Save pan juices, and use for napping over the pulled meat when serving.