Mojo Criollo Roasted 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:

• 1. THE NIGHT BEFORE: For the Mojo: You will need a large bowl. In a large bowl, pour the sour orange juice or lime juice, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and sliced onion into the bowl and stir.
• 2. Mix the mojo ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes.
• 3. Prepare pork leg by piercing pork with a sharp knife. Place pork leg, fat side up in large pan. Pour Mojo over and around pork, cover in aluminum foil, and let sit in refrigerator overnight. Reserve some of the mojo for basting.
• 4. DAY OF ROASTING: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• 5. Place the pork in a large open roasting pan with all the Mojo juices. With a large spoon, pour the juices all over the pork.
• 6. Place the pan in the oven and reduce the temperature to 225 degrees F.
• 7. Check pork occasionally and pour Mojo on sides over the roast pork with spoon.
• 8. Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature, when it reaches about 195 degrees F, remove the pork from the oven.The outer skin should be a golden brown and crunchy. Place pork in a large serving pan and cover with aluminum foil. Wait a few minutes to let cool down, then either slice or fork shred and serve. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 of the grated garlic, all of the dried oregano, 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper into a paste.
• Score the trimmed roast with a knife point and rub the paste into the roast, then place roast in a gallon freezer bag or other dish/container that will fit in the refrigerator.
• Pour juice of 3 oranges, juice of 3 limes, the red wine, and 2 teaspoons of the lite olive oil over the roast, seal bag and turn the bag several times to combine the ingredients.
• Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or the day before you plan to serve.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Place roast and marinade in a roasting pan, cover with foil, and roast until the meat falls apart when pulled with a fork, 3 to 4 hours, up to 6 depending on the cut- it must become fork tender.
• Remove roast from oven and let it rest for 20 minutes, then pull roast into shreds with a fork, leaving the meat in the pan juices- it's ready to serve.
• Prepare Mojo Criollo: put onion slices in a bowl deep enough for the onions to be covered with the juice (I use a 2-cup glass measuring cup).
• Put the rest of the fresh grated garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, juice of 3 limes and juice of 5 oranges and the optional juice of 2 blood oranges over the onions, press down to make sure onions are submerged in the juice.
• Allow the onions to marinate in this mixture for at least 20 minutes (important step).
• Heat 1/4 cup of the lite olive oil in a skillet.
• Quickly and carefully, pour the onions and all the juices into the hot oil and"stir fry" for about 2 to 3 minutes, just to soften the onions.
• Pour the Mojo into a serving dish and serve with the roast on the side.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Mix together 1/4 cup sugar, the coffee, Aleppo peppers, salt and black pepper.
• Put the rub onto the pork belly strips and put into an oven-safe deep-dish pan. Submerge the pork fully with the beer. Cover and cook for 4 hours.
• For the preserves, melt the butter in saucepan, Add 5 of the apples, 1/2 cup of the sugar and some salt. Cook at a simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes.
• For the pickled apples, in a medium saucepan, place the hot peppers, vinegar, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the cinnamon, caraway, celery seeds, juniper berries, peppercorns and mustard seeds. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and reduce the mixture for 30 minutes.
• Pour the mixture over the 5 remaining apples. Allow to sit for 1 hour. Then refrigerate.
• Then, assemble the sandwich! Take the ciabatta and cut in half. Build each sandwich with some apple preserves, Cheddar, pickled apples and then pork belly. Finish with fresh mint leaves. If the food items are cold, build the sandwiches except for mint, and put them in the toaster oven or oven for 10 minutes. Once warm, add the mint and enjoy.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a food processor, combine the sage, rosemary, the 5 garlic cloves, fennel seeds, olive oil, and salt and pepper and blend until a paste forms. (You can also mash these ingredients together with a mortar and pestle.)
• Using a sharp knife, butterfly the pork butt, so it opens up like a book. (You can also have your butcher do this for you.) Rub the inside cut of the meat with the paste. Using kitchen twine, tie the butterflied pork back together to make a compact shape.
• Place the halved garlic heads and potatoes, cut-sides down, on the bottom of a roasting pan to create a bed for the pork butt so it doesn't sit directly on the surface of the pan. Place the pork fat-side up on the bed of garlic and potatoes, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for 5 hours, or until the skin is browned and the meat is extremely tender; pour the wine over the pork after the first 30 minutes of roasting and baste the meat with the collected pan juices every 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Remove the twine before cutting the pork into 12-inch-thick slices.
• IMPORTANTE! After slow-roasting the pork, the garlic should be soft. Spread it on bread for an appetizer. Serve with Oven-Roasted Potatoes. The potatoes make for a nice cook's treat-snack on them while you're waiting for the pork to rest.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a baking sheet, place the potatoes, carrots, garlic, rosemary, and sage. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to coat.
• Roast for 50 to 60 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the potatoes are crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and serve.
• IMPORTANTE! To parboil and pan-roast these potatoes: In a pot, combine the whole potatoes with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the pot and set them aside to cool. Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch chunks and add to a large nonstick skillet with the carrots, garlic, rosemary, and sage. Dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and heat on high until the potatoes are crisp and golden, occasionally moving the potatoes by shaking the pan handle. Avoid stirring with a spoon or spatula, so that you don't break the skin, and the potatoes can achieve a nice sear.