2011 Christmas Eve "Noche Buena" Traditional Whole Pig Roast (with Q-View)

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

luv2q

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Sep 4, 2011
138
13
Miami, Florida (Northern Cuba)
As promised, here's this year's follow-up to our family's traditional Christmas Eve whole pig roast.
yahoo.gif


When Ms. Piggy got home on the 23rd, my father came over to the house and we started to prepare it for the next day's roasting.

36a5fb30_IMG_5552.jpg


Here, my father removes the pig's tongue.

58ea0d91_IMG_5557.jpg


In this pic, my father systematically cuts the ribs.

52ef43c5_IMG_5558.jpg


This is what it looks like after he outlines the rib cage.

1e126420_IMG_5559.jpg


Here, he makes cuts between each individual rib.

6e4eb8db_IMG_5560.jpg


This is Ms. Piggy, all cut up and ready for the next step.

5c12b1c0_IMG_5561.jpg


In this pic, my father goes around the whole pig and makes deep "pocket" cuts in key areas.

6ea69b47_IMG_5564.jpg


Here, my father places pieces of butter into each of these pockets.

d13729ea_IMG_5567.jpg


After the butter, he liberally pours salt into each pocket.

b690700d_IMG_5570.jpg


The next step is to create a fresh batch of his marinade or "mojo". Do NOT buy the pre-made ones at the store or you'll be cheating yourself on flavor!

6bac0f87_IMG_5575.jpg


This is the marinade paste before the addition of the final ingredient - freshly squeezed sour oranges.

534ec860_IMG_5578.jpg


This is what the marinade looks like when done. At this point, it has an aroma that literally fills the whole house! It smells SOOOOOO GOOOOOD!!!

7f4d538a_IMG_5581.jpg


At this point, my father begins to brush every exposed interior part with the marinade.

aeb6bad4_IMG_5583.jpg


Now, the entire pig gets a marinade injection. Just as when the cutting steps are being performed, a lot of care is taken to make sure that the injector's needle doesn't poke through the pig's skin. The skin should remain as intact as possible during the entire process.

76518fd2_IMG_5586.jpg


Whatever is left over inside the marinade bowl gets applied liberally to the key parts of the pig. Here, my father is concentrating on the ribs.

68f5516e_IMG_5590.jpg


This is what Ms. Piggy looks like after her marinade bath.

b87b58ae_IMG_5595.jpg


The next day (Christmas Eve), the charcoal is lit and the roasting box ("Caja China") is preheated.

6f2258a1_IMG_5605.jpg


Then, the marinated pig is brought out and tied tightly between the separator trays.

6899c571_IMG_5608.jpg


Here, my father (on the left) and my uncle (on the right) remove the heavy steel cover so that they can finally place the pig inside the roasting box. From the looks of it, the steel cover is very heavy and my uncle got a hernia!
biggrin.gif


d52a2f10_IMG_5611.jpg


Here, they place the pig inside the roasting box while my father-in-law (far right) looks on.

dfa1ece7_IMG_5615.jpg


Ms. Piggy is finally in the roasting box!

f4cfca04_IMG_5616.jpg


...and the lid if finally on the roasting box!
4dc567d3_IMG_5617.jpg


This is one of the interim checks.

d631dbe9_IMG_5635.jpg


...and here's another check.

e8d10ebd_IMG_5637.jpg


After the pig is done and pulled out of the roasting box, the skin is pulled off, chopped and thrown into a tray so that the family members can devour it immediately. The crispy skin or "chicharron" is one of my favorite parts.

569d992f_IMG_5644.jpg


Finally, the rest of the pig is chopped up and pulled apart. It is all placed on a serving tray and each family member serves themselves whatever parts they want and however much they like! The side items are all located on another table. They are usually brought in by the different families that attend our yearly gathering. At this point, THE FEAST HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!
drool.gif


53735baf_IMG_5645.jpg


Enjoy the pics and thank you for looking!
 
Last edited:
Wow the prep work is awesome but do we get to see the rest 
th_crybaby2.gif
 
Looks great Luv,

Great pics, How'ed it turn out?

Oh yeah, what's in the marinade?
raptor, thank you! You know, I always forget something important in my post. Sorry.
hit.gif


Here it is:

8 teaspoons Cumin

2 teaspoons Black Pepper

2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper

2 teaspoons Chili Powder

2 teaspoons Oregano

2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Heads Garlic

2 Cups Sour Orange Juice

By the way, make some of this marinade and try it on chicken. It's AWESOME!!!
 


Wow the prep work is awesome but do we get to see the rest 
th_crybaby2.gif
Scar, since I was hosting, I didn't get many "after" shots, like I would've wanted. I had plenty of time to document everything leading up to pulling the pig out of the box, though. I'll try to get more pics of the "after" next year.
 


Beautiful!!!
 

sausage.gif
Sausage, thank you!
 


Fantastic Q View, thanks!  

Now, who do I send my address to so I get in invite next year????  
icon_lol.gif


Curt.
Curt, thank you! Just come over to Miami next year and follow your nose!
biggrin.gif

 
 
The finished product looks amazing - when I saw the post earlier there were no finished pics - Thanks for sharing the marinade too 
 
The finished product looks amazing - when I saw the post earlier there were no finished pics - Thanks for sharing the marinade too 
Scar, now I get it! I had accidentally hit the wrong "submit" button and it posted too early. I hadn't gotten in the last pics yet. Either way, I'm kicking myself for not getting more pics. I'll get it right next year (I hope).
30.gif

 
 
So the box you have is just like a giant oven??  The heat comes down from the top and the pig basically roasts in it's own yummyness, along with that great looking marinade, and butter you added.  Very interesting.  Thanks for sharing, I would love to get a piece of that skin, looks fantastic!
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky