La Caja China questions

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Matt N.

Got Wood.
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Anybody own or ever used on of these things. I just bought one because my wifes family wants to do a pig roast for the 4th of July. I told them I would give it a go but made no promises about how it's going to come out. Just looking for some advice or tips about how to make sure the outcome is something edible. Oh and is injection necessary? If so, what should I inject it with?
 
I've only been around one. Once for a pig roast and once they cooked butts and chickens.

They told me that on their site are pretty good instructions and also a checklist of sorts so you don't get your tasks out of whack.
 
I wonder if it would be ok to use some rub on the inside of the pig? I would be nervous that the sugar in the rub might burn. What do you think?
 
Go to the web site and do the first one like they say, then on #2 you can experiment :bow:
 
I also wonder if I need to inject the night before and let it rest overnight? I think thats what it says in the instructions, but I have no place to keep the pig cold over night. I was thinking of just picking up the pig the morning of the pig roast and doing all the prep work just before it goes on. Something else that sounded a little sketchy to me was allowing the meat to come up to 70 deg. before placing it in the cooker. Aren't you just asking for food poisoning or am I way off base?
 
We have roasted several whole hogs on the La Caja and since they do not have the fire directly they are hard to burn. However you can crisp the skin. The most important part is to keep the fire hot and even across the top and DON"T OPEN the top to show everyone as it takes a long time to recover the heat loss.

We pull the hot coals to the edge and keep adding new charcoal to the center to keep the fire hot.

Good Luck
 
bashie44-2.jpg


Here is one Steph from Simply Marvelous brought to a Brethren bash. La Caja China style. Of course we took a weed burner to its back!!:p
 
auxierr@bellsouth.net said:
We have roasted several whole hogs on the La Caja and since they do not have the fire directly they are hard to burn. However you can crisp the skin. The most important part is to keep the fire hot and even across the top and DON"T OPEN the top to show everyone as it takes a long time to recover the heat loss.

We pull the hot coals to the edge and keep adding new charcoal to the center to keep the fire hot.

Good Luck
Click to expand...


So could the pig be picked up the day of the pig roast or do I need to get it the day before to give the injection time to set in? Would KosmoQ pork injection be a good choice for injection? What do you use to season the meat?
 
you can get the pig the day of the cook or if you hve a large enough cooler pick it up the day before & keep it on ice overnight.
you can go to youtube & search vids of "whole pig roast".i'm sure there's a lot of vids on it.
 
Just picked one up last week - we decided after 20+ years of doing a Pig Roast in July it was time to get some sleep! (And I love Cuban pork anyway)

You really need to inject. One of the big 120 Quart catering coolers from Sam's or your bathtub will hold keep your pig safely with a few bags of ice. If using the tub, you'll need to clean and rinse it well before and after. Add the pig, ice, and cover with a clean shower curtain or plastic sheet. I'd go the cooler route myself though; less hassle and you'll have a nice cooler for other uses afterwards.
 
I hadn't thought of buying a cooler to store it in. Figured it would be to big. Just checked online and it seems none of the local stores carry the really big coolers so I would have to order online and have it shipped. I was thinking about buying a kiddie pool, placing some ice in the bottom, laying the pig on the ice and then covering the top of the pig with ice over night. Think that will work?
 
Matt N. said:
I hadn't thought of buying a cooler to store it in. Figured it would be to big. Just checked online and it seems none of the local stores carry the really big coolers so I would have to order online and have it shipped. I was thinking about buying a kiddie pool, placing some ice in the bottom, laying the pig on the ice and then covering the top of the pig with ice over night. Think that will work?
Click to expand...

And the kiddie pool is a lot cheaper than the large cooler. I would not invest in the large cooler if it will be used just this one time.
 
Yeah, thats why I was looking at the kiddie pool. 15 bucks as opposed to 100 for the cooler. Not really sure how often I would use a cooler that large.
 
Most of the time we put the whole pig in a brine solution for 24 to 48 hours and then into the roaster. Makes a great taste.
 
Clint from Smoke in DA Eye did a pig on the CAJA a while back if I remember correctly. You may want to send him a PM or do a search and find his post.

Good luck.
 
So how much should a 60 to 70 pound pig cost. The reason I ask is because I think the butcher is trying to rip me off. He quoted me 240 for a frozen pig and 300 for a fresh pig. Does that sound high to you guys?
 
I just roasted one last weekend in a La Caja China. It was a 73 pounder. I got it two days in advance. Got it home and put it in the bathtub with a ton of ice. The next day I injected it with Mojo marinade that I made. Very similar to the websites only used Lemon, Lime and Orange juices. Let it sit for 24 hours. After bringing it to room temperature I gave it a heavy rub down with Kosher salt. Got it on by 9:00 a.m. for a 1:00 p.m. take out time. I did use a remote thermometer for temperature after flipping. Stuck it in the thickest part of the thigh. After removing it from the caja china wrapped it in foil and let it set for 1 hour before carving. Got about 50-55 lbs of edible meat. We put the meat in aluminum pans and covered them. They were then placed in roasters. We made sure that the meat was brought back up to temperature 165 degrees. Served for 1 1/2 hours then a quick cool down and refrigerated the rest. HTH
 
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