Noche Buena, Part 2

The Cooking of the Pigs
Roasting a pig (or lechon) to perfection is a long process that begins with picking out the right one. This year, I went with Duly and Tio Fran way out into the boonies of Miami and we picked out the perfect one. I have no idea where the Rodriguez clan found theirs.

This is not her, but is representative in size.

The piggy came to us frozen, so we needed to thaw and then season her to perfection.

On Noche Buena, the pig is then placed into the cooking device of your choice. This year, there was an argument of whether the caja china was better than the hueco, so we did one in each. With the caja china, the pig is placed inside of a box and the coals and laid in the lid. With the hueco, the coals are placed on the ground and the pig is suspended over them, and covered with metal siding to keep the heat in.






After a few hours, you need to turn the pig so the skin is evenly cooked on both sides.

Tio Fran and Duly flip the pig

Once you flip the pig, cook it for an hour. Then check it every ten minutes until the skin is nice and crispy.








After the pig is nicely roasted, it is time to bring it in and take it out of the rack. People flock like raptors to get the choice pieces of skin (the best part!) and ribs.

Nati gives us a breakdown of what goes into cooking the pig

Tio Fran and Duly bring the pig into the madness

When everyone is satisfied with their share of the skin, the pig is carved up and then it’s time to eat!