{"id":2526,"date":"2011-06-21T12:50:13","date_gmt":"2011-06-21T19:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cooking-outdoors.com\/?p=2526"},"modified":"2014-01-09T22:39:52","modified_gmt":"2014-01-10T05:39:52","slug":"la-caja-china-guest-post-by-perry-p-perkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cooking-outdoors.com\/la-caja-china-guest-post-by-perry-p-perkins\/","title":{"rendered":"La Caja China, guest post by Perry P. Perkins"},"content":{"rendered":"

La Caja China, guest post by Perry P. Perkins<\/h2>\n
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La Caja China [Spanish \u00a0la ka\u2019ha chee\u2019nah] \u2013noun – A metal-lined roasting box in a wood frame with wheels. Charcoal is fired on a removable grate, over a solid ash-pan on top of the box, and the heat emanates through the metal lid into the enclosed space below, roasting the meat, which rests in pans or on a rack. The roasting box\u2019s claim to fame is its unique ability to roast a whole pig (up to a 100 lbs, live weight) in less than four hours. The rack system, which is held together with 4 S-Hooks, allows you to quickly and easily flip whatever you\u2019re roasting for even cooking, and last-minute browning of a pig\u2019s skin, keeping it crispy without overcooking.<\/div>\n
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Now, La Caja China, for all the pig-related press, is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment I've used in a lifetime of cooking and barbecue. Sure, I\u2019ve roasted a number of pigs in the Cuban box (and they were delicious) but, as a private chef and caterer, I\u2019ve cooked a LOT of other stuff in and on it, too. My team and I have prepared everything from holiday dinners like St. Patrick's Day corned beef and Thanksgiving turkeys; ethnic delights from Malaysian satays and Italian porchetta sandwiches, to Kalua pig and Moroccan lamb. \u00a0You can grill steaks, braise chickens, smoke briskets, and roast turkeys and prime-rib that rivals any restaurant, and do it all in your own backyard! And, of course, you can roast melt-in-your-mouth whole pigs that send will send your guests into fits of gastronomical joy. Even more importantly, you can prepare these dishes for crowds that would normally require a smoke house, a four-foot deep pit dug in your yard, multiple gas grills, and several full-size ovens\u2026and you can do it anywhere, anytime. The optional top-grills set into place over the coals and allow for nearly 1200 sq inches of grilling area over the coals for the larger models (that\u2019s a lot of burgers) and 600 sq inches over the Model #3. So you can grill plenty of tasty appetizers while the not-always-so-patient crowd of admirers is waiting to get their pig on.<\/div>\n
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Sometimes when I\u2019m called on to flip burgers and grill some dogs for our youth group, I just toss the ash-pan, coal grate and these grills, along with a couple of metal sawhorses into my van, and I can grill en masse on a system that weighs all of around ten pounds. and sets up in 30 seconds. Nice.<\/div>\n
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The name \u201cLa Caja China\u201d translates from Spanish into \u201cThe chinese Box\u201d, and there are two schools of thought, regarding the name. The first is that it is a reference to the roasting boxes that Chinese railroad workers in Cuba used to cook meals. The second is that the Cuban use of the word \u201cChina\u201d as a slang term for something unique or inventive, was used to describe the amazing ability to cook succulent pig in such a comparatively short time.\u00a0 Regardless of the name-origin, the basic idea has been used for centuries.<\/div>\n
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The current designs and their capabilities, however, are the result of years of tinkering and perfecting by Cuban pig-roasting enthusiasts. In the South, these boxes are often referred to a \u201cCajun Microwaves.\u201d The box has also become the toast of many food writers and celebrity chefs. In 2009, Roberto received the ultimate challenge to “throw down” with celebrity Chef Bobby Flay, cooking one of his favorite Cuban dishes, Pierna Criolla, with La Caja China.<\/div>\n
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