Yesterday afternoon, me and Mr. Hot attended our first pig roast at the home of Lisa and Mario Hernandez.
Our children decided to be conscious objectors and opted out of the porkalicious event.
Click through to take a look at the video!
Mario, is of Cuban descent, and originally from Elizabeth, NJ. Pig roasting is very much a family tradition for the Hernandez Family.
I asked Mario how long he had been roasting pigs, he said, "about twenty years." Mario is 31.
As a boy, Mario apprenticed under the tutelage of his grandfather, occasionally accompanying him to the farm to select the pig for roasting.
Today, following in his grandfather's tradition, and wielding his grandfather's knife, the handle wrapped with duct tape, Mario slow roasted a forty-two pound pig (who shall remain nameless) in a Cuban style roasting box known as "La Caja China."
Mario procured the pig from John's Meat Market in Scotch Plains and marinated it overnight - and no, not in the refrigerator! Mario filled the caja with ice and placed pig in a plastic bag full of the secret, super-flavorful marinade. It was wonderful!
I don't own a roasting box yet, but I will - very soon. And Mario promises to share his marinade recipe with me. In the meantime, does anyone have a great pig marinade they would like to share? Any tips on pig roasting?
Really into pig? Visit the gallery for more pics!