Noche Buena

We Cubans celebrate Noche Buena, "Good Night," on Christmas Eve. I believe most hispanic cultures have some kind of a Noche Buena celebration or another. We usually have the whole family get together: grandparents, moms and dads, aunt and uncles, grandkids, dozens of cousins, friends...you name it. It's a pretty big party.

My favorite part of Noche Buena is the cooking and the food. See, everyone that comes bring their own particular specialty. Some tias bring las ensaladas - chicken salads, macaroni salads, egg salads. Some bring the yuca and mojito. My mom usually make the frijoles negros - black beans, her specialty. There is also nothing in the world that tastes better than my great aunts homemade flan. And me? Well, I'm usually in charge of the heart of the meal. El lechon.

Yes, I am the Lechonero™, the pig roaster.

This job was handed down to me some years back by the family men of the previous generation. Abuelo, my uncles, my dad, they all had a little bit to say in the way I should cook the lechon. It is, by far, the most complex part of the Noche Buena meal, and thus, why it the elder men pass it down to the next generation the first chance they get.

Here's how the lechon cooking goes:

First is the trip to the matadero, the slaughterhouse, where you actually have to pick the live pig you want for your Noche Buena. The size of the pig is determined by the amount of people attending, typically 2 lbs of pork per person. I prefer to go with 3 lbs per person as pan-con-lechon sandwiches the next day are delicious. Once you pick the pig you want, the matadero people take him inside their facility, kill it and clean it for you. They remove all the organs and such and hand those to you in a bag in case you want to make chitlins or something. The pig must be picked up on the 23rd as it will need to soak in mojito over night.

Second comes the making of the mojito. The mojito is the seasoning for the pig. Here in Miami you can buy mojito buy the gallon, but I prefer to make my own for Noche Buena. I usually dont make measurements when making it, I play it by nose, but here are the primary ingredients:
- Naranja Agria - sour orange, lots of it as this is the base.
- Limon - Limes. Just a few to add some tart.
- Vino seco - cooking wine, in good quantity. Some people prefer white vinegar.
- Ajo - garlic, lots and lots of garlic, crushed and diced.
- Cebollas - Onions, any kind but I prefer yellow onions for the lechon. Diced.
- Comino - Cumin. A must have spice when cooking Cuban food.
- Oregano - To give it a little more spice and some color.
- Cilantro - Fresh cilantro, crushed, always adds a little flair to it.
- Sal y Pimienta - Salt and pepper.
With all of these need to make at least one gallon of mojito. It's always good to make it before going to the matadero as it can be refrigerated while you are getting the pig.

Next is el adobando. Where I take the mojito and basically spread it, push it, inject it, squeeze it, rub it all over the pig. It's very important to get lots of the mojito inside the pig, thus, a few pokes with the knife and a good kitchen injector is needed. The more mojito inside the pig, the better.

Once the pig has been adobado, it must be kept covered, on ice, over night.

Now, here is where the actual cooking comes in. There are a bunch of ways to cook a lechon. Some folks dig a pit, throw in charcoal, put the pig in on a grill and cover the pit with ojas de platano, banana leaves. Other folks use a skewer and roast it that way. Some build a concrete block pit and cook it that way. This year, I'm using a Caja China. It's basically a plywood construction box lined with zinc plating on the inside. The one I am using is more of a Super Caja China as my dad and I made it 4 years ago and used massive amounts of material. It's almost too heavy to lift.

The beauty of the Caja China is that the heat goes on top of the pig and not below it. The charcoal is placed on a large metal pan over the box and it generates the heat downward into the box. It takes a bit longer, usually about eight hours, depending on the size the pig.

This is where the absolute best part of Noche Buena is for me. While it is a lot of work to keep charcoaling for eight hours - lighting fresh coal, stirring the old ones, removing the ashes, making sure the heat displaces evenly, ensuring the pig isnt cooking too fast or too slow, turning the pig over at the precise moment - it is the most rewarding. While all this work is going on music is playing, aunts and uncles are dancing, nieces and nephews and cousins are hanging out together, everyone is clamoring to see the pig, little kids are running around, drinks are being served, all sorts of munchies abound. Old folks are sitting with young folks and stories of Cuba are being relayed and retold time and again. Es la tradicion.You see, on Noche Buena I have my whole family with me, and that's really what it's all about.

UPDATE: If you happen to get to this page via a Google search and would like more info on the Caja China, go to the main blog page and perform a search for Caja China Plans. I have posted plans to my caja China.

Posted by Val Prieto at December 22, 2003 11:52 AM

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