Bobby Flay's Throwdown! (16 page)

I headed to Miami Beach for some legendary Cub an roast pork with Roberto Guerra, the King of the Caja China.

Roberto calls the Caja China a “roasting pit on wheels,” and he ought to know. He and his father designed it based on similar insulated cooking boxes that his father saw while growing up in Cuba. (The ingenious cooking system was first brought to Cuba in the early 1900s by Chinese workers–ergo its name.) The wooden box, which in English translates to “China box,” is an insulated vehicle for cooking traditionally long-cooking items quickly. But I just call it the “magic box” because of its powers to produce the most succulent roast pork around. Roberto’s specialty is Cuban-flavored roasted whole pig, but for what he thought was a slot on Food Network’s special on the cuisine of Cuba, he prepared a pork shoulder. He marinated the pork in a mojo, a mixture of sour orange juice, bay leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Roberto then stuffed the pork with ham, prunes, bacon, and guava shells, and glazed it with a mixture of brown sugar and malta, a Cuban soft drink brewed from barley, hops, and water, much like beer. However, unlike beer, malta is nonalcoholic. It is similar in color to stout (dark brown) but very sweet, with a molasses-like flavor. Roberto was all set to show off his magical prowess with the Caja China at a party in Miami for friends, family, and the Food Network’s film crew.

I was really excited as I headed to the test kitchen. My mission was to create a roast pork that celebrates the flavors of Cuba using the Caja China. As I couldn’t use the box inside the test kitchen—for ventilation reasons, it has to be used outdoors—I instead focused on my flavors for the pork and cooked it in the oven. I didn’t want to marinate my pork in a sugar-based marinade because I believed the high heat would burn the outside of the meat. (However, I was to learn at the Throwdown that that really isn’t the case, as Roberto roasts his in malta, brown sugar, and sour oranges and achieves spectacular results.)

I started by scoring the skin of the pork to allow the fat to render and yield a crisper exterior. I marinated it in garlic, oil, and fresh oregano before roasting. I began the pork shoulder in a 425°F oven for an hour before turning the oven temperature down to 350°F. The pork roasted in the oven for another 2 hours until the skin was super-crispy and the interior registered 175°F. But those 3 hours were in the oven—in the Caja China, because of the intense heat and insulated interior, it would take about half that time. Once the long wait was up, I removed the pork and marveled at its incredibly crisp skin and tender meat. I shredded the pork into big pieces, then drizzled the shredded meat with a “sour orange” sauce made from orange juice, lime juice, serrano chile, cilantro, garlic, and olive oil.

It was a beautiful sunny day and Roberto was busy getting ready for his party at the National Hotel in Miami’s South Beach. Stephanie, Miriam, and I were down the block assembling our Caja Chinas and prepping our pork so that it would be ready to serve at the Throwdown. My lack of patience when setting up the Caja China came back to haunt me at the Throwdown when I realized I hadn’t put the racks in the box. Without the racks in place, my pork would sit in its juices, thereby preventing it from getting a super-crispy skin.

As I snuck up on Roberto, I found him happily making another Cuban specialty, the Mojito. Drink in hand, he readily accepted my Throwdown and the battle of the Cuban barbecue began. Judge Maria Vasquez, who runs
www.cubanfoodmarket.com
, an online store for Cuban food specialties, commented on my pork first, saying it was good but needed a little more salt. Our other judge, Chef Pepin, who has been cooking on Spanish TV since 1988 and considers himself to be an expert on pork, thought it was only so-so. Both Maria and Chef Pepin loved the crispy exterior and soft interior of Roberto’s pork, as well as its sweetness. Chef Pepin did come around, and both he and Maria said that they honestly thought both dishes were fantastic, but as for a winner, Roberto took the prize.

SERVES 8

1.
Using a paring knife, make small slits over the entire surface of the pork. Set aside 1 teaspoon of the garlic for the sauce, and rub the rest into the slashes. Whisk together the oil and the ¼ cup oregano in a large roasting pan. Add the pork, turn to coat, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.

2.
Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting.

3.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.

4.
Combine 3 cups of the orange juice, 1 cup of the lime juice, and the orange and lime zests in a large saucepan over high heat. Boil to reduce to 2 cups. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ½ cup orange juice, ¼ cup lime juice, reserved 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, and remaining 2 tablespoons oregano. Let the sour orange sauce cool to room temperature.

5.
Season the pork with salt and pepper, transfer the roasting pan to the oven, and roast for 30 minutes.

6.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting until the pork is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the center reaches 180°F, about 2 hours. Baste the pork with the sour orange sauce during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

7.
Remove the pork from the oven, baste it with any remaining sauce, tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve slices drizzled with a little of the Mojo Dipping Sauce.

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, serrano, cilantro, and a few pinches of salt until it becomes a paste. Add the orange juice, lime juice, oil, and honey, and stir to combine.

SERVES 8 TO 10

1.
Score the fat on the pork shoulder well. Combine the sour orange juice, bay leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large resealable bag or plastic container, add the pork, and marinate for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

2.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.

3.
Put the meat, fat side down, on a cutting board with a shorter end toward you. Line the meat with the ham slices, then the bacon slices, prunes, and guava shells. Roll the meat up, starting at the end toward you, working carefully to keep the filling inside the roll. Every few inches, tie the roll firmly with butcher’s twine. Place it, fat side down, in a roasting pan.

4.
Whisk the brown sugar with the malta, and pour half of the mixture over the pork. Roast the pork for about 2 hours, basting occasionally.

5.
Turn the meat fat side up, pour the remaining malta mixture over it, and cook until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 180°F on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 hours.

6.
Allow to cool slightly before cutting into thin slices. Skim the fat from the drippings, and then pour the drippings over the sliced meat.

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