Anyone done a Lechon Asado?

[porterdriver]

For all of the pork aficionados out there, has anyone made a run at Lechon Asado?  It is one of the great treats for Cubanos, Borequans, or anyone who loves pork.

I have a great traditional recipe but since I'm a newbie I don't have any experience 'converting' recipes to a Bradley recipe.  So I thought I'd check with the graybeards.

[classicrockgriller]

There have been several that have done Pork Butts with Mojo Criollo, Naranja Agria, Mojo Marinades with adobo.

I don't think what ever recipe you have would be a problem to adapt to the Bradley.

If you have a big pig you want to do, I loan you my La Caja Asadora Box.

[KevinG]

Never done one, I looked up a couple of recipes and it appears that they usually start off with a pretty high temp 300 to 450 degrees F. That would be too hot for the Bradley, but I did see one that was at 225, which would be possible.

[FLBentRider]

From the recipe I read I sounds like cuban pulled pork.

If you want to smoke one, I would marinate a pork butt in mojo marinade no more than six hours.

Then Smoke @225F with a couple of hours of smoke, continue @225F until and IT of 195-200F

FTC, pull and eat.

I did a pork butt with a mojo powder rub that came out pretty good. The mojo flavor was subtle.

[classicrockgriller]

here's when I did a mojo criollio butt.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=13025.0

[Ka Honu]

I've always known of lechon asado as a roasted whole suckling pig done in an oven, Cajun microwave, offset grill, rotisserie, or other indirect heat source.  Did one or two back in the day, mostly using a spit over a banked fire, but it's been a long while.  Since crisp skin is a major part of the final product, higher heat and frequent mopping are key - not exactly Bradley fortes.  On the other hand, I don't see any reason (other than size) that you couldn't start the process in a Bradley and finish elsewhere like you might a smoked turkey.  I'd probably only use a couple of hours of fairly light wood - smoke is not (to me) the principal flavor in lechon asado; it's more about garlic, spices, and citrus.

[porterdriver]

My limited experience is that in Puerto Rico it is almost universally a whole suckling pig but often Cubanos will use a 'green' ham.

When I 'jones' for some lechon, this is what I can do here 'up in America'.

I do mine on conventional gas grill (single burner keeps box at 225 degrees) with added wood chips for mild smoke until IT is 195 degrees.  Then I remove the skin as a single piece and FTC the Lechon.  While resting I 'cheat' the skin under the oven's broiler (on rack); have also heated up the grill and inverted the skin onto grill and finished that way.

I'm no expert by any means.

[squirtthecat]

Throw that recipe out and let's see what we can do with it...    The Bradley will take care of the 225° and the smoke - but you'll have to go back to your gasser (or the oven) to crisp up the skin.

So you use a fresh ham? (picnic?)

[porterdriver]

My first choice is a green skin-on, bone-in ham.  Second is green skin-on (harder to find than ham), bone-in pork shoulder (picnic).  Then a pork roast (Boston Butt, for example) with a nice fat layer.

But then I think that is the standard selection order for most folks anyway.  No great reveal.

[Habanero Smoker]

I have done something similar using the picnic cut, but a ham cut would work just as well. I use a recipe from Cook's Illustrated and converted for use in the Bradley. I after injecting and brining, I started it in the smoker, and finished with moderate heat in the oven. Next time I will finish with 350°F - 375°F, but keep an eye on the rub so it doesn't burn. So the steps I used may help you convert your recipe using the smoker.

Cuban Style Barbecue Pork

[Ka Honu]

Habs  - I think that's about as close as you're gonna get without using a whole pig.  As you noted, the big challenge is the skin (I get that right about every third shoulder).