China Box


 
Allen Fraley

Allen Fraley

TVWBB Member
I was watching Bobby Flay cook a pork butt in a Magic Box. It took only 3 hours.
He said that the pork butt needs to be "cooked low and slow" He marinated it overnight.
He seems to be happy with the results.
Why does it take me 8 to 10 hours to cook em in my WSM?

Link to the box he used:

http://www.lacajachina.com/#

I'm sure there is a difference in the final product.
 
La Caja China (aka Louisiana Microwave) is a great way to cook. I imagine the heat is higher inside than inside a WSM. Crank it up if you want to be done sooner! Who's to say its right, wrong, or indifferent?!?!
 
No smoke gets to the meat but you can use a smoke pistol or similar device. I would like to play around with one
 
Tough cuts of meats such as the butt are meant to be cooked low and slow to make them tender. I'm sure that Bobby could cook a butt in less time but I would imagine that there is a lot of prep on the butt and probably little bark. Honestly I enjoy the whole 10 plus hours of smoking meat such as butt.
 
James Lake said:
Tough cuts of meats such as the butt are meant to be cooked low and slow to make them tender. I'm sure that Bobby could cook a butt in less time but I would imagine that there is a lot of prep on the butt and probably little bark. Honestly I enjoy the whole 10 plus hours of smoking meat such as butt.
Click to expand...

I look forward to the long cooks, too!
 
I saw that episode and also thought it was funny he said it needed to be cooked low and slow and then it was done. ;)

Anyway, la caja china is just a different method and you get a different product. It's not meant to be a smoked butt, it is a roasted pork. Seasoned properly with a good mojo, it is one of the best things you have ever eaten. So moist and full of flavor. It may be fattier since the pork doesnt cook long enough for the fat to break down though. The box is an amazing cooker and will cook it quicker. They make a fantastic whole hog too.
 
I've done whole pigs that cooked faster than the butts and picnics I've cooked the the La Caja China #2. Then again the cuts were from much larger hogs and I was shooting for more of a pulled fall of the bone doneness than a traditional sliced roast pork.

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The instructions are printed on the end of the box and if you follow them you can't go wrong. The largest pig I've cooked was 89 lbs. fully dressed, injected with Mojo and seasoned with Adobo. It didn't really fit well in the racks, so we cut the head off and cooked it in the cavity. The others have been in the 75-80 lb. range which IMO are easier to handle and fit in a 165QT. cooler to marinate.

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I've never had any complaints about the lack of smoke, and the flavor of the Mojo shines through without it. I see where people are using the A-Maze-N Tubes inside the box, I might try it sometime. I have a Smoke Daddy Big Kahuna cold smoke generator I plan to add to the box.
 
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