caja china

Borrowing of (Cuban) Spanish caja china (especially into American English).

caja china (plural cajas chinas)

1. A metal or foil lined wooden box for roasting pigs (etc) via indirect heat from charcoal in a tray on top, originating from Cuba.
   • 2007, Deborah Krasner; Michael Krasner, The New Outdoor Kitchen: Cooking Up a Kitchen for the Way You Live and Play, Taunton Press, →ISBN, page 74:

     If big parties that feature cooking whole hogs are your thing, a caja china is a must. And if you're dreaming big, maybe you'd like to have a setup that includes both a charcoal and gas grill as well as a woodfired oven.

   • 2014, Ben Ford; Carolynn Carreño, Taming the Feast: Ben Ford's Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

     The main difference between a Cajun microwave and a Caja China has to do with workmanship. Cajun microwaves are made of cypress or another hardwood, and are often decorated with carvings. A Caja China, on the other hand, is made of plywood.

   • 2008, Steve H. Graham, Eat What You Want and Die Like A Man, Kensington Books, →ISBN, page 121:

     The guests were moaning as if in a trance. Now, if you make one yourself, you don't necessarily have to have a caja china or make a temporary oven, and you don't really have to turn it. If it's small enough, you can cook it in a regular oven.

• Cajun microwave

Literally, "Chinese box".

caja china f (plural cajas chinas)

1. a Chinese box
2. (Latin America, especially Cuba) a caja china (“outdoor oven: box for roasting pigs etc”)
   • 2007, Telemundo, Maria Alecia Izturriaga, Telemundo Presenta: Celebraciones: En casa con las estrellas de Telemundo, Simon and Schuster (→ISBN):

     Como le gusta la cocina, es la encargada de preparar el lechón y asarlo en la caja china. “La receta es un secreto que no voy a revelar tan fácilmente”, confiesa riendo, con esa sonrisa de cubana franca que parece un arrullo de palmeras.

   • 2011, Emilio Estefan; Gloria Estefan, La cocina de los Estefan, Penguin, →ISBN:

     (PUERCO ASADO AL ESTILO CUBANO) En la mayoría de los hogares cubanos, el lechón asado se sirve siempre en […] Primero, ella cocinaba la carne en algún medio que conservara el vapor, bien fuera en una caja china o, si se trataba de […]

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 2019, Fondo Editorial USIL, Perú, Sabor & Saber: Bases y técnicas de la cocina peruana, Fondo editorial USIL, →ISBN, page 616:

     1 LECHÓN A LA CAJA CHINA
     Rendimiento: 10 porciones / Ingredientes 1 lechón entero limpio sin vísceras • 10 g de […]
     Procedimiento: Mise en place de los ingredientes y preparación de la caja: lechón e insumos para sazonar, caja china y carbón.

     1 suckling pig a la roasting box
     Yields: 10 servings / Ingredients 1 whole suckling pig cleaned and gutted • 10 g of […]
     Procedure: Preparation of the ingredients and the box: pig and seasonings, roasting box, and charcoal.

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