4th of July BBQ Recipes: Independence Day ala La Caja China!

Thanks to Perry Perkins for this great entry into our 4th of July BBQ Recipes archive!

So, one of my favorite holidays, the 4th of July, is coming up, and when I think of the 4th, I think…GRILLIN’ BABY!

Here are two of my favorite grilling recipes for La Caja China. The massive surface area of the Model #2 and Semi Pro make cooking for a crowd, especially away from home, a breeze. (more on this below…)

But first, the food…

Ol’ Fashioned BBQ Chicken

• 1 “Family Pack” Chicken legs or thighs
• 2 C bottled sauce (Sweet Baby Rays Spicy in my fav)
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ C brown sugar
• 1 Tbs your favorite hot sauce (I’m a Frank’s Red Hot fan.)

Rub chicken with simple chx rub, and refrigerate overnight. Bring all sauce ingredients to a simmer, stirring, and allow to cool.  Start a two-zone fire with a cool area in the middle (see below).  Grill chicken over hot-zones until browned on both sides, then move to cool area, over hot water, and tent loosely with foil.  Cook, turning once until done, 10-15 minutes.  Serve with coleslaw.

Simple Chicken Rub: 2 Tbs each – sea salt, coarse pepper, granulated garlic, smoked paprika,    1 Tbs cayenne (to taste). Mix well, store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. 

Cuban Fritas

This Cuban burgers are great to cook on the top grill while you roast the pig inside the box. The chorizo really make it special.

Cuban chorizo is different that Mexican chorizo. It’s less spicy, less fatty, and more aromatic with lots of cilantro. If you can’t find it (or make it), substitute with the Mexican style.

Roberto Guerra from La Caja China was kind enough to share his recipe with me, and graciously let me tweak it a little. I grilled these up on the Cajita and they were awesome!

The seasoned curly fries (my version of  julienne potatoes) gave a nice crunch, and the chorizo adds a spicy kick that takes this burger over the top!

Here’s What You’ll Need for These Awesome Cuban Fritas a la Caja China

• 2 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 1 lbs ground Cuban chorizo
• 1 lb ground pork
• 4 Tbs smoked paprika
• 4 Tbs minced onion
• 2 Tbs salt
• 2 Tbs Worcester sauce
• 1 Tbs black pepper
• 12 Kaiser rolls
• 1 bag seasoned curly fries, hot
• Lettuce, tomato, and condiments.

Combine all ingredients and mix gently using your hands, don’t overwork the meat, or it’ll toughen your burgers.

Shape into 12 medium patties, about 1 ½ inches thick, with a slight well in the middle of each patty.  Place them in the fridge for a couple of hours for the flavors to marry.

Lightly oil La Caja China grill, and prepare a 2-Zone fire.  Grill over hot coals, about 5 minutes per side. Keep a spray bottle handy, as the chorizo can cause impressive flare-ups.

Serve on medium size Kaiser rolls topped with julienne potatoes, lettuce, tomato, and your favorite condiments. I also tossed a handful of oak chips on the coals about 5 minutes before grilling…’cause I could.

PS – Cooking for a crowd? Here’s a tip! Invest in a couple of all-metal saw horse and you can leave the “box” at home.  Set up your ash-pan, coal grate, and top grills on sawhorses, for a fast, lightweight system that can pump out a LOT of grilled goodies!

This system works perfectly for La Caja China Models #1, #2, and the La Caja China Semi-Pro.

Multi-Zone Fires

Two-Zone

A two-zone fire is created when your lit coals are spread over one-half to two-thirds of the grilling area.  This is ideal for most types of grilling, especially those foods that need to be seared on the outside, and cooked more slowly on the inside (steaks, spatchcocked chickens, pork tenderloins, etc.)

As mentioned, one benefit of a two-zone fire, when cooking for a crowd, is that you have a “warming area” for foods that are done, or nearly done, to stay warm while another batch is cooking.  I prefer raking coals to the right and left, and leaving my “cool zone” in the middle. I think this provides more even heat, especially for larger cuts of meat like roasts and pork shoulders.

Also, if you are cooking meat inside La Caja China (pictured) at the same time, this allows a more even cooking temperature within the box.  A two-zone fire is also preferable over a three-zone, for the smaller surface area of La Cajita China (Box #3), or grills with smaller surface areas.  For meats, fish or vegetables that tend to dry out easily, I like to put a pan of hot water, apple juice, or beer, over the cool area so the food finishes its cooking time over moist heat.

Three-Zone

Your best heat control is achieved with a three zone fire, consisting of a hot zone, medium zone, and cool zone.  Similar to the pictures, on the charcoal grid, rake half the coals into a double layer over one third of the fire box, and the rest into a single layer in the center.  Leave the remaining third of the grid without coals.  Use the hot zone for searing, the medium zone for finishing, and the cool zone for keeping food warm until serving.

Single Zone

Spread the coals in an even layer across the charcoal grid. This is the best method to use when roasting meats inside La Caja China, as it provides an even heat to the interior of the box.

For grilling, you would use a single-zone fire for steaks, chicken breasts, or any food that requires a short, hot cooking time. Only used a single-zone fire if all of the meat will finish and be served at the same time.  Even when grilling the types of meat mentioned above, I still like to keep a small “cool zone” at one end of the grill so I can move meat away from flare-ups, melt cheese onto my burgers, etc.

Oh, and you can find this, and many more, step-by-step recipes in my cookbook, La Caja China Cooking, as well.

Have a great 4^th of July!

Comment Using Facebook

"Subscribe to this Blog"

Receive an update straight to your inbox every time I publish a new article. Your email address will never be shared

Related posts:

1. La Caja China Guest Post from Perry P. Perkins
2. La Caja China: 101
3. 4th of July BBQ Recipes: Sam Dog’s Corn Bread Salad
4. Awesome 4th of July BBQ Menu for Beginners
5. What Would I Change About My First BBQ Smoker? – Forrest Dilmore, Jr.