W00T! First Cubano Thanksgiving planning at my house!

[realdocBBQ]

So we have a couple of friends from Cuba who are coming in for Thanksgiving. I can't wait! This will be their first time celebrating Thanksgiving in America - well, likely at ALL, of course, but this is my chance to share our holiday with them.

I can't wait!

Obviously we'll do a turkey, prolly a ham, as well. I'm thinking maybe a big ol' pastrami, too? I dunno. I need ideas!

Problem is... Leo is fine with whatever, they love BBQ and he thinks I'm a culinary superhero to begin with, but his wife Yoyi (JOH-jee) isn't used to anything spicy at all like... at ALL at all. Ketchup she says is "caliente!" lol

So I'm definitely going to need to make a few things that are simple enough she can handle, but that really limits my creativity. We use a lot a spice in my house - my wife is Caribbean and they SPICE things. I know, I know. Cuba is in the Caribbean, but they do NOT have access to spices. Like nothing. Salt is a luxury, pepper is practically unheard of.

I think there will be... maybe 11 of us, unless my niece's b/f comes. He will be good with whatever, though. He plays football for Oklahoma State, so that'll give us plenty of opportunity to harass him - last I heard, OSU was ranked 13th in the Big 12 this year. lol I dunno.

Anyways... man, I'm so excited!

I think we'll eat early, so we can veg out a while, then put up the Christmas tree with Braum's eggnog and rum in the evening.

Man, this party's gonna be LIT!

[LA Pork Butt]

Maybe this recipe will help.

1 - 7-8 pound, bone in, skin on Pork Picnic
3 cups of sugar
2 cups salt
2 Garlic heads, unpeeled cloves separated and crushed
4 cups orange juice, (8 oranges)

Paste
12 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons of ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
6 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Sandwich
Bread like baguette, ciabatta or Poboy
Yellow mustard
Swiss Cheese
Ham
Dill pickle slices

For the pork cut, 1 inch deep slits, 1 inch long all over the roast, space about 2 inches apart. Dissolve the sugar, and salt in 6 quarts of cold water in a large food safe container. Stir in garlic and orange juice. Submerge, pork in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours. Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels.

For the paste, pulse garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper in a food processor to course paste, about 10 pulses. With processor, running add orange juice, vinegar, oil and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Rub paste all over the picnic and into slits. Wrap meat and plastic wrap and let’s set at room temperature for one hour. Cook the picnic at 325° until the skin is brown and the meat registers 190°.

Let the roast rest for one hour or it will not be tender. Remove skin in one large piece, scrape off and scarred fat from top of roast and from underneath the skin. Cut me away from the bone in three or four large pieces then sliced into quarter inch thick slices. Cut skin strips and serve

For the sandwich cover both sides of the bread with yellow mustard. Top with pickle slices, Swiss cheese and ham. Put the pork on the sandwich and close both halves. Place on the grill and top with a brick or other heavy weight until cheese melts.

[realdocBBQ]

Haha! Great recipe, but I don't think my wife wants Cuban sammiches for Turkey Day. Plus, I can't ever get her to let me MAKE turkey except Thanksgiving. It's a day-of and next-day meal for her, then she's done with turkey until next year. lol

[LA Pork Butt]

realdocBBQ That’s pretty much me. I do my annual obligatory turkey and disguise it as much as possible. But, I do try to do an occasional turkey breast for the wife who loves turkey.

[klflowers]

Sub in the turkey for the ham. I bet it would be good

[realdocBBQ]

May have to have The Boy make his Thanksgiving pie again this year. It was great last year, we just kinda winged it and it was awesome.

SMOKED CHOCOLATE BOURBON CAYENNE PECAN PIE

Man... that thing was good!

[randy.56]

Yoyi will expand her culinary experience at your house. She will enjoy your normal Thanksgiving.

[RichieB]

Sounds like a great time. No matter what the menu is, it is the time with family and friends that counts. As Meathead says, it's not what's on the table but who is around the table. So here's an early Happy Thanksgiving!

[Draznnl]

If you're going to make pastrami, what about leaving some as plain ol' corned beef? Hopefully, Yoyi can handle that.

[barelfly]

What a fun time!!!!! I grew up knowing a Cuban family, my best friend’s mom. even traveled to Cuba for three weeks with them. Amazing people and should be a wonderful time for you and the family and friends!

[realdocBBQ]

Sounds like a great time. No matter what the menu is, it is the time with family and friends that counts. As Meathead says, it's not what's on the table but who is around the table. So here's an early Happy Thanksgiving!

I agree 100%! We are so excited to have them be able to come celebrate with us! Leo and Yoyi are great friends and Leo is the leader of Precept ministries for the entire country of Cuba. He has been a wonderful leader and partner for our church's outreach there and we have been so glad to support them for many years.

Precept is a worldwide ministry based out of Chattanooga, TN.

We're also working on trying to get Leo's son Marlon a student visa to come here to study music - I think it's University of Southern Mississippi. Marlon is an amazing AMAZING viola musician and is part of an absolutely fantastic string quartet. Marlon is truly a world class viola player and I am hoping to also get his quartet sponsored to come here to Bartlesville to feature in our annual OK Mozart music festival someday. I had hoped to sponsor that personally, but unless business turns around, that is going to require outside support.

Anyways, this family is one that has been in our prayers for years and we have been blessed to be associated with them!


****

Also - some of you may have heard of a 'minor' hurricane that passed over the eastern half of the island of Cuba last week. While this was 'only' a Category 1 hurricane, it caused massive damage and many deaths. The numbers are unclear, but Leo tells us most of the inhabitants in the eastern provinces (where Leo was born and raised) had NO WARNING WHATSOEVER that a hurricane was barreling down on them, because of a massive blackout that affected much of the island. With no power, they were never warned a hurricane was coming, leading to terrible devastation and many, many otherwise preventable deaths. I cannot imagine being in such an impoverished place, with no power, no governmental support and then on TOP of that, being suddenly and unexpectedly hammered by a hurricane on top of it all! It's just heartbreaking. A couple of months ago, Leo was texting me asking to pray for him, as he was stuck in a bus station for 4 days on the eastern half of the island - because there was no gas to run the buses! I can't imagine in a modern age, being stranded for something like this - all because of their government's intransigence and iron-fisted control of resources. <sigh>

Please pray for the island of Cuba and the so many wonderful people there. They have suffered for many years, and despite much of our news media's fawning over the propaganda the country puts out, they struggle daily due to the shortages they have to deal with - even before this major disaster.

[Johnny Booth]

Tres Leche for desert. 😎