but the rural setting and traditional method of preparation in Puerto Rico brings a whole new level of appreciation for this dish. The pig’s offcuts continue to be utilized as Carlos showcases a pork stew called gandinga and a pig feet stew called patitas de cerdo con garbanzos. The process of cooking these dishes in the open-air, rustic setting of Dona Maria’s home provides a connection to the land and a sense of community that is truly heartwarming.
Our adventure then takes us to La Rumba Bar & Restaurant where we are introduced to an unusual dish – rabbit meat pies. The owner, Elvin, shares his passion for experimenting with different meats, further adding to the unique culinary experience of the Puerto Rican countryside.
The finale of our journey brings us back to Dona Maria’s home where we witness the labor-intensive process of making pasteles and lechon, two iconic Puerto Rican dishes. The dedication and artistry involved in these recipes truly embodies the soul of Puerto Rican cuisine, showing the love and care that goes into every bite.
Through our experiences, we hope to convey the richness of culture and tradition that exists within the rural communities of Puerto Rico. The warmth of the people, the pride in their cooking, and the use of simple, local ingredients highlight the beauty of countryside living.
So join us as we embark on a culinary journey that celebrates the flavors and traditions of Puerto Rico, where every meal is a cherished moment shared with family and friends. And don’t forget to take a brief moment to say hi to our sponsor, BetterHelp, and take advantage of their offer to help you start your year on the right foot. Happy eating and happy therapy!
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Insurance fees so let’s make this new year of gaining Clarity and Breaking Free from negative Cycles visit betterhelp.com besteverfood to start your journey now on to the show in this video we’ll experience a PTO Rican Countryside cookout oh man he’s hot featuring a pig cooked hole in a way
You’ve never seen before see this L M Tech put into this place but first let’s back Up last time on our incredible Island food tour we encountered classic Puerto Rican street food you know what’s crazy this is a personal dish yeah but something special happens when you step outside the restaurants and into a local home here Countryside living I just love to cook outside I don’t know what and
Countryside cooking that will make you happy baby reveal a new side of Puerto Rico I’ve never heard someone speak so passionately about blood sausage in my life and today Oro and I are on a mission to document these outstanding recipes you won’t find anywhere else what does that mean that means cooking
Up an entire pain before we get into cooking we have to choose a victim not we or El oh my God this actually this remind me when I oh sh hey hey everything’s okay it’s not but it will be why do I get all with it like the
Hard decisions CU you love Park you’re King since their ancestors first set foot in Puerto Rico in the early 1500s pigs have become a Cornerstone on the Island’s economy and Cuisine with around 12200 pig farms dotting the territory oh you know what I won’t I won’t make it complicated this one seems
More aggressive so I would pick that one he tried to bite me so that’s that’s my criteria oro’s unlucky pick will be transformed into a grand family feast in the shape of a colossal lechon we asked initially can we cook this whole pig in one day your team said absolutely not
You wanted to have it overnight what was the purpose of that but first the pig’s offcuts will be transformed into local Delicacies starting with a blood sausage called Mor so when butchering a pig whether it’s for yourself or for others is Mor a pretty common dish Carlos the pig farm owner and
Roberto our lechon Chef are joining us for our first taste of the pig what is the secret behind making a good morcia first the pig’s blood is Blended until it becomes smooth they put onions they put a lot of garlic they use at least four type of
Pepper one is that is more sweet one is that is more spicy and another that is like a mle point Blended blood veggies and cooked rice unite in a pot then gracefully find their way into the pigs intestines birthing plump sausages eager to hit the boiling water morcia is a
Familiar food in any country with Spanish influence Cuisine I’ve had Moria before in Mexico it’s big chunks is not like a uniform texture at all overall fun but I’m curious what makes a Moria in sorry in Puerto Rico different from anywhere else they have a secret ingredient love
Say especially when you know who is going to eat the Mora you can have some preconditioned love those are even better I’ve never heard someone speak so passionately about blood sausage in my life I mean considering one of these guys just stabbed that pig in the heart
About 2 hours ago we love I’m touched all right I want to try this out I think this looks good it’s kind of greasy shiny on the outside it’s packed with rice and blood and some other goodies let’s try it out cheers that’s good it’s very ricey a lot
Of rice in there it’s a completely different texture than a meaty blood sausage yeah I was going to say very starchy and is because of the rice but I like the flavor it’s like a completely different experience but you still have that intestinal casing on the outside
That that offers a little bit of fat a little bit of snap as you chew through it deloso ex fueled up by morcia Roberto shifts gears to the main event preparing the mouthwatering lechon the pig under go an intense hair removal session by both blade and torch followed by a thorough rub down
With salt and pepper from here it gets some beauty sleep overnight gearing up for tomorrow’s grand performance before we cook the whole rest of that Pig I want to learn a little bit more about you guys so you sir you are a butcher this is your home these are your pigs is that
Correct mainly he lives here and he live out of whatever he produces here but also he works in the United States as a farmer Enchanted by Puerto Rico’s tropical wonders and affordable lifestyle yet drawn to better job opportunities many Puerto Ricans like Carlos opt for a dual life between Puerto Rico and Mainland
USA meanwhile as a retiree Roberto immerses himself entirely in the enchanting Countryside of yamaka a lot of people from the mainland from Cuba Dominican Republic even from Mexico that by property here Beyond The Beauty Beyond the food when you get to Puerto Rico the first thing that you
Will feel is welcome that’s the main reason why he thinks that people move here during our exploration of the Southeastern Puerto Rican Haven Roberta will guide us through the highlights of living here this is like a rare sight to see this is something people pay top
Dollar for as well as some of the pitfalls this is the epicenter of where hurricane Maria struck years ago can you tell me what that experience was like making it through the hurricane but first we have a colossal pig to roast Roberto this looks fantastic this is my
Kind of outdoor barbecue Oro what do you think oh man he hot let’s talk about our setup here first of all the pig the pig was held over night it’s been a whole day oro’s wearing the same t-shirt but that’s fine fashion Choice it doesn’t
Matter okay it’s okay all right we got a pip going right through the pig then we have a bunch of cross-sections cuz we don’t want the pig flopping around on the pipe from there they wrapped a twine around it then that’s all connected to this machine this seems to be a machine
Dedicated completely to rotating pigs last time we saw a whole pig roasting we were both in Cuba and it was on a pig roasting hammock this is some new tech this is l m version of the hammock now you wanted to have it overnight what was the purpose of
That you do it the next day they can put adobo overnight and let it sit and that will increase the flavor and also decreases the time of cooking for this pig to cook all the way through how many hours are we talking maybe between 4 and
4 hours and a half between 4 and 4 and 1/2 hours mhm that sounds perfect in the meantime let’s get some breakfast you know all the piggy parts from the inside we cook that into another thing we’re going to eat that now really absolutely do you need to do that
Every time you yeah I mean it’s tramatic Maria I got to say your kitchen here has quite the view this is like a rare sight to see this is something people PID top dollar for it like you’re looking down into the jungle from your kind of cliffside house here it’s beautiful I
Mean I wouldn’t mind washing dishes here Maria Roberto’s wife invites us for a breakfast made of pork organs we call it gandinga this dish is prepared with potatoes it got the liver the lungs and the Heart Maria starts by boiling the organs and chopping them finely I love
Cooking pork my favorite part Maria spent a large part of her life working in New York in 2001 she retired and moved back to her hometown yabu Kaa here she enjoys the best perks of living in the countryside locally sourced food and an open air kitchen I grew up being my
Grandmother and my mother cooking outside and I saw it and I love it I told my husband RTO Dia you got to make me a chicken a kitchen outside he makes the kitchen you make the chicken yeah Maria orchestrates a flavor Symphony in a pot organs pork p Rican salsa saw
Tooth coriander olives hot peppers and homemade seasonings it hits the stove with some water chunks of potatoes join and it all simmers until everything surrenders to tenderness and how did you learn to make this my mother told me so mom as soon as you try it you’re going
To have to let us know if it meets your standard let’s try it out m still blazing hot oo that spicy some cake that brought the super salt it’s a good broth next time I’m going to get extra broth so far I just had the meat portion but I really want to get
Some of those oals cuz I think those will be more soft this is a piece of liver yep I just had a big bite of liver it’s super soft tender it’s just a a big mix of textures between the different types of meat in here even the liver with this soup I
Think sucks so much of the flavor that it feels very tender and very flavorful actually I like that there’s also olives yes I’ve never had a soup with olives yeah me neither M what do you think does it pass your test B very good Maria I’m
Curious you know so far we’ve eaten at a lot of restaurants but this feels very different from the food that we’ve experienced is there a big difference between street food or restaurant food and food made in the home like this 100% in restaurant they could so fast in Stall they got everything precooked
Before they start doing it here we come from stretch and especially if you cook it in a wood stove The Taste is different so even though this is cooked in a pot it doesn’t have direct contact with the wood do you think the wood is still influencing the flavor yes because
Of the smoke of the wood it goes into the food and when you start mixing it together you just get that taste of it just pause for a moment somebody needs everyone to hear their music there we go keep driving in Puerto Rico loud music echoing through public places is
Often accompanied by the Island’s beloved beverage rum at a succulent lechon and you’ve got a party in Paradise it’s better than drinking whiskey or a mintini woo that would make you happy baby lucky for us Maria has the finest local booze in stock set aside for our upcoming lechon Feast but
Oro doesn’t drink so how do we convince him to drink well the way you sell it yeah I would try you B yeah before our grand Feast is ready oh baby you know how to cut it and before Oro experiences his first Buzz sal sal we have time to
Swing by a Countryside bar where the pub food is like nothing you’ve ever seen before including a mystery meat that’s to far departure from the prominent pork at least this time I don’t need to see Alive Puerto Rico’s rustic charm is painted with quaint roadside bars it’s in these types of places that a cherished tradition emerged chinto leisurely road trips that involve stopping at eateries to enjoy local food offerings L roomba’s offering comes in the form of rabbit you mean robbit they
Killed B Bon yeah that’s Thumper right there oh man like in Mainland you USA Puerto Ricans taste buds don’t typically favor rabbit pork is fatty it’s got the skin it’s crispy but rabbit has like no fats why do you like it it has a component of nostalgia on it
You know when you’re growing a farm in Puerto Rico you are accustom to see these animals around and to eat them so you’re are eating memories basically here this lean and nutritious meat is the menu’s highlight especially when it takes the form of a rabbit stew chunks
Of rabbit beat are marinated with salt garlic powder or o black pepper turmeric and coriander then they’re stewed in a pot with wine beer potatoes carrots garlic sweet peppers onion and coriander until all the components soften up should we try it out yeah M I got a potato to begin with
Which was very nice now there are random cuts and bits oh like this is Ribs Right Here pry good and there’s plenty of Bones this was not a boneless rabbit oh it’s so lean but it is pretty soft from Brazing in there it’s a little bit chicken similar flavor but a little bit
Bitter but not too much beiter it is kind of like a chicken breast that’s been boiled it’s on the dry side there’s not a ton of fat in there but it’s still nice it just tastes like a hearty veggie stew with rabbit in there it’s lean I
Feel healthy but then there’s this right here it looks like a empanada it’s a big fried rabbit pocket what’s this one called Balo Balo minc marinated rabbit meat is stuffed inside pastry casings and deep fries man he has a lot of bubble that’s absolutely right mhm good the outside the wrapper is just
Like the top of a chicken pot pie it’s like flaky crispy the meat excellent it’s mixed with other stuff though it has some friends in there to help it along make it more moist what’s inside of here cheese cheese oh jeez I like it Rabb it
Needs a little bit of fat I’m going to add some of this sauce I think this is like a Tamarind sauce M oh yeah best Tamarind sauce ever and when you mix these two you got that heavy fried flaky wonder and then you have this sweet hot
Tamaron ah it’s wa waav wa with spices delete the last 10 seconds one of the big reasons we wanted to stop by here is cuz this is the epicenter of where hurricane Maria struck years ago hurricane Maria slamming into the island and as you heard one official saying the island is
Destroyed nestled in the Atlantic hurricane belt Puerto Rico’s Tropical Paradise can transform into a nightmare from June to November what’s known as the hurricane season in September 2017 hurricane Maria set a somber record as the deadliest and costliest storm to ever strike the island he was in vacation here when the
Hiran came it’s a horrible experience because first it was calm because the eye passed by here but after the destruction that he left you could see the mountain because he cut everything there was no vegetation left after the heran pass hurricane Maria’s deadly dance LED Puerto Rico with over 3,000
Deaths at least 90 billion wor the damage and months of islandwide blackout after the hrie there was three more tornadoes after so you add up all the devastation from three different tornadoes that happened so it wasn’t unprecedented situation so for him was like a little mark on his mind after
Losing most of their furniture and possessions to the hurricane it took robberto and Maria over one year to rebuild their home 5 hour have passed this thing has been rotating here and in the end it looks crispy it looks juicy Roberto are you happy with the
Result is this what you intended to do it’s right on point how do you know when it’s done perfectly and properly if you put a knife through it and it doesn’t drip too much it’s good and if the knife go all the way through it means like you
Stand there and it’s fully cooked Roberto I have one question remaining can I try a bite there there we go got some skin some shoulder meat on a a plate made of nature Cheers Cheers Cheers M oh my God M wow man man so juicy it’s juicy delicious salty underneath the skin is
Kind of gummy and a little bit sweet too mhm oh man that’s some of the best pork I’ve had in a long time that’s real good is that your favorite part the back of the shoulder bite no preference he like all the way listen the first taste was amazing let’s
Get the pig on the table so everyone can enjoy Together the now complete succulent lechon is beautifully laid out and we’re joined by Carlos and some of Maria and Roberto’s neighbors ladies and gentlemen would you take a look at this what a big dictation I completely agree we’re going to dig in in one moment but first what
About some of this moonshine or pitoro is a strong rum distilled from sugar cane and enriched with fruits and herbs woo that would make you happy baby renowned for alcohol levels much higher than commercial rums moonshine is the spirit lifter at any celebration that’s moon with um almond the Almond has
Absorbed all the alcohol so you can’t just do a typical straight down the throat type shot cuz you have to chew it yes Salud salude sweet it’s sweet little spicy what you’re describing a spice Oro that’s called alcohol I can see that that he doesn’t drink no he doesn’t that makes sense I
Like it it just goes down real smooth I thought it was going to be super strong but it’s not it’s nice and gentle I told you that being said we should get into this pig Maria when you look at this pig what part speaks to you the most the
Skin all right let’s try some skin please cut Away oh baby H you know how to cut it oh please okay all right we all have our skin right here no let’s try it out cheers Oh my God it’s like meat candy it’s crispy like a lollipop but then it has a nice big thick slick of oil on there it’s crazy because when you I have tried pork before but this one has a soft layer right connected to the skin it’s crackl
It’s crunchy but it’s not chewy so it’s like perfect it totally dissolve in your mouth this is delicious after this what should we try next the meat yeah let’s do it oh wow look at this it was like a treasure chest he just PE back the skin and there’s a soft succulent meat
Underneath so juicy that part oh my God hold me this part is yeah it’s like a cake it’s filmed right here and then it has the feeling on top and then they have like a creamy part so he’s like right like the meat is a cake
And then that layer of fat that’s been rendered down is like the frosting exactly Maria how does this compare to the experiences or the meals that you had in New York City well the thing is that if you’re going to do a pick like
This you can and you have to put it in the oven not the same it’s not the same taste like I told you with the rice and the food that we ate this morning it’s really different when you do it in the stove and you do it in the grill on the
Wood Stu or like the way he did it I’ve seen Pig cooked in so many countries I’ve had it in the Philippines or and I tried it together in Cuba and it’s different Everywhere You Go including here this is a very unique preparation and especially delicious if you take a
Look here as he cut the skin it exposed the ribs right here these are delicious roasted pork ribs right oh my god wow oh man this is some good ribs you know cuz they split it open spatchcock style so they’re cooking from the top and bottom so the
Ribs are getting double penetration wait hold on they’re getting penetrated doubly by the heat that’s what I meant to say Maria how often are you eating like this most of the time when people are doing potties they seem that they have a spk like this so I Le six to seven times a
Year I got a friend over here that he eat for every Sunday wow the question is does your heart can handle it yeah right to cap off our Feast Maria presents Puerto Rican style Tomales potatoes Taro plantains and papaya are peeled grated and mixed with achiote oil the tamales take shape with a layer of plantain leaf a layer of mixed veggies and a layer of marinated pork wrapped in Palm sized bundles boiling is all that’s left to Do So there’s this paper on the outside then the leaf oh wow this is unlike any tomale I’ve ever seen oh wow it’s really soft hello baby here we go M oh that’s a nice flavor really starchy on the outside meat on the inside beautifully seasoned got a little
Spice a little kick to it can I be honest Tomales like you’ll find maybe in Texas or some parts of Mexico like in Mexico City I’m not a big fan they’re really dry and the corn kind of just dries your mouth out I don’t love it this is so different it’s like
Completely different ingredients cooked in a different way it’s incredible what do you think it’s half gone looks like you like it like it Carlo big fan good yeah good welcome by Maria and her neighbors Serene life and warm Smiles it’s hard to Fathom that hurricane Maria’s Devastation is a recent chapter
Especially when recovery is a long road now years later after the hurricane are things back to where they were or is there still work to be done Puerto Ricans work to rebuild from the devastation the annual recurrence of four to five hurricanes at an ongoing challenge with no end in sight there’s a
Lot of things done but of course there’s always waiting for more things to be done the hardest part is infrastructure because mentally people recover people come back to their business come back to okay let’s rebuild let’s rethink how we were before but how they cope with the infrastructure that’s the hardest part
As Puerto Ricans are you proud of how the local people handled that difficult situation pride and Recovery is part of Puerto Rican DNA they don’t wait for external influence to help they immediately jump into the situation try to solve people helps each other and because they also have embedded that
Idea of helping each other and solving things between them I think that’s one of their biggest strength as as Puerto Ricans if you love Indian food then you’re going to love our new channel best ever food India subscribe now for weekly videos showcasing the most unique street food from around the
Country pork hasn’t always been a part of this Island’s history you see the first pigs were brought here by Columbus see that dude did a couple cool things oh man he’s hot it’s like a reverse Sun like a mini volcano what’s a reverse sun the sun is out there so reverse meaning
Come From Below so this is the we call it gandinga gandinga actually translate to Gods so this also is a food food I’m I’m supposed to give you some guts guts or Gods guts g u TS yes I thought you were saying God like food of the Gods no
No Gods you got guts Gods yeah guys I hope you enjoyed this unique insight into life in the countryside of Puerto Rico I want to say a huge thank you to my man right here oo thank you you can find him on Instagram it’s a platform where people share pictures of the best
Moments of their Liv so you can feel bad about yourself so feel good and look at Oro otherwise guys that is it for this one thank you so much for watching I will see you next time you going to go to the ab yeah I usually
Walk off but um I don’t think we can go this way yeah all right I’m going to buy a house right here by the way good idea not beach front but um Cliff front that way I can just jump off and it all
Video “PORKO RICO!! Extreme Countryside Cooking in the Caribbean!!” was uploaded on 01/14/2024. Watch all the latest Videos by Best Ever Food Review Show on Gretopia