Three Guys from Miami: "Christmas in America" on the Food Network

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Food Network Special: Christmas in America

Jorge: In December 2002 the Food Network sent a crew to tape our big Noche Buena party.

Glenn: That's right, it was our THIRD appearance on the Food Network.

Jorge: The new show , "Christmas in America," is a Christmas special that will highlight the celebrations of different cultures in the United States.

Raúl: We were honored to be chosen to represent Cuban culture and we did our best to put on a good show.

Jorge: We went all out to represent Cuban culture.

Glenn: On the Monday before Christmas we picked up our pig, more than 100 pounds of pork! Just getting it home was an adventure. Then we spent several hours preparing the pig: cleaning, splitting the back, making a ton of mojo, and marinating the pig overnight.

Jorge: Tuesday, (Christmas Eve Day) we got an early start, and this time our every move was followed by the television cameras. We set up our pig roaster in Raúl's backyard and showed how to roast a pig step by step. Pretty soon the pig was sizzling and Raúl's neighborhood was filled with the scent of roasting pork.

Jorge's mom shows her technique for making bunuelos with help from Raúl's mom Amparo and wife Esther.

Jorge shows how to wire the pig to the pig holder.

Glenn: Then came the "hard" part, sitting around drinking beer, telling jokes, enjoying the sunshine and oh yeah, watching the pig roast.

Jorge: The ladies of the family prepared all of the side dishes, so the Three Guys got a break now and then while the TV crew filmed Esther, Mima, and Amparo doing their magic in the kitchen.

Raúl: We think it's great that these three wonderful Cuban cooks who taught us so much will have their efforts preserved on video for many years to come.

Raúl: The biggest problem with TV is that they slow everything down.

Jorge: It takes so long to set up the shots and film them. Once the pig was done, everyone was anxious to eat.

Raúl: But the crew needed to shoot close-ups of all of the food items.

Glenn: So we all waited impatiently for them to finish so that we could dig in.

Jorge: We have created a wonderful Christmas card for our grandchildren.

Glenn: So far, Raúl is the only grandfather in our group. Jorge and I prefer to wait MANY years before we join that club. Are you listening kids?

Esther cooks a giant pot of yuca while Monica and Mariel prepare to make some mojitos. Glenn looks on...

Finally it's time to eat.

In addition to the pig, we have roasted chicken, yuca, Cuban salad, Cuban bread, frijoles negros and white rice, tostones, moros y cristianos, a delicious Venezuelan chicken salad, and several desserts. Nobody left the table hungry.

"Christmas in America" on the Food Network.

The show premiered December 14, 2004

Click Here for more details (Food Network Official Website)