Incredibly Cheap Eats: El Nuevo Bohio on East Tremont in the Bronx

Have you even seen such a glorious and amazing pile of pig? Bronzed skin, moist succulent flesh, and a carving expert who goes to great lengths to provide a perfect and fair portion...

El Nuevo Bohio ("The New Shack") is an authentic Puerto Rican lechonera, where pig is practically worshipped. Easy to get to on East Tremont in the Bronx, the restaurant displays the pig in the front window, and a guy hacking it with a machete as if he were clearing cane from a field.

The Big Shack really is big, a sprawling, two-level place that recalls the roadside rural barbecues found from Fajardo to Cuomo.

The pig is plainly roasted, so that the skin comes out thick, crisp, and such a lovely shade of brown, you wish it could be made into shoes. For lovers of piquancy, there's an optional mouth-stinging garlic sauce, which can be poured over the meat. Accompaniments include rice and beans, perfunctory salad, and fried or boiled plantains. The cost: $3.50 for a half pound of lechon.

El Gran Bohio also offers the entire range of Puerto Rican cuisine in its well-decorated dining room. 791 East Tremont Avenue, Crotona Park, Bronx, 718-299-4218

Turn page to admire a half-pound serving.