Cuban Roast Pork (Lechón Asado)

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Recipe by Chef Ricardo Course: Main CourseCuisine: CubanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

6

hours 
Total time

6

hours 

25

minutes

This traditional Cuban dish is a staple of Cuban cuisine. It’s served on special occasions and during the holidays. The pork is marinated in a citrus and garlic mojo then slow roasted to perfection. Every bite is a flavor bomb in your mouth.

Ingredients

  • 6 lb 6 Fresh Ham or Pork Shoulder Roast 

  • 20 cloves 20 Garlic

  • 2 tsp 2 Salt

  • 1 tsp 1 Black Peppercorns

  • 1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 Sour Orange Juice (see notes)**

  • 1 cup 1 Red Onions, minced

  • 1 tsp 1 Oregano

  • 1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

  • Crush the garlic, salt, and peppercorns together with a mortar and pestle.
  • Add dried oregano, onion, and the sour orange to make a mash, mix thoroughly.
  • Heat the olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan until hot. You want something in the neighborhood of 220º F. Remove the saucepan from the heat source. Carefully add the mash to the hot oil and whisk gently. Let cool.
  • Pierce the pork as many times as you can with a sharp knife or fork (Do not puncture the skin, muscle only).
  • Pour garlic mixture over pork (save a little for roasting) , cover and let sit in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or preferably overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 450º F. Place the fresh ham or pork shoulder, fat side up, in an open roasting pan. Place pan in oven and reduce temperature to 225ºF. Spoon extra marinade over the roast occasionally as it cooks. Using a meat thermometer, roast should be removed from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 195ºF for fork tender, “pulled-pork” quality. (If you want a roast you can slice, remove when the internal temperature reaches 170ºF.)
  • Immediately cover with foil and let rest for at least 20 minutes before shredding or slicing and serving.

Notes

  • **If you can’t get sour orange juice in your area, use two parts orange to one part lemon and one part lime juice.

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