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Lechón Asado -- Roast Pork Cuban-Style

Ingredients (scaled)

12 servings

Directions

You can also make this on top of the stove in a large Dutch oven. Adjust the heat to low, cover and cook until completely done.

Mash 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 to about 220 degrees 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. Pour garlic mixture (save a little for roasting) over pork, cover and let sit in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or preferably overnight.

To roast in the oven, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place the fresh ham or pork shoulder, fattest side up, in an open roasting pan. Place pan in oven and reduce temperature to 225 degrees F. 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 195 degrees F. -- for fork tender, pulled-pork quality. (If you want a roast you can slice, remove when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees

Place the fresh ham or pork shoulder in a large Dutch oven, or a covered stock pan -- whatever you have that the pork will fit in. Add about one cup of marinade to the pan. Bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to low, cover and cook until completely done. Add additional marinade as needed to keep at least one inch of liquid in bottom of pan -- otherwise the roast will burn. Using a meat thermometer, roast should be removed from the pan when the temperature reaches 195 degrees F. -- for fork tender, pulled-pork quality. (If you want a roast you can slice, remove when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.)

* (If you cant get sour orange juice in your area use two parts orange to one part lemon and one part lime)

Notes