Recipe of the Week: Lechón Asado (Roast Pork)

If you’re familiar with Cuban cuisine you know that pork is a major staple in most recipes. Pork sandwiches, pork appetizers even pork flavored beverages, just kidding! The point is, Cubans love pork and a great recipe that is sure to get you in the Cuban state of mind is lechon asado. Traditionally, the entire pig is roasted over an open fire and cooked until the skin has the right amount crunch- a great method for those summer barbeques. While summer decides to arrive, try your hand at this well loved traditional pork recipe, que rico!

 

Ingredients:

- 6-8lb pork shoulder

-2 heads of garlic, minced 

-2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

-1/2 teaspoon pepper

- Sour orange juice ( use two parts orange to one part lemon and one part lime if unavailable)

- 1 1/2 cups of minced onions

- 2 1/2 teaspoon oregano

- 1 1/2  cups olive oil 

 

Directions:

1. In a bowl mix together all of the ingredients. Using a sharp knife or cook's fork, pierce the pork as many times as possible. (To get the most flavor from this dish it's best to prepare a day in advance).

2. Place the pork in a large bowl and thoroughly  rub the marinade into the pork and punctures that you made 

3. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap or a large plastic bag and place in the refrigerator overnight. If time is not on your side, let sit for at least two hours  

4. Remove marinated pork from the refrigerator and let cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

5. Place pork in an open roasting pan, pour the remaining marinade over the pork. It will be used to base the pork during roasting time 

6. Reduce the oven temperature to 300º,  cook for 6-8 hours. As the pork cooks, occasionally turn it over to brown all sides as well as spoon the marinade on the pork

7. Once the internal temperature of the pork reaches 170º remove from the oven and cover in aluminum for ten minutes before slicing and serving.

 

Cerdo asado is best served with congri or moros y cristianos. If you have any leftovers you can use it to make a Cuban sandwich. Enjoyed this recipe, leave a comment below!