The most Cuban of the Cuban dishes. Makes an ideal feast with black beans, yuca con mojo, plátano frito…and the leftovers in a sandwich are great too.
Cuban Roast Pork
Ingredients
- 4 or 5 pound pork roast /shoulder
- 20 cloves garlic
- 2 cups sour orange juice (naranja agria) (or fresh lemon/lime)
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large onions, sliced thinly
Instructions
- Marinate the pork the night before. Begin by stabbing all over the roast to make inch-deep holes. Rub all over with 2 T salt, including deep in the holes.
- In a blender, combine juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, pepper, and bay leaf and blend until liquified. This is your Cuban Mojo. (Not to be confused with the mojo de ajo for your yuca.)
- Reserve one cup of mojo in a jar in the fridge for tomorrow.
- Pour the rest of the mojo over the pork, again ensuring it gets deep in the holes.
- Sprinkle a little more oregano and pepper over the roast, cover with foil, and marinate overnight in the fridge.
- The next day, let your pork stand at room temperature for at least one hour before roasting.
- Preheat the oven to 325.
- Roast 3 – 4 hours, uncovered, basting every hour using half the reserved mojo. The roast is done when juices run clear and the meat is tender. A larger roast can take up to 5 hours.
- Remove the roast to another pan, and pour the drippings into a frying pan. Cook the onion in the drippings. When soft, add the remaining 1/2 cup of the reserved mojo and cook ten minutes.
- Slice the whole roast thinly, put the slices in a deep pan, and smother with the onions and mojo.
- Serve with boiled yucca or rice and black beans.