Best Lechón Asado Recipes

CUBAN GRILLED PORK (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• Prepare the marinade
• Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Marinate the pork
• If using a flavor injector (see cooking notes), strain half the marinade into a bowl, adding the strained-out garlic to the other half of the marinade. Use the injector to take in some strained marinade, pierce the pork with the tip of the needle, and inject it into the flesh. Do this all over the meat until the strained marinade has been used up.
• If you are not using a flavor injector, use a long, thin knife to create deep gashes all over the flesh and pour the marinade over the pork.
• Place the marinated pork in a deep bowl or container. Generously season the outside of the pork with salt and pour the remaining marinade all over it, spreading the onion rings all over the top.
• Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• Boil the marinade for basting
• Remove the pork from the marinade and place it on a platter. Transfer the marinade to a saucepan, add the onions, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the boiled marinade and onions in a blender and puree until smooth. The marinade is now ready to use as a basting liquid.
• Grill the pork
• Before heating your grill, remove the pork from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.
• Heat your grill to 550°F and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the temperature to 300°F. Oil the grill grates with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel held with a long pair of tongs.
• If your cut has the skin still attached, begin the cooking process with the skin side up (away from the direct heat).
• Grill your meat about 2 1/2 hours total. Turn the meat over once when you are one quarter through with the cooking time, again when you are halfway through, and once more when three-quarters of the cooking time has elapsed. The pork is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F on the grill (it will continue to cook when it's off the heat, raising the internal temperature to the desired 160°F).

LECHóN ASADO

Steps:

• Combine the juices, garlic, dried oregano, cumin (optional), and black pepper for the marinade in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
• Place the pork in a large roasting pan. With the tip of a sharp knife, make numerous incisions into the meat (do not score the skin). Toss the marinade over the pork, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight, turning the meat several times if possible.
• Preheat the oven to 250°F.
• Bring the pork to room temperature. Remove the meat from the marinade, pat it dry, and reserve the marinade. Place the pork skin-side up inside the roasting pan and add the marinade back into the roasting pan. Cover the pork with aluminum foil and insert into the oven.
• Cook for 8 to 9 hours until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 170°F to 190°F near the bone, shreds easily, and the liquid runs clear when the meat is pierced.
• To get crisp skin, remove the pork from the oven and turn the oven up to 450°F. Once the oven is preheated, remove the foil from the pork and put it back in the oven. Check the pork every few minutes so the skin does not burn. Remove the pork when it has crisped nicely, 15 to 30 minutes total.
• Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Discard the braising liquid. Serve in chunks and drizzle with Mojo Criollo sauce.

ROAST PORK CUBAN STYLE (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• 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 until hot, but NOT deep frying hot! We're looking for something in the neighborhood of 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.
• OVEN.
• To roast in the oven, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pork, 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. When to temp, immediately cover with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. The roast will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat.
• GRILL.
• Use a covered grill, such as the Webber kettle or a covered gas grill. Bank the coals to each side, leaving an empty space beneath your ham. If using a gas grill, use front and rear burners only. The idea is to cook with indirect heat. You want a low heat.
• Spoon extra marinade over the roast occasionally as it cooks. If not using a gas grill, add charcoal to the sides as needed to maintain roasting temperature. When to temp, immediately cover with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. The roast will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat.
• STOVETOP OR CROCKPOT.
• Place ham in a large Dutch oven, or a covered stock pan. 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 so the roast will not burn.
• All methods internal temp 195F to pull with fork OR 170F to slice. The time of 7 yours is an estimate. Could be less, could be more.
• Servings based on the size of your ham. Allow about 1/4 to 1/2 pound per person, depending on side dishes.

CUBAN LECHON ASADO (ROASTED FRESH HAM)

Steps:

• The day before you plan to serve this dish, trim the excess fat off the pork leg; make shallow slits all over the pork, using the tip of a knife; mash the garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, bay leaf and olive oil to a paste in a mortar; rub this mixture all over the roast, forcing it into the slits; combine the sour orange juice, sherry, and onions in a small bowl; place the roast in a large, heavy plastic bag; add the sour OJ mixture, making sure that the whole roast gets covered with the mixture; refrigerate and marinate the roast in the bag overnight, turning occasionally during the time.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Drain the roast, and pat dry, reserving the marinade; place it in a lightly oiled, nonreactive, heavy roasting pan; cook the roast for 1 hour, turning once or twice to brown it on all sides.
• Reduce the heat to 325 degrees; pour the marinade and onions over the pork; tent the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil; (tear off a piece that is 1 1/2 times the width of your pan; fold it in half and crease the top; open it up, and place over the pan like a tent, tightly crimping edges to seal) continue roasting the pork, basting from time to time with the pan juices, until almost cooked, about 1 hour; add a little water or sherry if the pan dries out.
• Uncover the roast and continue cooking until the internal temp reads*at least* 150 degrees F on a meat thermometer, about 30 minutes more; (most Cubans like the meat well done, so after sitting, it should be up to 180 degrees--it's safer, also).
• Let the roast stand for 10 minutes before carving.
• Note: this is traditionally served with black bean soup and white rice, and fried, sweet plantains; for dessert, serve a rich flan and you're set!

CUBAN STYLE PORK ROAST WITH MOJO CRIOLLO AKA LECHON ASADO CON MOJO

Steps:

• 1. THE NIGHT BEFORE: For the Mojo: You will need a large bowl. In a large bowl, pour the sour orange juice or lime juice, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and sliced onion into the bowl and stir.
• 2. Mix the mojo ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes.
• 3. Prepare pork leg by piercing pork with a sharp knife. Place pork leg, fat side up in large pan. Pour Mojo over and around pork, cover in aluminum foil, and let sit in refrigerator overnight. Reserve some of the mojo for basting.
• 4. DAY OF ROASTING: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• 5. Place the pork in a large open roasting pan with all the Mojo juices. With a large spoon, pour the juices all over the pork.
• 6. Place the pan in the oven and reduce the temperature to 225 degrees F.
• 7. Check pork occasionally and pour Mojo on sides over the roast pork with spoon.
• 8. Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature, when it reaches about 195 degrees F, remove the pork from the oven.The outer skin should be a golden brown and crunchy. Place pork in a large serving pan and cover with aluminum foil. Wait a few minutes to let cool down, then either slice or fork shred and serve. Enjoy!

LECHóN ASADO -- ROAST PORK CUBAN-STYLE

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• OVEN: 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 F.) Immediately cover with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
• GRILL: Use a covered grill, such as the Webber kettle or a covered gas grill. Bank the coals to each side, leaving an empty space beneath your fresh ham or pork shoulder roast. If using a gas grill, use front and rear burners only. The idea is to cook with indirect heat. You want a low heat, so do not over do it with the coals! Spoon extra marinade over the roast occasionally as it cooks. If not using a gas grill, add charcoal to the sides as needed to maintain roasting temperature. Using a meat thermometer, roast should be removed from the grill 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.) Immediately cover with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. The roast will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat.
• STOVETOP: 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.) Servings based on the size of your ham. Allow about 1/4 to 1/2 pound per person, depending on side dishes.

AJO'S LECHON ASADO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sprinkle pork all over with salt, pepper and dried oregano. Place pork roast fat-side up in a baking dish that is at least 2 inches deep. Add chicken stock, garlic, lime juice, orange juice and onion to the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until meat begins to fall apart, about 4 hours. Remove foil and continue to cook for 30 minutes. Remove pork roast and allow it to rest. Place braising liquid into a saucepan and reduce on low to medium heat until reduced by about half. Strain the braising liquid and serve as sauce for the pork shoulder.

LECHÓN ASADO -- ROAST PORK CUBAN-STYLE

Steps:

• 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 until hot, but NOT deep frying hot! We're looking for something in the neighborhood of 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 F.) Immediately cover with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

CUBAN ROASTED WHOLE PORK, CUBAN LECHON ASADO

Steps:

• 1. The day before marinating the pig, squeeze the sour oranges, strain of all pulp and seeds. Peel the garlic bulbs removing the cloves into a large bowl. In your blender pour about 2 cups of the juice add a large handful of garlic cloves add half the oregano, half the cumin, 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and half the black pepper. Blend on high as if you were making a shake. Blend for about half a minute until all the garlic is liquified with the sour orange juice. Take the remaing juice, garlic cloves and spices and blend again until all is throughly blended. put into a large glass bottle or plastic bottle. Do not store in any metal container. Store overnight for flavors to meld.
• 2. Next day your pig should be fresh or defrosted Open pig with a meat clever hitting along the spine so as to open the pork completely. Pork should lay flat open. With a sharp knife make deep slits between the ribs and along the inside of the pork shoulders and pork fresh ham thighs. Next take your 4/5 tablespoons of salt and throughly salt your pork completely. Do not be afraid to salt the pork. A whole pork sucks up a lot of salt. Rub the salt all inside the pork on the fresh ham legs and pork shoulders. With your fingers push the salt deep into the slits you made before. Use all of the salt. Rub over the slits in the ribs sticking your fingers deep into the slits so the pork will be salted inside. Next pour the citrus marinade all inside the pig into the slits of the ribs and with your fingers pushing the marinade into the deep slits in the pork meat. Use about 12 ounces and only pour inside the pig. Do not marinate the pig on the outside. The skin is to tough so the marinade will not penetrate the thick skin. Leave your pig lying on its back face up so the marinade will penetrate the meat. We leave the pork with the marinade for about 12 hours.
• 3. The next day the pig can be roasted in the Caja China the Cuban roasting box or some people dig a long deep hole in the ground and line the bottom with a large layer of charcoals about 8 or 9 pounds half of a very large bag they mound them up and light the pile with lighter fuel and leave the coals catch and light real good when the coals start to turn white they spread them in a large lawyer in the bottom of the hole spread the length of the hole. Two large cinder blocks are used one on each side. the pig is laying in a very large metal rack or tray that is special made to hold the a whole pig up to 65 to 75 pound pig. Another large metal tray is layed over the pig and then large banana leaves are spred over the top to ensure no heat escapes. Roasting the pig in a pit takes a lot longer because after an hour or two you have to remove the tray add more coal and ensure it is lit to continue roasting the pig. A much easier way is to order a Caja China on the internet. You can type in Caja China Roasting Box or Cuban Caja China. This translates to The Chinese Roasting Box which is the name the Cubans have given it. The invention however is totaly Cuban. If you order your Caja China you will have a much easier time of roasting your pig. the heat sourse comes from the top and circulates all around your pig in the box. Your pig will not burn it will cook a lot faster and a 65 to 75 pounder as we did this Christmas cooked in six hours. The first three hours we did not uncover the pig. We lit and added a total of 8 to 9 pounds of charcoal on the top of the lid at two hour intervals. The pig came out after three hours and was turned over and roasted in the box back side up so as to crisp and brown the skin. The pig came out succulent, juicy and the meat moist. The skin came out crispy and crackly. Totaly delicious. Once your pig is roasted you can take it out and cut the pork in small pieces sprinkle the remaing marinade over the meat basting the meat and serving with the traditional black beans and rice, yucca or casava and fried sweet plantains. A traditional avacado salad and Cuban tamales is also served with the roasted pork. Whole roasted pig is traditionaly made for Christmas Eve and New Years Eve dinner. However is is not uncommon for Cuban families to roast pigs for special family get togethers any time of the year. Enjoy.

CUBAN-STYLE SUCKLING PIG (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add the diced liver, kidneys and heart and saute for two to three minutes. Add the rice, beans, guava paste and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and correct seasoning.
• Stuff the pig loosely with the mixture and sew the cavity or secure with skewers. Place the pig on a roasting rack and rub with olive oil. Roast for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until an internal temperature of 155 to 160 degrees is reached.

ROAST PORK (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• Remove excess fat and skin from pork roast.
• Marinate with spices, pierce holes in meat, and set aside for 2 hours.
• Roast at 350F for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Turn the meat and baste frequently.

CUBAN ROAST PORK (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• Puree the garlic, onion, sour orange juice, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender, place 2/3 of the mixture into a large sealable bag with the pork and marinate in the fridge overnight.
• Pull the pork out of the fridge 1 hour before roasting, take it out of the bag, set it with its skin side up, wipe the skin dry and let sit for 1 hour.
• Score the skin in 1/2 inch intervals and rub salt generously into the skin.
• Place the pork in a roasting pan, skin side up, roast in a preheated 450F oven for 20 minutes or until the skin has become crackling, ie it has become golden, hardened and crispy.
• Reduce the heat to 325F and roast until the pork reaches 170F for slicing or 195F for shredding, about 2-3 hours or 4-6 hours respectively. If the skin starts to get too dark tent it loosely with foil without folding the edges over to prevent steaming.
• Let the pork rest for 15 minutes, remove crackling and cut into small pieces, discard any extra fat and then slice or shred the pork.
• Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of the juices from the roasting pan in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and saute until tender and caramelized, about 7-10 minutes.
• Serve the pork with the caramelized onions and remaining mojo.

ROAST PORK (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• Use a sharp knife to remove excess fat and skin from pork roast. Marinate with spices, pierce holes in meat, and set aside for 2hrs. Roast at 350F for 2 1/2to 3 hrs. Turn the meat and baste frequently

CUBAN LECHON ASADO

Steps:

• The night before place in a pan or plastic zip lock bag and LIGHTLY sprinkle with Adobo. Pour Mojo over pork to cover prok but not to submerge otherwise it will be too salty. Store in refrigerator. 1. The day of, place pork in pan and add water to pan. 2. Cook at 300 degrees for 6 hours (less if using a loin, about 2 hours) 3. The last 1/2 hour of the cooking time, pour a dash of Mojo in skillet with onions and carmelize. 4. Remove pork from oven and pull apart with 2 forks and add onions.

CUBAN CHRISTMAS EVE "PIG" / LECHON ASADO

Steps:

• 2 recipes Cuban Mojo (recipe follows)1. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, make shallow slits in both the skin and meat sides of the ham, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Set aside while you prepare the marinade.2. Combine the garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and pepper in a mortar and pound to a smooth paste with the pestle, then work in 1 cup of the juice and the oil. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, combine all these ingredients in a blender. Rub this mixture all over the ham, forcing it into the slits. Place the ham in a large plastic bag (such as a garbage bag) with the remaining 1 cup juice, the sherry, onions, and bay leaves. Marinate overnight or even up to 48 hours, turning several times.3. Set up the grill for indirect grilling, placing a drip pan in the center, and preheat to high. When ready to cook, place the ham, meat side down, on the hot grate over the drip pan and cover the grill.4. Cook the ham until the skin is well browned and very crisp and the meat is fork-tender. When tested with an instant-read meat thermometer, the internal temperature should register about 190°F. (Cubans like their pork more well done than we do.) If using charcoal, add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side after each hour of cooking. The whole process will take 6 to 8 hours. If the skin browns too much, drape a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over it.5. Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the meat off the bone and chop with a cleaver or thinly slice (be sure to include a little skin). Splash the meat with the Cuban Mojo and serve immediately.Serves 16 to 20Note: You can also prepare a pork loin (2 to 3 pounds) or shoulder (4 to 6 pounds) the same way. You'd need only half as much marinade, and the cooking time would be 4 to 6 hours for the pork shoulder, 1 to 2 hours for the loin.

LECHóN ASADO

Steps:

• *Note: Sour Oranges are a special fruit you can get from many Hispanic markets or some produce sections. If you can't mix 1/2 orange juice with 1/2 lemon juice or look for Goya naranja agria
• Perforate Pork leg several times with a sharp knife to the bone, set aside in a sufficiently large roasting pan.
• Pound the garlic to remove all the cloves and mince it.
• In a bowl add minced garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and sour orange juice. Mix together.
• Push the mixture of garlic and spices into the perforations in the pork and pour the reamainder over the pork.
• Peel and slice the onion and cover the pork leg with the slices.
• Cover the pork with foil or cling wrap and allow to sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours, overnight or longer.
• All above can be done a day ahead.
• Preheat oven to 325F and bake pork on a center rack for 4 hours or until internal temperature is 170 degrees.

LECHON ASADO RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• Combine first 6 ingredients. Use a sharp knife to poke some holes all over the meat and insert small amounts of the garlic rub into them. Combine the remaining rub with the orange/lemon juice and onion and rub all over the exterior of the roast; if time allows wrap in plastic or place in a resealable bag and refigerate for 24 hours. If not, proceed. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the pork on a rack in a roasting pan and put in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, or until pork begins to brown, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Continue to roast, basting the pork with the pan juices and adding water to the bottom of the pan if it threatens to dry out, for about 2 hours, or until the interior temperature of the pork reaches 150 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Remove the pork and let it rest. (You can prepare the dish up to this point in advance, let sit for a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Make the sauce and refrigerate it separately; reheat before serving.) Add more water to the bottom of the panif necessary and cook over high heat, stirring and scraping to incorporate any browned bits of meat that may be stuck to the bottom. Carve the pork, spoon a little of this pan juice over it, and serve with the lemon wedges.