CUBAN ROAST PULLED PORK

Cuban Roast Pulled Pork image

This is a recipe I found in my "The Complete Meat Cookbook" by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly that I combined with a recipe posted by Closetcooking,com. Posting for ZWT event so untried by me, but sounds like something we would enjoy. Depending on the type of roast you use, servings will vary, but I put 6-8 based on a small roast. Times don't include overnight marinating time.

Provided by diner524

Categories Pork

Time 5h10m

Yield 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

4 -5 lbs pork shoulder (or large Boston Butt Roast with bone in, skin on)
2 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon oregano, dried (or 1 tbl fresh)
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup chicken stock (or water)

Steps:

Directions (Oven Version with Crackling):.
Puree the garlic, onion, orange juice, lime juice, rum, olive oil, 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. Remove the fat from the juices and serve with sliced pork or mix into shredded 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.
Directions (Slow Cooker Version):.
Puree the garlic, onion, orange juice, lime juice, rum, olive oil, 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.
Place the pork in a slow cooker/crock-pot with the skin side up along with the marinade and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Let the pork rest for 15 minutes, discard the fat layer and then shred the pork.
Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of the juices from the slow cooker/crock-pot 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.
Tip: Mix some mojo into the pork after pulling it; man is that mojo ever good! Make sure to make enough pork to make Cuban Sandwiches with leftovers!