Best Ricos Lechon Pork Cuban Style Recipes

LECHON ASADO (CUBAN ROAST PORK)

Steps:

• Using a mortar and pestle smash garlic with a pinch of salt. Transfer to a bowl.
• Juice Seville oranges to make 1 1/2 cups of juice or use 1 1/2 cups of naranja agria. Juice the two limes as well. Add to the bowl with the smashed garlic.
• Stir in the rest of the ingredients to combine and set aside. *Remember depending on how big your pork leg or shoulder is you may have to double or even quadruple mojo criollo recipe.
• Make as many deep slits into the meat of the leg. However, DO NOT pierce the skin. To achieve crispy skin for chicharrones it needs to be in one piece.
• Put the leg or shoulder into a turkey brining bag with a good closure, preferably ziplock. Pour mojo criollo all over pork. Using your hands push some of the smashed garlic from the mojo criollo into all the deep slits.
• Seal the bag and put into large roasting pan. Marinate for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator. Turn periodically so every part of the meat gets submerged.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before you are ready to cook it. You don't want to shock the meat going from a really cold refrigerator into a hot oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a cooking syringe add more mojo criollo deep into the meat.
• Place the pork into the roasting pan skin side up. Any extra mojo can be left in the bottom of the pan. I don't use a rack and I let the meat cook in the extra mojo. Put in the 425 degree oven and cook for 30 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 325 degrees, cover lightly and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
• A good guide is for every pound cook for 30 minutes until done. About every hour I like to take the leg out and continue to push mojo into the meat using a cooking syringe. Keep the skin covered each time it goes back into the oven.
• The last 30 minutes of cooking remove foil and let the skin finish cooking for crispy results. While skin is crisping make garlic mojo. When done remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter or cutting board and let rest.
• Using a mortar and pestle smash garlic with a pinch of salt.
• Heat a small saute pan on medium heat and add olive oil. When olive oil is warm add garlic and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add lime juice. Season with salt, taste until personal flavor is desired.
• Cut and serve with garlic mojo. If garlic mojo is too strong for some people serve meat with pan drippings of mojo.

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.

DADDY EDDIE'S ROAST PORK (PERNIL), PUERTO RICAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper in a mortar and pestle; mash into a paste.
• Make deep slits into the pork with a small knife. Stuff slits with the paste; rub any remaining paste over the pork.
• Place pork in a plastic roasting bag and put in a roasting pan with a rack. Let marinate in the refrigerator, 8 to 48 hours.
• Take pork out of the refrigerator, uncover, and bring to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Roast pork skin-side down in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 2 hours. Flip pork and continue roasting, skin-side up, until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), 2 to 4 hours more.

LECHON A LA CRIOLLA (CUBAN STYLE PORK A LA CRIOLLA)

Steps:

• Eliminate grease excess from the pieces of pork.
• In a big refractory tray, season the pork with the sour orange juice, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
• Let marinade in the fridge for 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350º F.
• Take the pork out of the fridge two hours before putting it in the oven.
• Bake the pork in the marinade for 2 or 3 hours or until tender.
• Turn the pork from time to time so all sides get well cooked.
• Take out the bay leaf before serving.

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.