Cuban Roast Pork (Lechon Asado)

Method30 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Gather a mortar and pestle, a covered marinade container, a large pan for refrigerated marination, optional bag or plastic wrap, a roasting pan with rack, foil, a meat thermometer and a pastry brush.

2. 2

   Step 2: Peel the 2 heads of garlic.

   Uses 2 heads garlic, peeled; reserve 8–10 whole cloves, smash remaining cloves

3. 3

   Step 3: Reserve eight to ten whole peeled garlic cloves for inserting in the pork. Set the other peeled cloves aside separately for the mojo.

   Uses Peeled garlic from two heads

4. 4

   Step 4: Smash the remaining garlic cloves; place them on a cutting board and give them a good whack with a meat mallet or the side of a large knife.

   Uses All peeled cloves remaining after eight to ten whole cloves are reserved

5. 5

   Step 5: Add the smashed garlic and 1 teaspoon salt to a mortar and pestle. Work the garlic until you break it down into small flat pieces.

   Uses Smashed remaining garlic · First teaspoon mojo salt

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the smashed garlic, sour orange juice (1 1/2 cups), olive oil (2 tablespoons), oregano, cumin (¼ teaspoon), 1½ teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf (1) to a medium bowl or jar. Stir or shake to combine well.

   Uses Garlic mashed with first teaspoon salt · 1 1/2 cups sour orange juice · 2 tablespoons Olive Oil · 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano · ¼ teaspoon Cumin · Remaining one-and-a-half teaspoons mojo salt · 1 Bay Leaf

7. 7

   Step 7: Cover the jar/bowl and let the marinade sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, a couple of hours or overnight is better. Shake or stir well before using.

   Refrigerate mojo at least one hour · 60 minUses Prepared garlic-citrus mojo marinade

8. 8

   Step 8: Line a large pan with the roasting bag (if using). Place the pork in the pan.

   Uses 8–10 lb skin-on bone-in pork shoulder (pork picnic)

9. 9

   Step 9: Make eight to ten small slits, one for each reserved whole garlic clove, about one to two inches (2.5–5 cm) deep in the skin side of the pork.

   Uses Raw skin-on pork shoulder in marinade pan

10. 10

    Step 10: Insert the reserved whole garlic cloves into the slits. Dip the clove in the marinade to make inserting them easier.

    Uses Pork with prepared skin-side slits · Eight to ten reserved whole cloves · A little prepared mojo to moisten cloves

11. 11

    Step 11: Turn the pork over (skin side down) and make about 10-12 small slits (about 1-2 inch deep) in the meat.

    Uses Pork studded with reserved whole garlic cloves

12. 12

    Step 12: Use a ladle or spoon and start pouring the marinade into the slits you made.

    Uses Garlic-studded pork with meat-side slits · Prepared mojo ladled into slits

13. 13

    Step 13: Then, pour the remaining marinade over the pork. Sprinkle another 1 teaspoon of salt over the pork (if desired).

    Uses Pork with mojo in slits · Remaining prepared mojo · 1 teaspoon coarse salt to sprinkle pork, optional

14. 14

    Step 14: Turn the pork, now it should be skin side up. We want the fleshy side sitting in the marinade.

    Uses Mojo-coated garlic-studded pork

15. 15

    Step 15: Seal the bag by making a tight knot on the top, or cover the pan well using a generous amount of plastic wrap.

    Uses Pork skin-up with meat sitting in mojo

16. 16

    Step 16: Marinate the pork in the refrigerator overnight.

    Marinate pork refrigerated overnightUses Covered pork in prepared mojo

17. 17

    Step 17: Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 – 45 minutes before roasting (providing that it’s cool in your kitchen).

    Brief interval before roasting in cool kitchen · 45 minUses Overnight-refrigerated marinated pork

18. 18

    Step 18: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).

19. 19

    Step 19: The marinated pork will be a grayish color, that’s normal; it’s the citrus working on the meat.

    Uses Refrigerated marinated pork ready for roasting

20. 20

    Step 20: Lightly spray the rack of the roasting pan with cooking spray.

    Uses Cooking spray as needed to lightly coat roasting rack

21. 21

    Step 21: Place the pork on the rack, skin side down.

    Uses Marinated pork shoulder · Lightly sprayed roasting rack

22. 22

    Step 22: Brush loose surface pieces of garlic off the pork so they do not burn during roasting.

    Uses Marinated pork placed skin-down on roasting rack

23. 23

    Step 23: Pour a little water into the bottom of the roasting pan to keep drippings and fallen garlic from burning. Top up with a little more as needed during roasting, and discard leftover raw-pork marinade.

    Uses Pork on rack with loose garlic removed · A little water in roasting pan; top up as needed to prevent drippings burning

24. 24

    Step 24: Roast at 325°F (163°C) for about six to seven hours. After one-and-a-half to two hours within this roasting time, loosely tent the top with foil without wrapping tightly. Keep a little water in the pan. The roast is ready when several thickest-part checks away from bone read 190–195°F (88–91°C), the meat is fall-apart tender and pulls easily from the bone.

    Roast Pork · 420 minUses Prepared roasting pan and marinated pork

25. 25

    Step 25: Continue the same roasting phase with the loose foil tent until the temperature and tenderness checks are met; this is part of the six-to-seven-hour total, not an additional roast.

    Uses Pork roasting with foil tent after the initial one-and-a-half to two hours

26. 26

    Step 26: For the optional crisp-skin finish, carefully remove the heavy hot roast from the oven and turn it skin side up. If skipping crisping, proceed directly to the twenty-minute rest.

    Uses Fully tender roasted skin-on pork

27. 27

    Step 27: For optional crisping, dissolve the tablespoon salt in one cup water. Drip a little of this wash onto the skin and brush it over; repeat several times as needed, without using the whole cup automatically.

    Uses Fully roasted pork turned skin-up for optional crisping · 1 tablespoon coarse salt for optional skin-crisping wash · 1 cup water for optional salted skin wash

28. 28

    Step 28: Make sure the pork isn’t sitting too close to the heat element. Move the oven rack down if you need to. Switch the oven to the low broiler setting.

    Uses Cooked pork with skin brushed using salted water

29. 29

    Step 29: Broil on low, watching continuously, about two to four minutes until the skin bubbles, browns and crisps. Check each minute and remove promptly; it can burn very quickly.

    Uses Cooked pork under optional low broiler

30. 30

    Step 30: Remove the fully roasted pork from the oven, loosely tent with foil and rest at least twenty minutes before carving. Use the same rest when skipping the optional broiler finish.

    Rest Pork · 20 minUses Optional skin-crisped fully roasted pork