At this point it seems as though most cooks have a recipe that became their favorite dish to make during the pandemic. I am no exception. Exactly three years ago this week, my husband abandoned his office and began working from his new home office in our basement (he’s been there ever since). Our daughter, Liza, who lives with us, left the pre-school where she had just started working (three days earlier) when they shut down and, unforeseen to us, would remain out of work for the next five months. And I got busy trying to make us as comfortable and safe as possible as we settled into our new reality.
At that point in time, we all thought that this situation was temporary and that lockdown would be over in a few short weeks. But, as time wore on, it became clear that the pandemic was not going away anytime soon.
So, while our new normal involved Gary attending virtual board meetings dressed in a button down shirt from the waist up and work-out shorts from the waist down, and Liza attempted to entertain her classroom of three-year-old students via ZOOM, I went to work recreating some of the recipes that we missed from our favorite restaurants.
A little hole in the wall place that you would never know even existed unless someone told you about it, was our favorite Cuban restaurant. Conveniently located on our way to my in-laws’s home (about an hour away from us) but completely unreachable during lockdown. We missed this place terribly. Particularly, we craved the slow roasted pork dish, Lechon Asado, that they served with black beans and rice.
Blame it on my heritage but, in all the years that I’ve been married (too long to mention), I have never cooked a pork roast in my home. Yes, I do occasionally cook bacon and I know what you’re thinking, a distinction without a difference. I don’t disagree with you, but nonetheless, a pork roast was not in my repertoire.
That is, until that moment when I found a pork shoulder in a half empty meat case at my local supermarket in March of 2020 and I knew immediately that a challenge lay in front of me.
The Dishy Details
The roast that I brought home was huge, about eleven pounds. Entirely more than we could possibly eat but, that was all that was available. So, I cut it in half and put a half away in my freezer for future use.
I then scoured the internet for any and all Lechon Asado recipes until I found a few that sounded like they were written by someone’s Cuban grandmother, which of course are the best, most authentic recipes. I then picked different elements of these recipes and cooking techniques and combined them until I had something that sounded close to what we were used to.
I have to admit that this recipe does take some planning as you have to marinate the meat overnight. But, the result is so incredibly worth it. I still remember the moment when we all tried it for the first time. There was total silence around our dinner table as we starred at each other, mouths full, as the realization hit us that this wasn’t like the dish that we used to order at our favorite Cuban restaurant. It was better.
This is what it boils down to. The night before you want to serve the pork, take a whole bunch of garlic cloves, some freshly squeezed lime and orange juice, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and combine everything in a blender to create the marinade.
Then, and this is the fun part, you take a knife and stab the roast all over. The point of this is to create small pockets in the meat that will absorb the marinade. I suggest doing this on a night when you’ve had a particularly frustrating day at work. Trust me, it’s a real stress reliever and a whole lot cheaper than yoga lessons or a massage.
Next, you rub the meat all over with some salt, put it into a resealable plastic bag (or a large pan) and dump some of the marinade all over it. Stick it in the fridge and forget about it until the next day. This makes it the perfect make ahead dinner as beyond this point, there is very little left to do other than roasting the pork low and slow.
If it starts to brown too much, you can always tent the top with aluminum foil. But, I’m here to tell you that those burnt pieces are the best. In fact, Gary usually stands over my shoulder picking at those pieces as I slice the meat.
Serving the pork with onions that you caramelize in the roasting pan drippings and additional marinade just takes it over the top.
That’s it. Oh yeah, it’s perfect served over rice and some Black Beans (I’ve got you covered).
I hope that you decide to give this Cuban Slow Roasted Pork a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think, or tag me on Instagram. I always love to hear from everyone and to see photos of any recipes that you make. And above all, thanks so much for stopping by.
Cuban Slow Roasted Pork (Lechon Asado)
Ingredients
- 1 (5-6 pound) pork shoulder
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1⅔ cups freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2½ tsp dried oregano, divided
- 2½ tsp ground cumin, divided
- 2 tbs kosher salt
- ¾ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided
- 15 large garlic cloves
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- cilantro, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Using a sharp pairing knife, make deep incisions (about ½ inch deep) all over the pork shoulder (including the sides and bottom). This will allow the marinade to seep into the meat.
- Add the lime juice, orange juice, 2 tsp oregano, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper and garlic cloves to a blender. Blend until everything is well mixed and liquified. Pour one cup of the marinade into a jar and refrigerate.
- Take the remaining salt and rub it all over the pork, including the sides and bottom making sure to get it into the incisions. Place the pork into a resealable plastic bag and pour the remaining sauce all over it. Seal the bag and flip it a few times to make sure that the sauce gets into the incisions. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the pork from the refrigerator and allow it to rest at room temperature for about one hour. Preheat the oven to 325 °F.
- Remove the pork from the plastic bag and place it into a roasting pan that is just large enough to hold it. Pour the marinade from the bag over the pork and sprinkle it with the remaining ½ tsp oregano, ½ tsp cumin and ¼ tsp black pepper. Place in oven and roast uncovered for about 4-5 hours until the meat is very tender and the internal temperature reaches 180 °F. Pour half of the reserved marinade into a small dish and use it to baste the pork every hour while it's roasting. Reserve the rest of the marinade for later.
- Remove the roasting pan from the oven, transfer the roast to a carving board , tent loosely with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for about 15-20 minutes.
- In the meantime, add the sliced onions and any remaining pan drippings to a large sauce pan. Sauce the onions over medium heat until they begin to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes.
- Slice the roast and add it to the sauce pan with the onions. Pour the remaining ½ cup of the marinade over the pork and onions and mix to combine. Heat for just a few minutes to warm everything through. Remove to a serving plate, garnish with fresh cilantro (if using) and serve immediately.