Roasted Pork Shoulder Cuban Style Food

HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC CUBAN PERNIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (Once marinated for desired amount of time.)
• In a large mixing bowl, with a sharp knife, carefully lift 3/4 of the skin from the meat. Once skin is lifted, gently poke holes throughout meat.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Fill holes with garlic.
• Make a paste with oil and remaining seasonings. Generously rub pork with paste.
• Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours. After two hours, add in a cup of mojo to bowl, continue to marinate for another hour or overnight in fridge.
• Into a large roasting pan, add pork, skin side up. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 5-7 hours. Remove foil and raise heat to 350 degrees for twenty minutes.
• Remove from heat, let rest for ten minutes. Sprinkle lime juice before serving, if desired.

CUBAN-STYLE ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Grind garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, and coriander into a paste using a mortar and pestle.
• Transfer half of the garlic and spice paste to a bowl; add lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, and vinegar. Beat the mixture with a whisk until smooth.
• Cut several inch-long, deep slits into the fatty side of the pork roast. Rub the reserved garlic paste into the slits.
• Put rubbed roast into a gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Pour the liquid mixture over the roast, squeeze as much air from the bag as possible and seal; refrigerate, turning occasionally, 8 hours to overnight.
• Remove pork roast from refrigerator, put into a roasting pan, and let warm at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Roast pork in preheated oven for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and continue cooking until pork is no longer pink in the center, about 2 hours more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 170 degrees F (75 degrees C).

CUBAN-STYLE ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Transfer to the refrigerator: Marinate the pork for 4-12 hours in the refrigerator. If the pork is not fully covered in the marinade, turn it over during the marinating time to make sure it's getting all it can from the mojo. Because I usually begin marinating my pork roast the evening before cooking it, I usually turn it in the morning after it's marinated overnight.
• Heat the oven to 350°F
• Rest the meat: When the roast is ready, remove it from the oven. The top will be beautifully caramelized from the sugars and the aromatics that were in the mojo. Loosely cover the roast with a large piece of aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes while you heat the reserved 1 1/2 cups of mojo sauce. Mojo is pungent and can be overwhelming in its raw form. To serve it as a sauce, it's best to cook it to soften the harshness a bit.
• Make a slurry: In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon from the reserved mojo and stir together until no lumps of cornstarch remain.
• Serve the roast pork and sauce: After the pork has rested, which allows the juices to settle down and not run everywhere when you cut it, use a carving knife to slice the roast. Serve it with a side of rice and beans and plantains. Pour the sauce over the sliced portions of pork after serving. LEFTOVERS! Leftovers may be refrigerated for 2-3 days and reheated in the microwave or, my favorite way, by lightly sautéing in a skillet with a bit of mojo sauce until warmed through. Any leftover mojo sauce should be covered and stored in the refrigerator.

RICO'S LECHON PORK CUBAN STYLE

Steps:

• For the pork marinade: Rinse the pork with warm water and place on a half-sheet pan preferably 1 to 2 inches deep. Carefully stab 8 to 10 slits with the tip of a chef's knife in different areas of the meat. (Note: If you are using a pork shoulder instead, cut under the thick cap of fat using a fillet knife, cutting while pulling the fat out of the way to one side, revealing the meat; do not remove the layer of fat, just detach it to make way for stabbing slits with your knife.) Using your hands, fill all the slits with garlic cloves, pressing them down into each slit. Add salt and pepper and spread evenly. Pour lemon and lime juices over the pork. Add the achiote, coriander and oregano. Using your hands, massage and spread evenly. Pour the olive oil and spread evenly. Let the pork rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• For the blending ingredients: Add the onions, basil, olives, olive oil, green onions, green peppers, lemon, red pepper, yellow pepper and 2 quarts water to a blender. Blend until thick. Set aside.
• For the mojo marinade: Stir together the achiote, lemon and lime juices, olive oil, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and orange slices in a bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Transfer the pork to a deeper roasting pan, preferably 4 inches deep. Add the blending mixture by pouring it evenly over the pork. Now pour the mojo marinate evenly over the pork. Add water, making sure to pour on the sides of the pan and not on top of the pork, and fill at least two-thirds of the way. Cover the pork with foil, sealing tight, and place in the oven. Roast 3 1/2 hours, then remove the foil and turn the oven up to 425 degrees F. Continue to roast for an additional hour.
• Serve hot with your favorite rice and beans.

CUBAN-STYLE OVEN-ROASTED PORK

Steps:

• TO BRINE THE PORK: With sharp paring knife, cut 1-inch-deep slits (about 1 inch long) all over roast, spaced about 2 inches apart. Dissolve sugar and salt in 6 quarts cold water in stockpot or large bucket. Stir in garlic and orange juice. Submerge pork in brine and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
• TO APPLY THE GARLIC-CITRUS PASTE: Process garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper in food processor until they reach consistency of coarse paste, about ten 1-second pulses. With machine running, add orange juice, vinegar, and oil through feed tube and process until mixture forms smooth, wet paste, about 20 seconds. Remove pork from brine and rinse under cool running water; pat dry with paper towels. Rub paste all over pork and into slits. Refrigerate pork while oven is preheating to 325 degrees with rack in lower-middle position.
• TO ROAST THE PORK: Place pork with skin side down on wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or in roasting pan with rack. Cook, uncovered, 3 hours. Flip roast skin side up and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 190 degrees, about 3 hours more, lightly tenting roast with foil if skin begins to get too dark.
• Transfer roast to cutting board and let rest 1 hour. To carve, first remove skin in one large piece. Scrape off and discard top layer of fat, then cut pork away from bone in 3 or 4 large pieces. Slice each piece against grain into 1/4-inch slices. To serve skin, scrape excess fat from underside and cut into strips. Drizzle Mojo Sauce (see related recipe) over pork just before serving.

CUBAN ROASTED PORK SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cut sixteen 1-in. slits in pork; insert garlic slices. In a large bowl, combine the onions, orange juice, lime juice and seasonings. Pour 1-1/2 cups marinade into another large bowl; add pork and turn to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight, turning pork occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade., Preheat oven to 350°. Drain pork, discarding drained marinade. Place pork and reserved marinade in a shallow roasting pan. Bake tender, 3-1/2 to 4 hours, basting occasionally. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing., Meanwhile, cut each loaf of bread in half lengthwise; flatten slightly. Spread cut side with butter; spread crust side with mustard. Cut pork into thin slices. Layer pickles, pork, ham and cheese over the mustard. Replace tops so buttered side is outward. Cut each loaf into sixths., Cook in batches on a panini maker or indoor grill for 4-5 minutes or until bread is browned and cheese is melted.

CUBAN ROAST PULLED PORK

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!

CUBAN-STYLE PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, black pepper, chili pepper, crumbled bay leaves and orange zest.
• Stir in the vinegar, orange and lime juices to make a coarse paste.
• Add the pork pieces and toss until the pieces are evenly coated with the spice paste.
• Set aside to marinate while you finish the other preparations.
• Trim and cut the onions lengthwise into 1/4 -inch-thick slices.
• Arrange the slices in an even layer on the bottom of the slow cooker insert.
• Pour the broth over the onions.
• Arrange the pork in an even layer over the onions, pouring over any reserved marinade.
• Cover the insert and place it in the slow cooker.
• Set the cooker to high heat and cook 4 to 4 1/2 hours until the pork is fork-tender. (8 hours on low).
• Remove from heat and crack the lid to allow the mixture to cool slightly.
• Gently stir the pork with the onions and serve.

GRILLED CUBAN STYLE PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Place all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and stir together until combined. Reserve and refrigerate 1/3 c marinade.
• Place pork in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour remaining marinade over the pork, seal the bag and refrigerate 24 hours turning the bag occasionally.
• When ready to grill, remove pork from bag and discard the bag and marinade. Light the two outside burners of your three burner grill or light one side and not the other on a two burner grill, placing a drip pan under grate where burner is NOT lit. Heat on high until hot and then turn down to low.
• Place roast over drip pan on the unlit section of the grill. Cover and grill 2 hours or until internal temp reaches 170 degrees. You should maintain an internal grill temp of 300-350 degrees.
• Remove roast to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil and let stand 15 minutes.
• While roast is standing; in a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water.
• In a saucepan combine reserved marinade and orange juice. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice ans sugar. Then stir in cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil for 30 seconds or until slightly thickened.
• Set aside. Slice pork about 1/4 inch thick. Rewarm sauce, add cilantro and serve on the side to put over sliced pork.