Saturday, November 22, 2008

Puerco Asado (Cuban Pork Roast)

Since home is many miles and many dollars away, it just makes more sense to stay in Boston for Thanksgiving. The BF will be here as he has school and is from the Caribbean (lucky ba$tard).
SO, I am going to make a Cuban pork roast with a mojo dipping sauce, paired with rice and peas (arroz con guandules), maduros (fried sweet plantains) and probably an apple pie, just because I do love apple pie. A little apprehensive about dealing with an entire pig shoulder, skin on (ew) but I have eaten puerco asado and it is REALLY tender and delicious.

The ingredients:
6 cups bitter orange juice (sold at Platanero in Dudley Square, or probably at any of the small shops in Jamaica Plain)
Zest of bitter orange
1/3 cup fresh oregano
2 heads of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bone-in pork shoulder (mine was 9 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Wash and peel garlic cloves. Coarsely chop garlic. Add 1/4 of garlic to juice and zest.

Wash and mince oregano. Add 1/2 to juice.

Make small slits in pork skin and push garlic under skin. Whisk together the oil and remaining oregano in a large roasting pan, add the pork and turn to coat. Pour citrus marinade over pork. Cover, and let marinate overnight in refrigerator, covered.

Preheat oven to 450. Season pork with pepper and generously rub with salt, to help crisp skin. Place in large roasting pan, on bottom rack of oven. . Cook 30 minutes. Remove from oven, turn heat down to 250. Pour marinade over pork. Cover with aluminum foil. Baste every 45 minutes or so with marinade. Cook 8 hours. Turn heat to 350 degrees and remove foil, cook additional hour or until internal temperature reads at least 170 degrees. Roast should be falling off of shoulder bone.

Remove pork from oven, let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

Update: After gorging ourselves with pork and the fixings...we cut off the remaining meat. I weighed myself, then weighed myself with a tupperware full of meat. We had 3.4 pounds of leftover pork. Makes a delicious Cuban sandwich...mmm...

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