Ajos Lechon Asado Recipes

LECHON ASADO, CUBAN ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Pat dry the pork roast and prepare a plastic container or freezer bag big enough to hold it plus some liquid.
• Squeeze the juice from the orange, lime and lemon. Crush or finely chop the garlic and thinly slice the onion. Mix the juices with rest of ingredients (dry or fresh oregano, cumin, salt, garlic, onion and pepper) in the container/bag.
• Add the pork into the marinade and turn or seal the bag and shake a little to cover all over. Leave the pork to marinade overnight in the fridge, ideally turning at least once.
• When ready to cook, bring the pork out of the fridge ahead of time - around 30-60min - to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325F/ 160C.
• Place the pork in a roasting dish with the skin side up, sitting in a little of the citrus marinade juice. Save the rest of the marinade, including all of the onions. Baste the pork with the juice in the dish after 1-2hr and continue cooking. Roast for 3 hours, or a little more if needed, covering with foil if the top gets too brown. You should get an internal temp of at least 170F to be able to slice, or 190-200F to be able to shred when it's ready.
• While the pork is cooking, bring the remaining marinade to a gentle simmer and cook for around 5 minutes to soften the onions. Serve this as a sauce over the pork when serving.

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.

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.

CUBAN LECHON ASADO (ROASTED FRESH HAM)

Steps:

• The day before you plan to serve this dish, trim the excess fat off the pork leg; make shallow slits all over the pork, using the tip of a knife; mash the garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, bay leaf and olive oil to a paste in a mortar; rub this mixture all over the roast, forcing it into the slits; combine the sour orange juice, sherry, and onions in a small bowl; place the roast in a large, heavy plastic bag; add the sour OJ mixture, making sure that the whole roast gets covered with the mixture; refrigerate and marinate the roast in the bag overnight, turning occasionally during the time.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Drain the roast, and pat dry, reserving the marinade; place it in a lightly oiled, nonreactive, heavy roasting pan; cook the roast for 1 hour, turning once or twice to brown it on all sides.
• Reduce the heat to 325 degrees; pour the marinade and onions over the pork; tent the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil; (tear off a piece that is 1 1/2 times the width of your pan; fold it in half and crease the top; open it up, and place over the pan like a tent, tightly crimping edges to seal) continue roasting the pork, basting from time to time with the pan juices, until almost cooked, about 1 hour; add a little water or sherry if the pan dries out.
• Uncover the roast and continue cooking until the internal temp reads*at least* 150 degrees F on a meat thermometer, about 30 minutes more; (most Cubans like the meat well done, so after sitting, it should be up to 180 degrees--it's safer, also).
• Let the roast stand for 10 minutes before carving.
• Note: this is traditionally served with black bean soup and white rice, and fried, sweet plantains; for dessert, serve a rich flan and you're set!

CUBAN-STYLE SUCKLING PIG (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add the diced liver, kidneys and heart and saute for two to three minutes. Add the rice, beans, guava paste and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and correct seasoning.
• Stuff the pig loosely with the mixture and sew the cavity or secure with skewers. Place the pig on a roasting rack and rub with olive oil. Roast for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until an internal temperature of 155 to 160 degrees is reached.