Cuban Christmas Eve Pig 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.

CUBAN CHRISTMAS EVE "PIG" / LECHON ASADO

Steps:

• 2 recipes Cuban Mojo (recipe follows)1. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, make shallow slits in both the skin and meat sides of the ham, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Set aside while you prepare the marinade.2. Combine the garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and pepper in a mortar and pound to a smooth paste with the pestle, then work in 1 cup of the juice and the oil. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, combine all these ingredients in a blender. Rub this mixture all over the ham, forcing it into the slits. Place the ham in a large plastic bag (such as a garbage bag) with the remaining 1 cup juice, the sherry, onions, and bay leaves. Marinate overnight or even up to 48 hours, turning several times.3. Set up the grill for indirect grilling, placing a drip pan in the center, and preheat to high. When ready to cook, place the ham, meat side down, on the hot grate over the drip pan and cover the grill.4. Cook the ham until the skin is well browned and very crisp and the meat is fork-tender. When tested with an instant-read meat thermometer, the internal temperature should register about 190°F. (Cubans like their pork more well done than we do.) If using charcoal, add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side after each hour of cooking. The whole process will take 6 to 8 hours. If the skin browns too much, drape a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over it.5. Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the meat off the bone and chop with a cleaver or thinly slice (be sure to include a little skin). Splash the meat with the Cuban Mojo and serve immediately.Serves 16 to 20Note: You can also prepare a pork loin (2 to 3 pounds) or shoulder (4 to 6 pounds) the same way. You'd need only half as much marinade, and the cooking time would be 4 to 6 hours for the pork shoulder, 1 to 2 hours for the loin.

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.

CUBAN GRILLED PORK (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• Prepare the marinade
• Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Marinate the pork
• If using a flavor injector (see cooking notes), strain half the marinade into a bowl, adding the strained-out garlic to the other half of the marinade. Use the injector to take in some strained marinade, pierce the pork with the tip of the needle, and inject it into the flesh. Do this all over the meat until the strained marinade has been used up.
• If you are not using a flavor injector, use a long, thin knife to create deep gashes all over the flesh and pour the marinade over the pork.
• Place the marinated pork in a deep bowl or container. Generously season the outside of the pork with salt and pour the remaining marinade all over it, spreading the onion rings all over the top.
• Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• Boil the marinade for basting
• Remove the pork from the marinade and place it on a platter. Transfer the marinade to a saucepan, add the onions, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the boiled marinade and onions in a blender and puree until smooth. The marinade is now ready to use as a basting liquid.
• Grill the pork
• Before heating your grill, remove the pork from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.
• Heat your grill to 550°F and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the temperature to 300°F. Oil the grill grates with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel held with a long pair of tongs.
• If your cut has the skin still attached, begin the cooking process with the skin side up (away from the direct heat).
• Grill your meat about 2 1/2 hours total. Turn the meat over once when you are one quarter through with the cooking time, again when you are halfway through, and once more when three-quarters of the cooking time has elapsed. The pork is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F on the grill (it will continue to cook when it's off the heat, raising the internal temperature to the desired 160°F).

CUBAN ROASTED WHOLE PORK, CUBAN LECHON ASADO

Steps:

• The day before marinating the pig, squeeze the sour oranges, strain of all pulp and seeds. Peel the garlic bulbs removing the cloves into a large bowl. In your blender pour about 2 cups of the juice add a large handful of garlic cloves add half the oregano, half the cumin, 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and half the black pepper. Blend on high as if you were making a shake. Blend for about half a minute until all the garlic is liquified with the sour orange juice. Take the remaing juice, garlic cloves and spices and blend again until all is throughly blended. put into a large glass bottle or plastic bottle. Do not store in any metal container. Store overnight for flavors to meld.
• Next day your pig should be fresh or defrosted Open pig with a meat clever hitting along the spine so as to open the pork completely. Pork should lay flat open. With a sharp knife make deep slits between the ribs and along the inside of the pork shoulders and pork fresh ham thighs. Next take your 4/5 tablespoons of salt and throughly salt your pork completely. Do not be afraid to salt the pork. A whole pork sucks up a lot of salt. Rub the salt all inside the pork on the fresh ham legs and pork shoulders. With your fingers push the salt deep into the slits you made before. Use all of the salt. Rub over the slits in the ribs sticking your fingers deep into the slits so the pork will be salted inside. Next pour the citrus marinade all inside the pig into the slits of the ribs and with your fingers pushing the marinade into the deep slits in the pork meat. Use about 12 ounces and only pour inside the pig. Do not marinate the pig on the outside. The skin is to tough so the marinade will not penetrate the thick skin. Leave your pig lying on its back face up so the marinade will penetrate the meat. We leave the pork with the marinade for about 12 hours.
• The next day the pig can be roasted in the Caja China the Cuban roasting box or some people dig a long deep hole in the ground and line the bottom with a large layer of charcoals about 8 or 9 pounds half of a very large bag they mound them up and light the pile with lighter fuel and leave the coals catch and light real good when the coals start to turn white they spread them in a large lawyer in the bottom of the hole spread the length of the hole. Two large cinder blocks are used one on each side. the pig is laying in a very large metal rack or tray that is special made to hold the a whole pig up to 65 to 75 pound pig. Another large metal tray is layed over the pig and then large banana leaves are spred over the top to ensure no heat escapes. Roasting the pig in a pit takes a lot longer because after an hour or two you have to remove the tray add more coal and ensure it is lit to continue roasting the pig. A much easier way is to order a Caja China on the internet. You can type in Caja China Roasting Box or Cuban Caja China. This translates to The Chinese Roasting Box which is the name the Cubans have given it. The invention however is totaly Cuban. If you order your Caja China you will have a much easier time of roasting your pig. the heat sourse comes from the top and circulates all around your pig in the box. Your pig will not burn it will cook a lot faster and a 65 to 75 pounder as we did this Christmas cooked in six hours. The first three hours we did not uncover the pig. We lit and added a total of 8 to 9 pounds of charcoal on the top of the lid at two hour intervals. The pig came out after three hours and was turned over and roasted in the box back side up so as to crisp and brown the skin. The pig came out succulent, juicy and the meat moist. The skin came out crispy and crackly. Totaly delicious. Once your pig is roasted you can take it out and cut the pork in small pieces sprinkle the remaing marinade over the meat basting the meat and serving with the traditional black beans and rice, yucca or casava and fried sweet plantains. A traditional avacado salad and Cuban tamales is also served with the roasted pork. Whole roasted pig is traditionaly made for Christmas Eve and New Years Eve dinner. However is is not uncommon for Cuban families to roast pigs for special family get togethers any time of the year. Enjoy.

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!