Cuban Grilled Pork With Lime Marinated Onions Recipes

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 MARINATED STEAK

Steps:

• Place cumin seeds into a small skillet over medium heat; stir constantly until seeds turn dark brown and smell toasted, about 1 minute. Immediately pour seeds into a bowl to stop the cooking. Mix cumin seeds with orange juice, vegetable oil, steak seasoning, lime juice, and oregano in a bowl.
• Place steaks into a large resealable plastic bag, pour orange juice marinade over the meat, and squeeze out air. Seal bag and turn it over several times to coat meat with marinade. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or longer for extra flavor.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove steaks from marinade, shaking off any excess. Discard used marinade. Grill steaks on the preheated grill until seared on the outsides and still slightly pink in the centers, 6 to 8 minutes per side. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted sideways into the center of the thickest steak should read 145 degrees F (65 degrees C). Let steaks rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

CUBAN PORK

Steps:

• Flatten the pork tenderloin slices slightly, and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the lime zest, olive oil, cumin, salt, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Reserve the lime juice. Rub the seasoning mixture onto both sides of the pork slices.
• Spray a heavy skillet or ridged grill pan with cooking spray, and place over medium heat. Pan-fry the pork slices until browned on both sides, 6 to 7 minutes per side. After you turn the meat over, pour the reserved lime juice over the meat and continue cooking until no longer pink in the center. Serve hot, topped with pan juices.

LIME AND GARLIC GRILLED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Pour 1-1/4 cups marinade into a large shallow dish. Add the pork; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Cover remaining marinade for basting; refrigerate., Drain pork, discarding marinade. On a lightly oiled rack, grill chops, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160°, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. If desired, top with chopped cilantro.

CARIBBEAN GRILLED PORK AND ONIONS

Steps:

• In a bowl combine 1/3 cup lime juice, oil, garlic, salt, coriander and cayenne pepper; set aside.
• Arrange onions in a large, shallow dish. Arrange pork chops over onion slices. Pour lime marinade over chops and onions. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning often.
• Meanwhile, heat grill. Place pork chops and onions on heated grill, discarding marinade. Grill for approximately 15 minutes or until done, turning once.