Cuban Roast Pulled Pork Recipes

JUICY CUBAN MOJO PORK ROAST (CHEF MOVIE RECIPE)

Steps:

• Combine Marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped. Alternatively, you can finely chop/mince the garlic and herbs then mix all ingredients in a bowl.
• Place in a large ziplock bag with the pork. Place in the fridge overnight (in a bowl, just to be safe).
• Remove the pork from the Marinade and leave on counter for 1 hour (bring to room temp). Reserve the Marinade.
• Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan).
• Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Base with pan juices.
• Reduce heat to 190°C/375°F (170°C). Roast for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours, basting every half hour, until the internal temperature reaches 70°/160°F. At this temperature, the pork is cooked, still juicy, and carvable, as it is intended to be (Note 1)
• Fall-apart tender alternative (not slicable, meat falls apart): Roast at 160°C/320°F (all oven types) for 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat can be easily shredded using 2 forks (check on side).
• Remove from the oven and place on a plate, loosely covered with foil. Rest for 20 minutes before serving with the Mojo Sauce on the side. I decorated mine with pan fried slices of oranges and extra cilantro/coriander leaves.

CUBAN ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Trim fat from roast, if any.
• With a sharp knife, cut tiny holes in roast and insert slivers of garlic.
• In large plastic bag, place remaining ingredients.
• Shake to mix well.
• Place pork roast in bag.
• Place in refrigerator, at least overnight.
• Remove roast from marinade and discard the marinade.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
• Place in covered baking pan and cook for 5-6 hours.
• Turn once during baking.

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).

AUTHENTIC CUBAN PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients (except the pork) in a food processor or blender and blend until completely liquified.
• Line a roasting pan with foil and place the roasting rack in the pan. Place the pork, skin side down on the roasting rack. Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the roasting pan.
• Using a meat injector, inject all of the marinade into the pork.Try not to puncture the skin underneath. I like to go in from the side to make sure I'm not puncturing the skin. Just try to inject as many spots as you can to really get the marinade throughout the entire pork. (If you feel like you've maxed out on the inside of the pork, just take any left over marinade and rub it all over the outside of the pork)
• Cover the pork with foil as tightly as you can to create a seal. Refrigerate overnight or at least for 6 hours. (I prefer overnight but 6 hours will do if you're shorter on time.)
• After marinating, heat your oven to 275. Once heated, add the covered pork and cook for 7 hours.
• After the 7 hours, uncover the pork. It should be falling off the bone easily at this point. You can pull at it with a fork to check.
• Keeping the pork uncovered, set your oven to broil. Broil the top of the pork for about 5 minutes or until it has a nice golden brown color. Using oven mitts and tongs, carefully turn the pork skin side up, and broil the skin side for another 5 minutes or until it's crispy on the top.
• Let the pork rest for 15 minutes before shredding.

SLOW COOKER CUBAN PORK

Steps:

• Cut pork loin into 3 equal pieces.
• Turn a slow cooker to Low. Add orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, and peppercorns, then add onion.
• Mix garlic, salt, and oregano into a paste and rub all over pork pieces. Place pork in the slow cooker.
• Cook on Low until pork is slightly pink in the center, 9 to 10 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Pull apart meat with 2 forks and let sit for 1 hour before serving.

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!

INSTANT POT CUBAN MOJO PORK

Steps:

• For the mojo: Combine the orange juice, lime juice, onion, garlic, olive oil, oregano, cumin, 3 teaspoons kosher salt and a few grinds pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth and the mojo is emulsified. Set aside.
• For the pork: Pierce some small slashes in the pork with a sharp paring knife to allow the mojo marinade to penetrate. Place the pork in a large bowl. Add the mojo, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 8 hours.
• When ready to cook, remove the pork from the bowl and dab off the excess marinade. Reserve the marinade in the bowl for cooking.
• Set a 6- to 8-quart Instant Pot® to saute and add the canola oil (see Cook's Note). Cook each piece of pork until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Depending on the size of your pork and Instant Pot, you may need to do this in batches. Combine all the pork with the reserved marinade in the pot. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 1 hour. (It will take 8 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure.)
• After the pressure-cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for natural release. After 20 minutes, being careful to release any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid.
• Remove the pork to a medium bowl. Strain the liquid from the Instant Pot through a fine-mesh sieve, then remove and discard the grease and solids. Return the liquid to the pot, set to saute and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, shred the pork with 2 forks. Once the sauce is reduced, toss with the shredded pork and serve.

PRESSURE-COOKER CUBAN PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cut pork into 2-in.-thick pieces; season with salt and pepper. Select saute or browning setting on a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker. Adjust for medium heat; add oil. When oil is hot, brown pork in batches, removing from pressure cooker., Add orange and lime juices, stirring to scrape browned bits from bottom of cooker. Add garlic, rum if desired, coriander, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Return pork and any collected juices to cooker. Press cancel., Lock lid; close pressure-release valve. Adjust to pressure-cook on high for 25 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes; quick-release any remaining pressure. Remove roast; when cool enough to handle, shred with 2 forks. Remove 1 cup cooking liquid from cooker; add to pork and toss together., Cut each loaf of bread in half lengthwise. If desired, spread mustard over cut sides of bread. Layer bottom halves of bread with pickles, pork, ham and cheese. Replace tops. Cut each loaf into 8 slices.

MOJO CUBAN ROAST PORK (LECHON ASADO)

Steps:

• Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, mint, jalapenos and fresh oregano (if using) to your food processor and pulse until very finely chopped, scraping the sides down as needed. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in all remaining mojo marinade ingredients.
• Remove 1 1/2 cups of the marinade and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (to serve with roasted pork).
• Transfer the rest of the marinade to a freezer bag and add the pork; turn to coat, squeeze out excess air and seal. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours (no longer!), turning the bag occasionally.
• When ready to cook, remove the pork from the refrigerator and let rest on the counter for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Wipe excess marinade off pork, then sear on all sides until browned.
• Place the pork on a rack in a roasting dish (or use halved onions to prop up if you don't have one) with 1 cup of water in the bottom. Spoon some of the marinade from the bag over the top of the pork. Cover the pork with foil, slightly tenting in the middle so it is not touching the pork.
• Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes then reduce the temperature to 325 F and continue to roast for an additional 3 hours, adding additional water as needed so the water doesn't dry up. Only check the water once an hour but don't stress it, it's not the end of the world if you need to leave and it dries up.
• After 3 hours, remove the foil and baste the pork with the water/drippings in the bottom of the pan. Roast for an additional 30 minutes. The meat should very tender; about 180-190 F on an instant read thermometer, without touching the bone. (Although this pork does not require a meat thermometer because it will be cooked beyond overdone until tender.) If it's not tender, cook for an additional 30 minutes as needed.
• At this point, you can turn your oven to broil (without moving the pork) for a more caramelized exterior if desired; broil for 5-10 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn.
• Transfer the pork to a cutting board and loosely tent with foil. Rest for 20 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, transfer the 1 1/2 cups reserved UNUSED mojo sauce to a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally, or until reduced by half. Stir in a couple tablespoons of drippings if desired for more succulent flavor. Slice the pork and brush with some of the mojo. Serve remaining mojo on the side.

CUBAN-STYLE ROAST PORK SHOULDER WITH MOJO RECIPE

Steps:

• For the Mojo: Combine garlic, cumin, pepper, oregano, orange juice, lime juice, and olive oil in a large bowl and whisk. Season to taste generously with salt. Transfer half of mojo to a sealed container and reserve in refrigerator. Add pork to remaining mojo and turn to coat. If desired, transfer pork and marinade to a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag and refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight before continuing.
• For the Pork and to Finish: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 275°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place pork and juices on top and fold up foil, crimping to seal loosely but making sure that there is room for air to circulate inside. Place in oven and roast for 3 hours. Fold back foil, increase oven temperature to 325°F, and continue roasting, basting pork with pan juices occasionally, until pork shows almost no resistance when a metal skewer or knife is inserted into it and the surface is crackly and brown, 2 to 3 hours longer. Remove pork from oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
• Pour accumulated pork juices into a bowl and discard all except 1 cup. Add reserved mojo to pork drippings, along with fresh chopped mint and oregano. Whisk together and season to taste with salt.
• Serve shredded pork, passing mint mojo and lime wedges on the side. Serve rice, beans, and plantains on the side. Reserve any leftovers for sandwiches.