Cuban Roast Pork (Lechon Asado)

Step 1

You will also need: Mortar and pestle, a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid, meat mallet to smash the garlic (or use the side of a large knife), mesh strainer (to catch the seeds of the oranges), a large pan to marinate to pork, large marinating or roasting bag (optional) or plastic wrap to cover the pork while marinating, large roasting pan with a rack, aluminum foil to tent the pork, and cooking spray.

Step 2

Peel the 2 heads of garlic.

Step 3

Reserve 8-10 whole garlic cloves for the pork.

Step 4

Smash the remaining garlic cloves; place them on a cutting board and give them a good whack with a meat mallet or the side of a large knife.

Step 5

Add the smashed garlic and 1 teaspoon salt to a mortar and pestle. Work the garlic until you break it down into small flat pieces.

Step 6

Add the smashed garlic, sour orange juice, olive oil, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf to a medium bowl or jar. Stir or shake to combine well.

Step 7

Cover the jar/bowl and let the marinade sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, a couple of hours or overnight is better. Shake or stir well before using.

Step 8

Line a large pan with the roasting bag (if using). Place the pork in the pan.

Step 9

Make 8-10 (as many garlic cloves) small slits (about 1-2 inch deep) on the skin side of the pork.

Step 10

Insert the reserved whole garlic cloves into the slits. Dip the clove in the marinade to make inserting them easier.

Step 11

Turn the pork over (skin side down) and make about 10-12 small slits (about 1-2 inch deep) in the meat.

Step 12

Use a ladle or spoon and start pouring the marinade into the slits you made.

Step 13

Then, pour the remaining marinade over the pork. Sprinkle another 1 teaspoon of salt over the pork (if desired).

Step 14

Turn the pork, now it should be skin side up. We want the fleshy side sitting in the marinade.

Step 15

Seal the bag by making a tight knot on the top, or cover the pan well using a generous amount of plastic wrap.

Step 16

Marinate the pork in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 17

Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 – 45 minutes before roasting (providing that it’s cool in your kitchen).

Step 18

Preheat the oven to 325°F

Step 19

The marinated pork will be a grayish color, that’s normal; it’s the citrus working on the meat.

Step 20

Lightly spray the rack of the roasting pan with cooking spray.

Step 21

Place the pork on the rack, skin side down.

Step 22

Brush any loose pieces of garlic off the pork. They will start to burn quickly.

Step 23

Pour a little bit of water in the bottom of the roasting pan. You’ll have to add a little more during the roasting time too. The drippings and any garlic pieces on the bottom of the pan will start to burn and smoke. The water keeps this in check. Discard leftover marinade.

Step 24

Roast the pork for a total of 6-7 hours until the internal temperature reaches at least 170° F and the meat has pulled away from the bone on one end. About 1½-2 hours into the roasting time tent the pork. Take a piece of aluminum foil (roughly the size of the pork shoulder) and loosely cover. Just place it on top, don’t wrap it.

Step 25

Remove the pork from the oven and carefully flip it over so it’s skin side up. Be very careful during this step as the roast is heavy and hot!

Step 26

Fill a bowl or cup with water and add a generous amount of salt (about 1 tablespoon for 1 cup of water), stir. Drip a little bit of the salted water on the pork roast and brush it all over the skin. Repeat several times.

Step 27

Make sure the pork isn’t sitting too close to the heat element. Move the oven rack down if you need to. Switch the oven to the low broiler setting.

Step 28

Very Important Cook’s Note: Do not leave the oven’s side until you finish this step. Turn on the oven light and look in every minute or so. It will only take 2-4 minutes. The skin will crisp and brown quickly, it will go from perfectly golden brown to burnt in minutes, if not seconds.

Step 29

Once the skin is bubbling and it may even start to crackle, carefully remove the pork from the oven, cover it loosely with a piece of foil and allow it to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.