Lechon Asado (Cuban Pork Roast)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork shoulder
- 1 onion
sliced
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
dried
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Directions
- 1
Using a sharp knife, Make a couple of slits into the pork.
- 2
Blend the onion and garlic in a blender or food processor. Add olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice to the blended mixture and mix well. Add the spices. Reserve one cup of the marinade to use for the sauce.
- 3
Add the pork into a baking dish and pour the remaining marinade over the meat, ensuring some goes into each of the slits. Refrigerate the pork for at least 10 minutes or up to 12 hours, regularly rotating the meat.
- 4
Remove the meat 60 minutes before cooking to sit at room temperature.
- 5
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- 6
Place the meat onto a roasting pan, reserving the marinade for basting. In the pan, pour one cup of the water and cook for 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the marinade. If needed, cover the meat with foil to prevent over-cooking.
- 7
When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 190F, remove it from the oven and set aside to rest.
- 8
Place the reserved 1 cup of the sauce into a small saucepan and cook for 15 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Lechon Asado (Cuban Pork Roast)
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About this Recipe
Dreaming of a culinary escape to Latin America? This Lechon Asado (Cuban Pork Roast) recipe brings the vibrant, authentic tastes of a traditional garlic-citrus marinade right to your kitchen. Get ready to impress with a dish that’s rich in flavor and surprisingly simple to achieve.
What makes this Lechon Asado so special is the deeply flavorful homemade garlic-citrus marinade, crafted with fresh garlic and a bright blend of orange, lime, and lemon juices. This vibrant mixture penetrates the pork shoulder, infusing every fiber before it’s slow-roasted, resulting in incredibly tender, succulent meat.
You can anticipate a tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork roast with a golden exterior and an incredibly aromatic, savory interior. Each bite offers a harmonious balance of zesty citrus, pungent garlic, earthy oregano, and warm cumin, creating a truly authentic Cuban-style flavor profile. The slow-roasting process ensures the pork shoulder becomes remarkably succulent, perfect for shredding or slicing into substantial pieces.
The robust flavor of this Lechon Asado comes from its unique garlic-citrus marinade. While the precise blend of orange, lime, and lemon juice creates a balanced tang, you can slightly adjust the ratio to favor one citrus over another, depending on your preference. For those who enjoy a little heat, a small pinch of cayenne pepper could be added to the spice blend, though it’s not traditionally found in the classic recipe.
This magnificent Lechon Asado is ideal for a festive family gathering or a comforting Sunday dinner. Serve it alongside traditional rice and black beans, or tucked into warm rolls for an incredible sandwich.