Lechon Asado
In Fearful Breakers, the Albañez family joins their relatives in Matanzas for Nochebuena feast. Roast pork is the traditional centerpiece of this Cuban Christmas Eve dinner.
Although the crispy skin is a treasured part of the Cuban dish, you may wish to omit the crisping of the skin at the end if it is not to your taste.
Ingredients
1 head of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups mojo criollo marinade
8-10 pound pork shoulder
Directions
Mix the garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, oregano, cumin, and olive oil into a paste.
Take a sharp knife and separate most of the skin on top of the pork, leaving enough connected to be able to turn the skin flap back.
With the skin flap back, pierce the meat all over with a sharp knife. Place in pan and pour the mojo marinade over the pork, keeping the skin flap dry. Rub the garlic paste over the pork, then cover it with the skin flap. Keep the flap dry.
Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours, preferably overnight.
To cook, preheat the over to 275°F. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Spray a roasting pan with oil, then place the roast and its marinade inside. Dry the skin with a paper towel. Spray a piece of aluminum foil with oil and completely cover the roast.
Roast for some 8 hours (1 ½ to 2 hours per pound) until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part shows a temperature of 180°F. Make sure not to touch any bone.
When the pork Is cooked through, remove from oven. You should be able to shred it with a fork. Raise the temperature to 459°F, then roast for another 30 minutes in order to crisp the skin.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes, then shred with two forks. Retain the marinade to serve with the pork.
