Here Piggy!

Roast pork is a staple of Cuban cuisine. You’ll see it at birthdays, weddings, Christmas, and even next to the turkey at Thanksgiving. It is usually the the crown jewel of any Cuban grandma’s canon of recipes, not to be toyed with or made by anyone under the age of 50. The recipe is often shrouded in mystery and hidden away in some secret grandma hiding place or committed to memory so that no one can take it. These ladies do not mess around!

Family lore goes that my great grandmother would give you a recipe, but with one ingredient missing or changed, so that yours would not turn out exactly like hers.

Well, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Thousands of miles away from Miami and with no Cuban grandmothers in sight, I have taken it upon myself to learn how to roast a pig.

Well, not a whole pig. That’s for a caja china, which needs to have its own post at some point.

I used a 4 lb pork shoulder and am now on day 3 of repurposing it. It only cost me about $8 and, for 3 days of dinners, not a bad deal at all!

Not My Grandmother’s Roast Pork:

1 3-4lb pork shoulder or pork butt
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 sour orange (or regular orange if you can’t get the sour kind)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried orange peel
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1tsp ground black pepper
1 cup white wine
1 tsp Worchestshire sauce
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all dried herbs, spices and garlic in small bowl.
Massage the mixture onto the pork and place into a gallon sized zip bag. Pour any remaining garlic/herb mixture into the bag.
Add the juice, wine, olive oil, and Worchestshire sauce to the bag and let out any air before sealing the bag.
Turn the bag around a few times to make sure the meat is coated with marinade and place in the refrigerator overnight, periodically turning the bag.

Preheat your oven to 450.

Once the oven comes to temperature, place the roast with the marinade poured over it in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, lower the heat to 300 and roast for 5 hours, uncovered.

Slice and serve with your favorite sides.