Roasted Pork

 

The holidays always bring about thoughts of the traditional dishes my Cuban family eats for our get-togethers. I’ve already posted a great recipe for black beans (see recipe here), which are the perfect side dish for roasted pork. There is nothing like having a roasted pork accompanied by black beans, yucca, white rice, fufu (mashed plantains), and shrimp served during my family’s Christmas Eve meal. Roasted pork actually makes a great meal at any time of the year, not just special occasions. It also is not too difficult to make. Most of the time is spent in the cooking process, which allows you time to make other side dishes, or complete other tasks/recreation while waiting for the pork to cook. However, the amazing flavor produced by the mixture of cooking wine, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, salt and lime combined with the tenderness of the pork make this recipe worth trying!  

Roasted Pork Recipe 

INGREDIENTS:

• Pork shoulder about 3 lbs
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 tablespoons of fresh garlic, finely chopped
• ¾ tsp of garlic powder
• 1 cup of white wine
• ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of whole oregano
• ½ tablespoon of salt
• Juice of one lime

TOOLS NEEDED:

• Knife, cutting board, a medium bowl, cooking tray, aluminum tray, and aluminum foil.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS                       
                       

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect and prepare a few of the ingredients. Slice the onion 1/8 inch thick. Juice the lime. Finely chop the garlic with a knife or use a garlic press. Then in a large bowl put the cooking wine, lime juice, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, chopped garlic, and onion slices.
2. Next, take the meat and use a knife to poke holes in the meat. Make sure the holes are deep enough to go across the meat. Now score the skin with a sharp knife in a cross-hatch pattern and place the port in a cooking tray (I used a glass Pyrex tray). Then put some of the cooking wine-onion-garlic-seasoning mixture into the holes you cut and spoon the remaining mixture onto the meat and around the bottom of the tray (See video demonstration for a visual; you can also use an injector to do this step). Lastly, pat the skin of the pork dry with a paper towel, and rub a ½ tablespoon of salt over the skin and the meat (See the video for a visual).
3. Now, cover the tray with the pork with aluminum foil or an aluminum tray. Place the tray in the middle of a preheated oven 365° F and cook for 1 hour.
4. After 1 hour uncover the meat, leaving the skin exposed and cover the pork meat with aluminum foil. Remove some of the condiments on the bottom of the tray and save for later in the cooking process. Then put back in the oven, and let cook for another hour.
5. Next, take the pork out of the oven and carefully cut the skin from the pork meat and cut the meat off the bone in slices or chunks. Then place the cut pork back in the tray, spoon the saved cooking wine-onion mixture over the meat, and then lay the skin on top, so it is covering the meat. Raise the oven temperature to 375° F and cook for 30 minutes.
6. By this point, the pork meat will be done and will be ready to serve. Remove the tray from the oven and place the skin on a separate tray so it can be put back into the oven for 30 minutes or until the fat has rendered and the skin is crispy. Then the skin can be served.