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This Lechon Asado (or Cuban Roast Pork) is marinated in a flavorful Cuban mojo garlic sauce. It’s cooked until super tender and served with white rice, black beans and sweet plantains. Traditionally roasted in the oven, I used the Instant Pot to speed up the cooking process! Serve lechon asado during the holidays with Yucca Fries and Flan for the best Latin-inspired meal.
I’m a long time fan of Cuban food. I love everything from Cuban Picadillo, Pollo Frito a la Criolla, Ropa Vieja and Guava Pastelitos. These recipes are absolutely delicious, comforting and taste like the authentic Cuban food from your childhood.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Lechon Asado
- Mojo marinade – This is a Cuban marinade made with fresh citrus juices, dried oregano, oil and plenty of garlic. It tenderizes the pork and gives it tangy, citrusy, and savory flavors that’s so delicious. Sour oranges are traditional but if you can’t find them use a combination of fresh orange juice and lime juice.
- Boneless pork shoulder – This is a thick and tough cut of meat that requires a long cooking time for it to become fall-apart-tender. It’s inexpensive and perfect for this recipe.
- Olive oil – Since weโre cooking the pork shoulder in a Instant Pot, I use a small amount of olive oil to brown the pork. From here, the pressure cooker does a great job of rendering fats into the juices as it cooks.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How to Make Lechon Asado
- For the mojo marinade. Whisk grated garlic, lime zest and juice, orange zest and juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin together in a large bowl. Cut the pork into six pieces then add it to the marinade. Youโll marinate the meat in the fridge for six hours.
- Brown the meat. After the pork has marinated for six hours, set your pressure cooker to the sautรฉ setting then add a little bit of olive oil.ย Add the pieces of pork, brown on each side for 3 minutes then transfer browned meat to a plate and start on the next batch.
- Cook in a pressure cooker. Next, youโll add the meat back to the Instant Pot along with any extra marinade juices and 1 sliced onion. Cook it on high pressure for an hour and 15 minutes, allowing the pressure to release naturally.
- Shred the meat and simmer the juices and onions. Transfer the super tender pork pieces to a serving platter and shred the meat with two forks. Taste a piece to see if you need to add additional salt or pepper. Cover the pork with foil to rest it. Simmer the remaining juices in the Instant Pot for 10 to 15 minutes with more sliced onions. Be sure to also taste the juices and adjust the seasoning as desired.
- Assemble and serve. Once simmered, add the cooked onions and about a cup of the juices to the rested pork and toss them together. Youโll serve everything with lime wedges, cilantro, rice, sweet plantains, and black beans.
Tips and Tricks
- Use an Instant Pot! A pressure cooker cuts the cooking time of the pork in half. You don’t have to worry about checking on it as it bakes in the oven and it the meat comes out perfectly tender every time!
- Marinade the meat the night before. The pork needs to sit in the mojo marinade for at least 6 hours in order to soak up those delicious flavors. Combine all the ingredients together right before bed so it will be ready to cook in the morning.
- Pork cooking temperature – Cuts like pork shoulder will require a longer cook time and higher endpoint temperature for the best eating experience, which is why a pressure cooker is ideal for this recipe. Pork is safe to eat once it reaches 145ยฐF, but for pork shoulder weโll be looking for somewhere around 170ยฐF or higher. You can find more information on pork cooking temperatures here.
Recipe FAQs
What is Lechon Asado
Pork in Spanish is lechon and roast is asado. For Cubans, lechon asado or roast pork is mojo marinated and usually served on special occasions like Christmas or New Yearโs.
What Is Mojo Marinade
Mojo is a Cuban marinade made with sour oranges, oregano, oil, and lots of garlic.
In the case of this recipe, I use a combination of oranges and limes to mimic the flavor of sour oranges, which are harder to find where I am.
What cut of meat is used for lechon asado?
Boneless pork shoulder! This is the same cut of meat that pulled pork is made from, so you’ll know it will be very tender and melt-in-your mouth delicious once it cooks in the mojo marinade.
More Latin-Inspired Recipes
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Pollo a la Brasa
Peruvian Recipes
Papa a la Huancaina
Peruvian Recipes
Ajรญ de Gallina
Dinner
Lomo Saltado
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Lechon Asado
This Lechon Asado (or Cuban Roast Pork) is marinated in a flavorful Cuban mojo garlic sauce. It's cooked until super tender and served with white rice, black beans and sweet plantains. Traditionally roasted in the oven, I used the Instant Pot to speed up the cooking process! Serve lechon asado during the holidays with Yucca Fries and Flan for the best Latin-inspired meal.
Equipment
- 1 Instant pot or pressure cooker
- 1 chef knife
- 1 Large mixing bowl or freezer bag
Ingredients
- 1 head of garlic, peeled and finely grated
- Zest of 2 limes
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, (about 4 limes), divided
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, (about 2 small navel oranges)
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 5 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 6 pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large onions, sliced, divided
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the garlic, lime zest and 1/4 cup lime juice (reserving the other ยผ cup for later), orange zest and juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin and whisk together until well combined. Using a paring knife, cut 1 inch deep slashes into the six pieces of pork, placing them into a large mixing bowl or a large freezer bag as you go.
- Evenly pour the marinade over the pork and give it a good mix to thoroughly coat all the pieces of pork and get into all the crevices. If using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and if using a bag, seal it and then transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for six hours.
- After the pork has marinated for six hours, set your pressure cooker to the sautรฉ setting on high and add the olive oil. Add three of the six pieces of pork to the cooker, shaking off any excess marinade back into the bowl or bag, and brown for three minutes on each side. Place the browned pieces on a plate and repeat the process with the remaining three pieces of pork.
- Transfer the browned pieces on the plate back to the cooker and add any remaining marinade juices from the bowl or bag into the pot. Put half of the onion slices, reserving the other half for later, on top of the pork and Lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes, letting the pressure release naturally when itโs done.
- Transfer the pork pieces to a serving platter and use two forks to shred the meat. Taste a piece and sprinkle some additional salt and pepper if necessary. Cover with a piece of foil and rest. Using the simmer function on your cooker, add the reserved 1/4 cup of lime juice and reserved onion slices and simmer them with the juices for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Taste the juices from the pot and see if you need to adjust with more salt and pepper. Toss the shredded pork with about a cup or so of the juices and the simmered onion slices. Serve with lime wedges, cilantro, rice, sweet plantains, and black beans.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Use an Instant Pot!ย A pressure cooker cuts the cooking time of the pork in half. You donโt have to worry about checking on it as it bakes in the oven and it the meat comes out perfectly tender every time!
- Marinade the meat the night before.ย The pork needs to sit in the mojo marinade for at least 6 hours in order to soak up those delicious flavors. Combine all the ingredients together right before bed so it will be ready to cook in the morning.
- Pork cooking temperature โย Cuts like pork shoulder will require a longer cook time and higher endpoint temperature for the best eating experience, which is why a pressure cooker is ideal for this recipe. Pork is safe to eat once it reaches 145ยฐF, but for pork shoulder weโll be looking for somewhere around 170ยฐF or higher. You can find more information on pork cooking temperaturesย here.ย
Nutrition
Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 1028mg | Potassium: 1163mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!
You are an angel! This is exactly the recipe I needed! My instant pot is ready! Iโm from Miami and miss this so much! Thank you! Iโm making it this weekend!
Happy holidays and Felix Navidad!
Jan
Good stuff, (of course, the best lechรณn asado is from Puerto Rico; no offense Cuban friends),
I need to correct something though. The best way to do it is ‘a la varita’ or roasted on a spit and slowly cooked for 6 or more hours.
Lechรณn asado is not only Cuban Roasted Pork. Many other Caribbean islands like Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and other Latin American countries as well do it similarly.
(here is the link to check ‘La Ruta del Lechรณn’ in Guavate, Puerto Rico)
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/la-ruta-del-lechon-puerto-rico
Regards,
Jose Villares
Is there a way you could post how to make lechon asada (roast pork) using a traditional oven. We donโt have an instant pop or air fryer. Iโd greatly appreciate it.
10/10 so flavorful and simple. All the ingredients were already at hand as well. Can’t wait to make it again
love hearing this!