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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. I included stovetop and Instant Pot instructions for easy cooking!
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. This lechon asado is similar to these other recipes because it tastes authentic, comforting and absolutely delicious.
What Is Mojo Marinade
Mojo is a marinade typically has four components:
- sour oranges
- oregano
- oil
- 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. In Cuba, they have lots of sour oranges that I imagine are probably bomb.
And since we’re cooking the pork shoulder in a pressure cooker, I use a small amount of olive oil to brown the pork and then the pressure cooker does a great job of rendering fats into the juices as it cooks. 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 145°F, but for pork shoulder we’ll be looking for somewhere around 170°F or higher. You can find more information on pork cooking temperatures here.Â
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 Year’s.Â
How to Make Lechon Asado
- Whisk grated garlic, lime zest and juice, orange zest and juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin together. Then pour over pork that has been cut into six pieces and pierced with a pairing knife. You’ll marinate it in the fridge for six hours.
- After six hours, place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add a few teaspoons of olive oil and when hot, add the pieces of pork you’ll brown the pork on all sides, in batches in your pressure cooker using the sauté setting.Â
- Next, you’ll add any extra marinade juices to your Instant Pot, along with one sliced onion. And cook it on high pressure for an hour and 15 minutes, allowing the pressure to release naturally.
- Then you’ll 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 that pork with foil to rest it. The remaining juices in the pot will be simmered for 10 to 15 minutes with an additional onion that has been sliced. Be sure to also taste the juices and adjust the seasoning as desired.
- Once simmered, add the onions and about a cup of the juices to the rested pork and toss them together. You’ll serve everything with lime wedges, cilantro, rice, sweet plantains, and black beans.Â
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Lechon Asado
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 ¼ 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 sauté 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 it’s 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is there a way you could post how to make lechon asada (roast pork) using a traditional oven. We don’t have an instant pop or air fryer. I’d 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!