Lechón Asado

Lechón asado is the cornerstone of Cuban festive cooking — a whole or partial pig marinated in mojo criollo (a citrus-garlic sauce) and slow-roasted until the skin crisps into crackling and the meat falls apart. No Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) table in Cuba or the Cuban diaspora is complete without it. The mojo, made with the juice of sour oranges (naranja agria), is the flavor that defines Cuban pork cookery and has for hundreds of years.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1.5kg (3.3 lbs) bone-in pork shoulder
• Mojo Criollo: 120ml (1/2 cup) sour orange juice (or 3:1 orange to lime), 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil, 8 cloves garlic minced, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt for the skin

Instructions

1. Combine all mojo criollo ingredients in a bowl and whisk well.
2. Score the pork skin in a crosshatch pattern, cutting through the fat. Pierce the meat all over with a knife and push garlic slivers into the holes.
3. Pour mojo over the pork, massaging it into every cut. Reserve 60ml (1/4 cup) of mojo for basting. Marinate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight in the refrigerator.
4. Remove pork from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).
5. Place pork skin-side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 3–3.5 hours, basting with reserved mojo every 45 minutes.
6. Raise heat to 230°C (450°F) for the final 20–30 minutes to blister and crisp the skin.
7. Rest 20 minutes before carving. Serve with black beans, rice, and yuca.

Cook's Notes: Sour orange (naranja agria) is worth seeking out at Latin grocery stores — its flavor is irreplaceable. The overnight marinade is what makes the difference between good and extraordinary lechón.