Lechon Asado or Cuban Roast Pork is THE signature Cuban dish; it is the heart of Cuban cuisine. Simple to prepare and like nothing you have ever tasted before, this dish is most certainly a crowd pleaser. This is THE signature Cuban dish; it is the heart of Cuban cuisine. Simple to prepare and like nothing you have ever tasted before, this dish is most certainly a crowd pleaser. This is THE signature Cuban dish; it is the heart of Cuban cuisine. Simple to prepare and like nothing you have ever tasted before, this dish is most certainly a crowd pleaser.
I grew up eating Lechon Asado every Christmas Eve, known as Noche Buena, when my mom was feeling sentimental, or when we travelled to Miami to see my cousins. It's not a super fancy meal persay, but it is an impressive one and one that gets attention.
It was this pork that sold my dad on my mom, and the same pork that sealed the deal on my husband marrying me.
If we invite friends over for Cuban food, 90% of the time it means Cuban pork. And that also means it's time for a true Cuban feast.
I don't think I have ever had a "small" cuban dinner. Because you can't each Lechon Asado by itself, of course not! No Cuban pork would be complete without black beans and rice, or moro rice, or plantains, or mariquitas, or maduros, or yucca. I could go on and on.
Growing up, when we would visit my Cuban family, my aunts would cook Lechon Asado. That was the one time of the year my parents let me drink Coca Cola. It's a special memory for me but they probably allowed it because it was the only thing available in their house. Cubans love sugar and with the only other alternative being water, my parents let us go crazy. But to this day, I always drink a coke with my Cuban pork, it makes it all the more special.
There are many traditions that go along with Cuban roast pork, and each Cuban will tell you how they do it. Today, the easiest way is in the oven. But many people dig holes and cook them in the ground, or for an easier method, put them on the grill. My personal favorite way, in the Caja China.
What is a Caja China?
A caja china translates to Chinese box. Why you may ask? Actually, a significant amount of Cuban dishes are influence by Chinese cusine. Does the concept of sweet and salty sound firmiliar? The Chinese through various trade route and other means found themselves in the Caribbean in the last 300 years and along with some of their flavors, they shared some of their cooking methods as well. Enter, the Chinese box or Caja China.
A Caja China is a wooden box with a metal or aluminum top. The pork or any other meat can then be put inside the box like an oven. It is next covered with the lid and hot coals are constantly added to the top, creating an above ground oven. If you have a Caja China, this is a must try. But for those of you who have a regular oven, that will work just fine.
Whether we use our Caja China or our oven, I always try to use a probe thermometer. The Caja China is not easy to open and there is no window to see where you are in the cooking process. With an oven, opening the door and poking the meat is also not great so the thermometer works great here as well. This is our favorite, the ThermoPro TP-17. After overcooking several prime ribs and a few other big ticket items, this one is tried and true.
Either way, this is a great receipt to try and enjoy. This is a great recipe to make for a crowd, and is one that you can set and forget. It's hard overcook and has great flavor and texture.
📖 Recipe
Lechon Asado - Traditional Cuban Roast Pork
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes Prep + Marinade
- Cook Time: 5-7 Hours
- Total Time: 7 Hours
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Cuban
Description
This singlehandedly is the signature Cuban dish; it is the heart of Cuban cuisine. Simple to prepare and like nothing you have ever tasted before, this dish is most certainly a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs pork shoulder, bone in or boneless
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup lime juice
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2½ tbsp. MarnaMaria Carne Criolla
- 3 tbsp. Kosher salt
Instructions
- In a bowl or ziplock bag large enough for the pork, combine the orange, lemon and lime juices, garlic, onions, and MARNAMARIA Carne Criolla blend.
- Take the pork and with a sharp knife, make several deep cuts into the meat. Season the meat well with the salt, make sure the salt gets in the some of the knife holes as well.
- Place the pork in the large bowl or plastic bag and cover or seal. If using a plastic bag, try to get as much of the air out as possible.
- Place in the refrigerator and let marinade for at least 4 hours and for as long as 36 hours. If you can, flip the bag every so often to let both sides brine evenly.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Remove the pork from the bag or bowl, and place, fat side up, in a large roasting pan without a rack. Then pour over the onions and marinate.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for 5-7 hours or until fork tender, basting the pork every 30 minutes. You may need to remove some the juices from the pan to keep it from overflowing and to allow the pork to cook a little bit better. Use a ladle or spoon to remove some of the juices, and reserve them to the side. They will make an amazing sauce for later!
- When the pork is just about done, uncover, raise the oven temperature to 375ºF. Scrape off any onions or garlic from the pork skin on top. Then cook the pork for an additional 30 minutes to allow the top to brown and the skin to crisp up.
- The pork is ready when it is fork tender, easily falls off the bone and the skin is crispy. If you like, you can use a probe thermometer. The pork should be done when the thermometer reads 190ºF.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, covered. Shred the pork using the reserved juices as a sauce.
Notes
For the fruit juices, orange, lemon, and lime, you can use freshly squeeze fruit but just this one time, the shelf stable works just as well. Sometimes, I will use a combination of both fresh and pasterized.
[…] pork in a Cuban Caja China. Have you ever heard of the Caja China? The Cubans use it to cook their Cuban Roast Pork. Translated to Chinese box, this raised box of wood and metal does an awesome job of creating the […]