Lechon Asado (Cuban Roast Pork)

Ingredients:


One "fresh ham" with bone in and skin on. Or, a pork shoulder!

Mojo Marinade

20 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups sour orange juice
(If you can't get sour orange juice in your area, use two parts orange to one
part lemon and one part lime)
1 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 cups Spanish olive oil

Mash the garlic and salt together with a mortar and pestle.

Add dried oregano, onion, and the sour orange to the mash and mix thoroughly.

Heat oil in small sauce pan, add the mash to the oil and whisk. Pierce pork as
many times as you can with a sharp knife or fork.

Pour garlic mixture (save a little for roasting) over pork, cover and let sit in
refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Oven

Place the pork fattest side up in an open roasting pan. Place pan in oven and
reduce temperature to 325 degrees F. Spoon extra marinade over the roast
occasionally as it cooks. Using a meat thermometer, roast should be removed from
the oven when the temperature reaches 155 degrees F.

Immediately cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and
serving. The roast will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat. A
perfectly cooked pork roast will be pale white in the middle and the juices will
run clear.

Grill

Use a covered grill, such as the Webber kettle or a covered gas grill. Bank the
coals to each side, leaving an empty space beneath your ham. If using a gas
grill, use front and rear burners only. The idea is to cook with indirect heat.

Spoon extra marinade over the roast occasionally as it cooks. If not using a gas
grill, add charcoal to the sides as needed to maintain roasting temperature.
Using a meat thermometer, roast should be removed from the grill when the
temperature reaches 155 degrees F.

Immediately cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and
serving. The roast will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat. A
perfectly cooked pork roast will be pale white in the middle and the juices will
run clear.

Stovetop

Place ham in a large Dutch oven, or a covered stock pan -- whatever you have
that the pork will fit in. Add about one cup of marinade to the pan. Bring to a
boil. Adjust the heat to low, cover and cook until completely done. Add
additional marinade as needed to keep at least one inch of liquid in bottom of
pan -- otherwise the roast will burn.

Serves: Servings based on the size of your ham. Allow about 1/4 to 1/2 pound per
person, depending on side dishes.