Cuban Pork

Salted Pig

Squash Soup with Peppers and Avocado

The Three Dudes

How do you Succulent?

Perfect!

Nate, at McCall’s Meat and Fish told me he was getting a whole Berkshire Pig. This is fairly rare, they are pigs that are the way pigs used to be before they were bred for the mass market. Think of it as a Single Malt pig. We would never miss an opportunity to cook a Berkshire Pig when it is available. Thanks Nate!

We ordered a 6 pound shoulder and we had to decide what to do with it. We had recently purchased the cookbook: Two Dudes One Pan by Snook and Dotolo and they had a recipe for a Cuban Roast Pig. This recipe is a keeper. It is actually quite easy and absolutely delicious. We are not sure how the pig would be if it were a regular store bought pig and not a Berkshire Pig. We are going to find out soon. I see a repeat in our future. Basically the pig is marinated for a couple of days and then slow roasted in the oven. Couldn’t be easier. One change we will make to the recipe next time is that the pig is placed on sliced onions when it is put in the pan to bake.  We will add a lot more onions to the bottom of the pan in the future because they are delicious when served with the accompanying Rice and Black Beans and Plantains.

Making life easy, we live near a El Cochinito Restaurant Cuban Restaurant, and we simply bought rice, Black Beans and Plantains from them to serve with the Pork.

We invited Robert and Darrel over they brought a delicious Squash Soup that had both Smoked Poblano Peppers and Jalapeño Peppers for a good kick smoothed with an Avocado Topping. A great soup! They also brought homemade Chocolate Flan in keeping with the theme of the night.

Cuban Style Roast Pork

Two Dudes One Pan

Shook and Dotolo

2            cups orange juice (preferably fresh)

1            cup olive oil

½            cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

½            cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)

20            garlic cloves, smashed

4            white onions, halved and very thinly sliced, plus 1 white onion sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings

3            fresh thyme sprigs

2            bay leaves (preferably fresh not dried)

1            tablespoon ground cumin

1 ½            teaspoons red pepper flakes

4            tablespoons kosher salt
1 6- to 8 pound boneless pork butt (sometimes called a Boston butt), trimmed of excess fat and tied into a roast

5            limes cut into wedges, for serving

Jon:  This roasted pork butt is one of my favorite ways to eat pork. It's so tender and packed with flavor. You could do it up traditionally with rice and black beans, mix it with giant butter beans for a Cuban-style cassoulet, or wrap it in a corn tortilla with pickled red onions for killer pork tacos.

Vinny: We got turned on to Cuban roast pork while living in Miami. Pork butt doesn't set you back financially, plus it can feed a crowd. We like to make the full recipe, even if just cooking for a few friends; we'll portion out the leftovers and pack them into freezer bags to pull out on a rainy day.

WHISK the orange juice, all but 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice, lime juice, 15 of the garlic cloves, half of the thinly sliced onions, and the thyme, bay leaves, cumin, red pepper flakes, and 2 tablespoons of the salt in a large bowl. Pour into a large plastic bag (try a small garbage bag) and add the pork. Knot to close and place in a large bowl or in one of your refrigerator's vegetable bins to catch any leak­age. Marinate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.

Preheat your oven to 450°F.

Separate the Vi-inch-thick onion rings and place them, along with the remaining 5 garlic cloves, in the bottom of a roasting pan and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Remove the roast from the bag (discard the marinade), pat it dry, place it on top of the onions and garlic, and rub with the remaining 2 tablespoons of salt.

Reduce the oven temperature to 425 °F and roast the pork for 45 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F, cover the roasting pan with foil, and roast until the meat is falling apart, 4 to 4-1/2 hours longer.

Shred the pork and serve with the remaining thinly sliced onions and lots of lime wedges.

SERVES 12

+ 1 pan: mojo

Mojo is like the ketchup of Cuba. It's a vinegary, pungent tabletop condiment that's used on roasted pork, grilled meats, and pan-seared chicken. Drizzle a little over the pork before serving. It's best served within a hour of making.

Heat 1/2 cup canola or grapeseed oil with 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic in a small saucepan over low heat until the garlic is soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool until it reaches room temperature, then stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt.