Learn how to make ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฃ๐จ in your oven that rivals a Caja China! I will disclose the secret and how many Cuban restaurants from Miami to Tampa deliver delicious, succulent Cuban style roast pork from an oven.
If this is your first time cooking a ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง-๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ, donโt worry. Even though this recipe is simple, the result is impressive! There are many ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ค shoulder with mojo recipes online, but I donโt think I have seen anyone make Cuban-style roast pork shoulder with Mojo like this before. That is surprising since I know of more than one restaurant using this technique.
Regardless of your cultural background, few are those who donโt gravitate to the taste of Cuban ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฃ๐จ-๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ค as it should be! I mean juicy, succulent with garlic and citrus, intensely porky, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. As a youngster growing up in #Miami, they told me that the secret was la Caja China. If youโve never heard of this term, know that they use the same or a similar device in Louisiana, but they call it the โCajun Microwave.โ Itโs nothing more than a large box lined with metal sheeting, a grill halfway up from the bottom, and a metal tray suspended over the pig to contain coals.
As with many things related to ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐, and as crema de vie, the nameโs origin is not clear. Rumors are that the โ#CajaChina,โ which means โChinese boxโ in Spanish, was brought to Cuba by Chinese laborers who migrated to the island in the 1850s.
๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฉ๐!
Please remember to visit the Cuban Redneck website for full details of the recipes on this channel. Now to the seasoning for my Cuban style pork and Mojo; it is the same regardless of whether you make it on the grill, in the oven, or a Caja China. Nevertheless, I would recommend using powder seasoning, especially for the garlic, instead of the real garlic. That is to avoid any chance of it burning during the cooking process. Other than that, the basics for the Cuban Mojo are the same.
โ 1 tbs. of Salt
โ 1 tbs. of Black Pepper
โ 1 tbs. of Onion Powder
โ 1 tbs. of Garlic Powder
โ 1 tbs. of Cumin
โ 1 tbs. of Oregano or Italian seasoning
โ 3X Sour Oranges or about a cup (see the blog on how to get around this)
โ 2 tbs. of olive or vegetable oil
*These quantities are for every 6 lbs. of pork!
๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค
Until now, this Cuban pork recipe has been somewhat traditional. However, things are about to change. Instead of placing our Cuban pork shoulder in a baking dish and placing it in the over as 99% of YouTube videos recommend, we will wrap it, first in parchment paper and then aluminum foil. The objective is a very similar cooking technique used in Hawaii and other Polynesian cultures. In Hawaii, they wrap the pork with banana leaves and then bury it on the ground on top of coals. What this does is create a steam chamber at a very low temperature for many hours. The result is a fall off the bone pork like you never had before. The only difference is the ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ค and #Mojo taste profile, which is as unique as the Hawaiian cuisine.
Keeping with the tradition of how many #Cuban restaurants cook their pork shoulder, we are going to cook our pork at 250 degrees and 1.5 hours per pound. Yes, for our 11 lbs. pork shoulder, that means sixteen hours. That is why I usually cook this the day before the party, event, or whatever it is you are having! Once the cooking time has expired, take your pork out of the oven and let it rest untouched for at least one hour. Although it is still going to be hot and you need to be careful, we need to cut an H shape on the top. That will allow us to peel back the paper and foil, leaving the top exposed. With a brush, use the juices around your pork shoulder to brush the top several times. Place it back in the oven at about 6-8 inches from the broiler and broil it on high for 5-minutes. Then, you are ready to serve.
SPECIAL NOTE: You may want to trim the skin off the pork shoulder if it has a lot of fat. You can use this to make chicharrones (pork rinds) or even pork belly if you cut enough meat. Also, if this is your first time, I suggest using a smaller shoulder. I find that a pork shoulder about 6-8 lbs. works best with this recipe or cooking method.
Cuban Mojo
If you want to make more Mojo than what you have left, I suggest making it with real garlic and onion instead of powder. Simply put, two tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil (the rendered fat from the pork shoulder is better) over medium to low heat. Let it come up to temperature, then add 6-8 cloves of chopped garlic, about one-quarter of a thinly sliced yellow onion, half a teaspoon of cumin, salt, black pepper, and oregano. Cook slowly until the onions get translucent, take it off the heat, and let it stand before serving.
#CubanPork #CubanMojo #Oven #Recipe #PullPork #CubanoSandwiches #CubanPorkRecipe #RecipeForCubanPork #CubanPorkSandwich #CubanPorkMojo
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