This Authentic Cuban Pork Roast is my Tio Jose's family famous recipe!
My uncle makes this pork roast every year for Noche Buena and there's rarely any left-overs! If you come from a Cuban family you know that we sometimes roast the entire pig...well, that's a lot of work! This pork roast or "Pernil Cubano" is just as tasty and much easier!
If you'd like an even EASIER version, make sure to check out my SLOW COOKER CUBAN PORK!
It starts with the glorious MOJO marinade. I like to make my own for this to ensure that it's packed full of flavor!
Here's what you need to make the Authentic Cuban Pork Roast:
- 15 pound bone-in pork butt (give or take a pound)
- ½ cup olive oil
- cloves from 2 whole heads of garlic peeled
- ⅓ cup sour orange juice
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 1 large naval orange)
- ¾ cup fresh lime juice (about 8 limes)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
- ¼ cup fresh packed cilantro leaves
Everything (except the pork of course) gets thrown in a blender or food processor and you're mojo is done!
Here's the secret to making sure your pork is juicy and full of flavor:
The secret is INJECTING the entire pork and letting it marinade from the inside. I strongly suggest buying a MEAT INJECTOR. It's the only way to make sure a cut of meat this large will be flavored all the way through.
Once injected with the mojo, the pork gets covered and marinated over night (or at LEAST 6 hours) then it's cooking time!
The pork gets cooked low and slow at 275 for 7 hours. The results are a tender, juicy, Cuban pork that your family will go crazy for!
We like to serve our pork (aka pernil) with white rice and black beans. You can use the recipe for MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER'S CUBAN BLACK BEANS to make a truly authentic Cuban meal!
After cooking and a little rest time, you can shred the pork and serve!
For an even easier version, make sure to check out my SLOW COOKER CUBAN PORK!
If you'd like to use these fun "bear claws" for shredding, you can FIND THEM HERE.
Authentic Cuban Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 10-15 pound bone-in pork butt (give or take a pound)
- ½ cup olive oil
- cloves from 2 whole heads of garlic peeled
- ⅓ cup sour orange juice
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 1 large naval orange)
- ¾ cup fresh lime juice (about 8 limes)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
- ¼ cup fresh packed cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients (except the pork) in a food processor or blender and blend until completely liquified.
- Line a roasting pan with foil and place the roasting rack in the pan. Place the pork, skin side down on the roasting rack. Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Using a meat injector, inject all of the marinade into the pork.Try not to puncture the skin underneath. I like to go in from the side to make sure I'm not puncturing the skin. Just try to inject as many spots as you can to really get the marinade throughout the entire pork. (If you feel like you've maxed out on the inside of the pork, just take any left over marinade and rub it all over the outside of the pork)
- Cover the pork with foil as tightly as you can to create a seal. Refrigerate overnight or at least for 6 hours. (I prefer overnight but 6 hours will do if you're shorter on time.)
- After marinating, heat your oven to 275. Once heated, add the covered pork and cook for 7 hours.
- After the 7 hours, uncover the pork. It should be falling off the bone easily at this point. You can pull at it with a fork to check.
- Keeping the pork uncovered, set your oven to broil. Broil the top of the pork for about 5 minutes or until it has a nice golden brown color. Using oven mitts and tongs, carefully turn the pork skin side up, and broil the skin side for another 5 minutes or until it's crispy on the top.
- Let the pork rest for 15 minutes before shredding.
Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites says
I love Cuban pork sooo much! This recipe is perfection and great in so many ways!
Coco and Ash says
Thank you Lauren!
Stephanie says
Love the sound of that mojo. I'm sure this is just packed with a ton of flavor. And slowly cooking makes everything better.
Coco and Ash says
Thanks Stephanie! The Mojo is good on so many different things! 🙂
Lisa says
Very delicious! Your recipe used 1/4 cup of salt. I thought it was too much so I changed it to 1 Tbsp when I made it. It was great the 1st day eating it but then it became too salty as leftover the next day. Overall, this recipe was delicious!
Coco and Ash says
Glad you were able to make it work for you!
Laurel Mccorquodale says
I use kosher salt so it was fine for us!!!
The recipe is awesome
Elaine Benoit says
I love authentic recipes and this looks so delicious! I don't eat enough Cuban dishes and now I can rectify that by making your delicious roast!
Coco and Ash says
Thank you Elaine! I hope you get to try it!
Lisa Bynum says
Just pinned this! I have a pork butt in the freezer that I bought a few weeks ago on sale. Couldn't decide what to do with it, but now I think I have my idea. I've never tried injecting my meat with the marinade, but now I'm intrigued.
Coco and Ash says
Thanks so much Lisa! Injecting it really gets that flavor all the way through!!
Linda says
I love Cuban pork and get some of the best of the best here in South Florida. I love your recipe as I haven't seen one that injects the mojo but I bet it turns out so moist and flavorful that it is well worth the effort. And black beans and rice are a must with this meal. Can't wait to give it a try!
Coco and Ash says
I hope you get to try this one Linda! Our family has been making it this way for years! 🙂
Christie says
Hi Mindy!
I have a question. Probably a dumb one 🤣. I’m not clear on the part where you say to put the roasting rack in the pan with water. Do you roast it w the water or do you refrigerate that way?
Not sure what the point of the water is.
Help!
Thanks!
Coco and Ash says
Hi Christie! Sorry it was confusing. It gets roasted with the water in the bottom of the pan. It just creates some steam during the cooking process. I only do it before I put it in the refrigerator so that I don’t have to open up the foil again. 🙂 I hope that makes sense!
Joe Tane says
does it have to be a "bone in" roast?
Coco and Ash says
For the most flavor and moisture...yes 🙂
Sherry says
We have a rotating dinner for 6-8 on sundays and this week is me making Cubans. I must say that 15# is A LOT or meat, how many does this typically feed?
Coco and Ash says
Hi there! You definitely wont need that much then. This feeds about 15-20 🙂
Edmund says
This recipe looks great! If you cook a smaller pork butt that is 4-7 pounds instead of 15 pounds, how do you adjust the cooking time?
Coco and Ash says
The pork roast usually takes 1-1/2 to 2 hours per pound. If you pull at it with a fork and it doesn't easily come apart, it's not done 🙂
Stacy says
I’m confused. The recipe says cook for 7 hours for 15lbs (which is 30 mins/lb) But you say 1 1/2 - 2 hrs per lb. So should the 15lb pork be 22-30hrs or should the 4-7lb roast be only 1 3/4 - 3 1/2hrs? Thank you
Coco and Ash says
Sorry for the confusion! I would still do a smaller pork for the 2 hours per pound. It's not all about heating it to temp but the pork needs to be in the oven long enough to break down the meat and make it tender. So, small or large, you're still going to have it in the oven for about 7-8 hours. Think of it kind of like a slow cooker (since you're cooking on a low heat). I hope that makes sense!
When in doubt, just pull at a piece with a fork, if it doesn't fall right off, keep cooking 🙂
Chelsea says
This pork is 100% delicious!! I love how tender it is and all the leftovers it makes. Thanks so much for sharing!
Coco and Ash says
Thank you!
Julia Markley says
Hey! What if I can't find Sour Orange?
Coco and Ash says
You can sub in lemon or lime juice 🙂
Hilary Glenn says
What if I don't have a meat injector?
Coco and Ash says
You can just poke holes all over the pork and then marinade. Just run it in as best you can. It will still have plenty of flavor! 🙂
Measie James says
Thank you for sharing your family's recipe. I just made the marinade and injected the pork. I can't wait for the end result tomorrow. I'm only making a third of the pork, so I narrowed down the marinade. But was wondering if I made the entire batch of Mojo could I freeze the leftovers for another roast or recipe later? I'm going to start with cuban sandwiches. I'll have to find your Cuban Black Beans recipe for the leftovers.
Coco and Ash says
You can definitely freeze the mojo and the pork! I hope you love it! I have 2 recipes that I use for beans. A traditional one and a quick one. Here are the links: https://www.cocoandash.com/quick-cuban-black-beans/
https://www.cocoandash.com/cuban-black-beans/
Pamela says
I am marinating my 5 pound pork roast now I would like to know if I could cook it on the grill outdoors or in a smoker😋
Pamela
Coco and Ash says
Hi Pamela! I’ve never smoked or grilled it but I would just recommend searching your cooking times and cooking the pork to the safe internal temp. It should be a low and slow cook time. Hope that helps!
Kai says
I am currently on my 3rd time around making this...I usually do it for a big party and get HUGE raves! I make it as Cuban tacos with the black beans and rice and make a mango salsa. Absolutely delicious! Cannot wait till tomorrow!
Coco and Ash says
Sounds amazing!!
Stefan says
My family loved it. I've made it several times and each time, the terrific flavors of garlic and the other spices come thru.
Injection is absolutely essential and waiting a day after injection before cooking are keys to this, I think.
Finally, make sure to use sour orange because that mellows the other strong ingredients and adds that special tang. To those who don't like raw cilantro: this needs cilantro to make it go and when it is mixed, it's terrific with the other items.
Coco and Ash says
So happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed the pork!
Paula says
Do serve with any sauce or garnish?
Martine says
This recipe is so delicious. I've made it several times now. It really is perfect just as it's written. But because I'm unable to completely follow any recipe exactly, I put a bit more cumin, just because I love cumin. In summer I've done the cooking on our pellet smoker, which gives it a nice smoky element to add to the great garlic content. Be sure to make the recipe for cuban black beans to go with it, because it is totally authentic as well as really really yummy. Totally worth the time planning ahead to soak the beans. And I'm not even super into beans usually.
Roger Graham says
I slow cook my pork butt low and slow on a Komoto Joe style smoker. I generally do two pork butts at a time since it is the same amount of time and effort; then I freeze the massive amount of leftovers in 12 Oz bags. It reheats so well, I use it in tacos, chilli and sandwiches.
Do you know where I can find authentic receipes for fried Plantains and Cassava to complete this feast?
Rita says
Good morning! There are many opinions on covering or not covering a pernil while cooking. Your recipe covers it. Does the skin still get really crispy after broiling or is there any sogginess to it ? Your recipe sounds deelish ❤️
Coco and Ash says
Hi Rita,
The fat will still render in the heat but I do broil it at the end to get that crispy skin 🙂 Keeping it covered helps retain more moisture in the pork meat.