Lechon Asado...Anybody Done It?

wdan · December 2003

Christmas Eve=Miami=Cuban Neighborhoods=Noche Buena=Lechon Asado.
I'm not going to be home, and therefore, not cooking on Christmas Eve, but I am going to cook on New Years' Eve. [p]I'm going to do an overnight low 'n slow pork butt. But instead of traditional southern pulled pork, I want to try this Cuban fare. The Cubans usually do a whole pig over a temporary cinder block pit. I'm going to approximate this by doing a butt on the egg. The pork is marinated and then while roasting, basted with a Mojo (no, this is not Austin Powers stuff, it's pronounced, Mo'-Ho). It's a sauce made of sour oranges, garlic, cumin, oregano and cilantro. The meat is served pulled, but more like Luau pork on a plate rather than southern USA bbq samiches.[p]I don't want to sound more learned than I really am with this dish (I've never made it!!!), but it does seem to be pretty basic.
Just wondering...has anyone done this before? I will gladly post results in a couple weeks. In the meantime, Feliz Navidad!

wdan · December 2003

WDAN,
Ah, so simple and I blew it! [p]I should have said, Feliz Navidad to all, and to all, a Noche Buena!

QBabe · December 2003

WDAN,[p]I've done this one before and it's most excellent. I tried it with a fresh ham but ended up cooking it too long for my tastes, though it sliced up well the next day. I've been really curious how a butt done this way would turn out...[p]Good luck with it and let us know how it turned out. [p]QBabe
:~)

[ul][li]Lechon Asado Recipe[/ul]

Wardster · December 2003

WDAN,
I have done this several times, but not on the Egg. Yes, yes, I know, I know....
I do it in a crock pot. Get the large bottle of Goya Mojo Crillo sauce, pour 2/3 in with the butt.
When done, pull it, drizzle with some of the cooked juices and pour remaining 1/3 of sauce on it.
I still use a traditional NC pulled pork bbq sauce on it.
If you do her on the egg, let us know how it turns out.

Unknown · December 2003

WDAN,
I haven't done it before , but had planned to do something very simiular from Mexico (wrapped in bananna leaves). My guess is it will be very good and the smoke won't have a problem penetrating the nanner leaves. Hope to see you results on the forum.

Marvin · December 2003

QBabe,
Great link! Thanks.

Buck Shot · December 2003

WDAN,[p]I have done this before. Both versions of the whole pig on concrete bolcks and the butt on the egg. Marinating the butt a while is a good thing to do. I also find in useful to take a knife and make some slits in the pork butt and stuff some garlic MoJo sauce, seasonings of your desire into the butt. I do not do this for pulled pork but for cuban pork it works nicely.
With the whole pig that is butterflied and you turn every three hours and can marinate and pour MoJo over when cooking it is different. On the egg I do not open the lid so to get the taste in there try the slits they work.

wdan · December 2003

Buck Shot,
Thanks. I was wondering about opening the egg to baste. I think I'll just keep my lid closed! Marinate it well with a whole bunch of slits and maybe tuck a few cloves of garlic in them too. Then, when done, why not slather on some more mojo and wrap in foil and put it in the cooler for a couple of hours like we do with Carolina style pull?

bbqnbeer404 · March 2018

Does anyone use wood for smoke? If so, what kind?

fishlessman · March 2018

bbqnbeer404 said:

Does anyone use wood for smoke? If so, what kind?

heres wdan's recipe, ive done it several times and its good, the mojo sauce needs more lime and some red pepperflakes wouldnt hurt. for the marinade 20 cloves garlic atleast

Pork, Butt, Lechon Asado, Mojo, WDAN, Cuban

As I mentioned during the December holidays, I did a low 'n slow pork butt called Lechon Asado for New Years' Eve. Oh yeah, baby! If you are looking for yet another excuse to do L&S pork butt, but want it different than traditional Carolina pull, try this! My guests loved it and I actually liked it too (I'm my own worst critic).While this is a Cuban Christmas Eve roast-a-whole-pig thing, I approximated it by doing a 9.5 lb pork butt on the egg.

INGREDIENTS:
Marinade (do it for 24 hrs)
12-15 Cloves as many as you're willing to mince) cloves garlic
1 Tbs kosher salt
2 tsp cumin (ground)
2 tsp oregano (dried)
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbs olive oil
It would be best if you can do this in a food processor and get it to turn out like a thick salad dressing...I was lazy and just hand-blended it all in a bowl...but it seemed to work just fine.
After 12- 24 hrs of marinating, egg the pig indirectly at a dome temp of 250-ish until meat internal temp is 200 -- just like you're doing a pull. My 9.5 lb butt needed a little over 20 hrs. I used some peach wood in the lump intead of doing my normal hic
The meat had a decidedly different flavor than the normal fair and was further differentiated by the Mojo sauce:
MOJO SAUCE
1 cup olive oil
12 cloves garlic (sliced thin)
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
ground black pepper to taste (~1 tsp)

Procedure:
1 Simmer all this in a sauce pan for about 20 minutes or so. Serve as a side dip for the pork.
2 Embellishments:
3 The meat is different than traditional pull, but not overwhelmingly so. The mojo does it right, but as someone mentioned when I first posted my intention of doing this cook, traditional Carolina vinegar sauce would be absolutely outstanding with this meat (refer to legendary Elder Ward documentation).
4 If you're looking for a different kind of pull, try this! The Cuban thing was a smash hit at my Anglo house. Black beans and rice were a perfect complement, not to mention the music!

bgebrent · March 2018

Thanks Fish! This looks good.

lkapigian · March 2018

A lot of thread resurrections , must be Easter

lousubcap · March 2018

@lkapigian - very well played!!

Lechon Asado...Anybody Done It?

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