Cuban-Style Grill-Roasted Pork on a Gas Grill
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
6¾ hours, plus 18 to 24 hours brining and 1 hour resting
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Pork and Brine
1 bone-in, skin-on pork picnic shoulder (7 to 8 pounds)3 cups sugar 2 cups table salt 2 medium heads garlic, unpeeled cloves separated and crushed4 cups orange juiceGarlic-Citrus Paste
12 medium cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped (about ¼ cup)2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon table salt 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper 6 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oilBefore You Begin
Letting the cooked roast rest for a full hour will yield noticeably more tender meat. This roast has a crispy skin that should be served along with the meat. Top the meat with Mojo Sauce (see related recipe). Traditional accompaniments include black beans, rice, and fried plantains.
Instructions
- With sharp paring knife, cut 1-inch-deep slits (about 1 inch long) all over roast, spaced about 2 inches apart. Dissolve sugar and salt in 6 quarts cold water in stockpot or large bucket. Stir in garlic and orange juice. Submerge pork in brine and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
- Process garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper in food processor until they reach consistency of coarse paste, about ten 1-second pulses. With machine running, add orange juice, vinegar, and oil through feed tube and process until mixture forms smooth, wet paste, about 20 seconds. Remove pork from brine and rinse under cool running water; pat dry with paper towels. Rub paste all over pork and into slits. Refrigerate pork until ready to grill.
- Turn all grill burners to high, close lid, and heat until hot, about 15 minutes. Scrape grate clean with grill brush. Turn off all except primary burner (burner that will remain on during cooking). Place roast with skin side up on cool side of grill, shielded with foil (see photos, below). Close cover and lower primary burner to medium or medium-high (grill temperature should be about 325 degrees). Cook until skin is browned and crisp and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 190 degrees, about 6 hours, rotating meat 180 degrees and removing foil shield halfway through cooking time.
- Transfer roast to cutting board and let rest 1 hour. To carve, first remove skin in one large piece. Scrape off and discard top layer of fat, then cut pork away from bone in 3 or 4 large pieces. Slice each piece against grain into 1/4-inch slices. To serve skin, scrape excess fat from underside and cut into strips. Drizzle Mojo Sauce (see related recipe) over pork just before serving.
to brine the pork
to apply the garlic-citrus paste
to grill-roast the pork
Time
6¾ hours, plus 18 to 24 hours brining and 1 hour restingYield
Serves 8 to 10Ingredients
Pork and Brine
1 bone-in, skin-on pork picnic shoulder (7 to 8 pounds)
3 cups sugar
2 cups table salt
2 medium heads garlic, unpeeled cloves separated and crushed
4 cups orange juice
Garlic-Citrus Paste
12 medium cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon table salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
6 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Pork and Brine
1 bone-in, skin-on pork picnic shoulder (7 to 8 pounds)
3 cups sugar
2 cups table salt
2 medium heads garlic, unpeeled cloves separated and crushed
4 cups orange juice
Garlic-Citrus Paste
12 medium cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon table salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
6 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Pork and Brine
1 bone-in, skin-on pork picnic shoulder (7 to 8 pounds)
3 cups sugar
2 cups table salt
2 medium heads garlic, unpeeled cloves separated and crushed
4 cups orange juice
Garlic-Citrus Paste
12 medium cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon table salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
6 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted a boldly flavored Cuban-style pork roast with crackling-crisp skin and tender meat infused with flavor. A gas grill gave us good control over the cooking process, making it easy to achieve perfect results. To give our Cuban-style pork roast added flavor, we again combined methods, first marinating the pork in a powerful solution that included two heads of garlic and 4 cups of orange juice, and then rubbing an exterior paste into slits cut all over the pork.
Before You Begin
Letting the cooked roast rest for a full hour will yield noticeably more tender meat. This roast has a crispy skin that should be served along with the meat. Top the meat with Mojo Sauce (see related recipe). Traditional accompaniments include black beans, rice, and fried plantains.
Instructions
- With sharp paring knife, cut 1-inch-deep slits (about 1 inch long) all over roast, spaced about 2 inches apart. Dissolve sugar and salt in 6 quarts cold water in stockpot or large bucket. Stir in garlic and orange juice. Submerge pork in brine and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
- Process garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper in food processor until they reach consistency of coarse paste, about ten 1-second pulses. With machine running, add orange juice, vinegar, and oil through feed tube and process until mixture forms smooth, wet paste, about 20 seconds. Remove pork from brine and rinse under cool running water; pat dry with paper towels. Rub paste all over pork and into slits. Refrigerate pork until ready to grill.
- Turn all grill burners to high, close lid, and heat until hot, about 15 minutes. Scrape grate clean with grill brush. Turn off all except primary burner (burner that will remain on during cooking). Place roast with skin side up on cool side of grill, shielded with foil (see photos, below). Close cover and lower primary burner to medium or medium-high (grill temperature should be about 325 degrees). Cook until skin is browned and crisp and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 190 degrees, about 6 hours, rotating meat 180 degrees and removing foil shield halfway through cooking time.
- Transfer roast to cutting board and let rest 1 hour. To carve, first remove skin in one large piece. Scrape off and discard top layer of fat, then cut pork away from bone in 3 or 4 large pieces. Slice each piece against grain into 1/4-inch slices. To serve skin, scrape excess fat from underside and cut into strips. Drizzle Mojo Sauce (see related recipe) over pork just before serving.
to brine the pork
to apply the garlic-citrus paste
to grill-roast the pork
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