Year of the Pig: Celebrate the New Year with a Feast of Roast Pork
(Photograph by Christopher Testani)
At New Year’s festivities from China to Portugal and Austria, there’s one dish served as a harbinger of good luck: roast pork. Why pork? It has to do with the way the animals root, pushing ever forward to a better-fed future. Nowhere is the dish more beloved than in Cuba, where it takes center stage at nearly every possible occasion — “Christmas, New Year’s, birthdays, or just because,” says Guillermo Pernot, the James Beard Award–winning chef-owner of Philadelphia's Cuba Libre and a pioneer of Nuevo Latino cuisine.
Related: The Surprisingly Easy Way to Roast a Whole Pig
Pernot was born in Argentina, but his wife is Cuban, and it didn’t take long for the chef to embrace her native cuisine. He now leads food tours of Cuba, where he has sleuthed out the secret to the greatest Cuban pork dish of all, lechón asado: pork marinated in citrus and spices, then slow-roasted until falling-apart tender. Pernot prefers the shoulder because the cut’s abundant fat and connective tissue melt during long roasting, making overcooking nearly impossible. Serve it with a garlicky mojo sauce, a tangy slaw, and a pinot noir or cold beer.
Related: A Beginner’s Guide to Smoking Meats
Sour Orange Mojo (Serves 4)
1 cup olive oil
10 garlic cloves, minced
½ onion, minced
juice of 1 large orange
juice of 8 limes
½ teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in juices, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, and a cup of water, and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, add remaining oil, and let cool. Stir in parsley and serve.
Related: How America’s Best Chinese Restaurant Prepares Pork Belly
Lechón Asado (Serves 4)
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, tied
4 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
Juice of 6 fresh limes
2 cups orange juice concentrate
1 cup olive oil
1 quart water
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Marinate the Pork
Make 3-inch slits over entire surface of the meat, and rub generously with salt and pepper. Mix remainder of ingredients in a deep, heavy-bottomed roasting pan. Add pork and enough water to bring liquid halfway up the sides of the meat. Marinate for 4 hours or up to 3 days.
Related: The Secret to Making a Perfect Cuban Sandwich
Complete the Dish
Preheat oven to 325°. Cover pan and roast the pork, in the marinade, for 4 hours. Uncover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. (Pork is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 140°.) Remove meat from pan and allow to cool. Cut into large chunks and serve with Sour Orange Mojo (above).
Vigorón Slaw (Serves 4)
Slaw:
2 cups green cabbage, sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced paper thin
1 jalapeño chili, sliced into paper-thin wheels
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
vinaigrette
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
6 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, onion, jalapeño, and tomatoes. Set aside.
Whisk together lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, cilantro, brown sugar, and salt. Set aside and allow flavors to meld for at least an hour before tossing with slaw, then serve.
By Daniel Duane
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