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    Home » Recipes » Latin » Papi's Cuban Mojo Lechon Recipe

    Published: Dec 13, 2017 · Modified: Dec 21, 2022 by Cari · This post may contain affiliate links. · 2 Comments

    Papi's Cuban Mojo Lechon Recipe

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    Cuban lechon is a Noche Buena staple in Cuban culture. Depending on the size of your family, it's tradition to either roast an entire pig or just a paleta (pork shoulder).

    For this recipe, I'm sharing a traditional Cuban roast pork shoulder using my family's homemade marinade.

    Why you'll love it?

    It is perfect for any big celebration, it's keto friendly and it's packed with flavor. This is perfect for a crowd and can serve between 6-8 people.

    What do you serve with Cuban lechon?

    Cuban pernil is typically served with white rice, black beans yuca or congri.

    Ingredients

    • Bone-in skin-on pork shoulder
    • Cuban mojo marinade
    • Garlic
    • sea salt
    • Water

    Instructions to make this Cuban pernil

    • One to two days before you cook your lechon, begin the marinating process. I typically let the pork shoulder marinade between 24-48 hours. Using a medium size knife, make slits into the meat (not the skin side) and insert the garlic cloves deep into the meat. Then rub the sea salt all over the meat and skin of the pork shoulder. In a large oven-safe marinating bag, place the pork shoulder and the Cuban mojo. Place the bag in a 9x13 baking pan and place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
    • Once you're ready to roast, preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Remove the pork shoulder from the marinading bag and place it skin side up on a rack in a roasting pan
    • Pour the marinade that's inside the bag into the bottom of the roasting pan plus one cup of water.
    • Loosely cover the pork shoulder with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
    • Bake at 250 degrees for the first 2 hours then increase the heat to 350 degrees and bake until a meat thermometer reads 180° (about 5 hours)
    • Remove foil; broil until the skin is crispy, 5–10 minutes. Be sure to watch the pork closely while broiling the skin as it can easily burn.
    • Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving

    Top Tip

    Be sure to get the mojo and salt deep into the meat and especially into the cuts you place garlic in. Be sure to get that seasoning and marinade ALL over the meat. 

    Variations/Substitutions

    Don't like so much salt? Adjust the amount of salt to your preference. 

    Don't have time to make your own marinade? Storebought Cuban mojo will do in a pinch. 

    Check out these other Cuban recipes

    • Cuban mojo marinade
      Traditional Cuban Mojo Recipe (Cuban Citrus and Garlic Marinade)
    • cuban white rice
      Cuban White Rice
    • cuban black beans
      Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans
    • Traditional Cuban Arroz Con Leche Recipe
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Papi's Cuban Mojo Lechon Recipe

    Cuban style roasted pork shoulder
    Prep Time2 d
    Cook Time6 hrs
    Total Time2 d 6 hrs
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: cuban, latin
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 6kcal
    Author: Cari

    Ingredients

    • 1 6-8 Lb Bone-in skin-on pork shoulder
    • 3 cups of Cuban mojo marinade
    • 8 cloves garlic
    • ¼ cup salt
    • 1 cup water

    Instructions

    • One to two days before you cook your lechon, begin the marinating process. I typically let the pork shoulder marinade between 24-48 hours. Using a medium size knife, make slits into the meat (not the skin side) and insert the garlic cloves deep into the meat. Then rub the sea salt all over the meat and skin of the pork shoulder.
    • In a large oven-safe marinating bag, place the pork shoulder and the Cuban mojo. Place the bag in a 9x13 baking pan and place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
    • Once you're ready to roast, preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Remove the pork shoulder from the marinading bag and place it skin side up on a rack in a roasting pan
    • Pour the marinade that's inside the bag into the bottom of the roasting pan plus one cup of water.
    • Loosely cover the pork shoulder with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
    • Bake at 250 degrees for the first 2 hours then increase the heat to 350 degrees and bake until a meat thermometer reads 180° (about 5 hours)
    • Remove foil; broil until the skin is crispy, 5–10 minutes. Be sure to watch the pork closely while broiling the skin as it can easily burn.
    • Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving

    Video

    Notes

    Don't like so much salt? Adjust the amount of salt to your preference. 
    Don't have time to make your own marinade? Storebought Cuban mojo will do in a pinch. 
    Be sure to get the mojo and salt deep into the meat and especially into the cuts you place garlic in. Be sure to get that seasoning and marinade ALL over the meat. 
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.5lb | Calories: 6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.03g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 4718mg | Potassium: 18mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.04g | Vitamin A: 0.4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @FatGirlHedonist or tag #fatgirlhedonist!
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    Categories: Keto Friendly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Luz says

      July 16, 2021 at 5:22 pm

      Is the mojo you’re using store bought? If so, what’s the best brand to buy?

      Reply
      • Cari says

        July 20, 2021 at 8:06 pm

        It's not store bought! This is the recipe for the mojo - Traditional Cuban Mojo Recipe

        Reply

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    My name is Cari and I'm the person behind FatgirlHedonist.com. I'm born and raised in Miami (Hialeah if you'd like specifics) and proud Latina. I'm a single mom to a very curious toddler. I completed a culinary program in high school that made my love of food blossom, but my career went in a very different direction. No matter what turns my life has taken, cooking, baking and eating have always been three of my favorite activities. I'm lucky enough that I can have this blog as an outlet for those three passions.

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