Papi's Cuban Mojo Lechon Recipe

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

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Papi's Cuban Mojo Lechon Recipe

Cuban style roasted pork shoulder

Prep Time2 days d

Cook Time6 hours hrs

Total Time2 days d 6 hours 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

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