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Roasted Lechón with Mojo

Prep 20 min
Total 24 hr 0 min
Ingredients 10
Servings 8

Roasted lechón pork with mojo is one of the most delicious dishes you can find. It takes a while to prepare it because you have to marinate the meat in the mojo for it to absorb all the flavor, but I assure you it will be worth it. Mojo is a wonderful sauce used in Cuban cuisine. You can prepare it using basic ingredients like garlic, bitter orange, salt, pepper and olive oil, but you can also add some herbs to get a different and special flavor. See how you like it better, and prepare that spectacular sauce you can use not only with roasted lechón pork, but also with cooked yucca and many other dishes.

Ingredients

1 cup bitter orange juice (or 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup lemon juice)
20 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
1 tablespoon dry oregano
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 rolled up lechón pork or pork loin
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

1

In a food processor pulse the bitter orange juice, garlic, parsley, cilantro, dry oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside 1/2 of this mixture.
2

Using the tip of a knife, make small cuts all along the surface of the pork and rub the mojo against it so it is all well absorbed. You can use cooking twine to tie it up if you want it to keep its shape.
3

Put the pork, in a glass container or in a plastic bag. Close the bag or cover the container to keep the aroma contained and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning it every once in a while.
4

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 °F.
5

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and take it out of the container or bag, and then dry it with a paper towel. In a pan, heat up two tablespoons of oil and sear the pork on each side.
6

Place the pork in a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Glaze with the juice released by the pork and continue baking for about an hour, or until the thermometer marks an internal temperature at 170 °F. When ready, remove it from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and set aside for a while.
7

Meanwhile, in a small pot, mix the lemon juice and olive oil with the mojo you set aside earlier. Heat up for about 10 minutes.
8

Cut the meat into thin slices and serve with the mojo. If you want, you can also add some lemon wedges.