Cuban-Style Roast Pork Recipe

1. To a blender or food processor add the garlic cloves, chopped onion, dried oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, grapefruit, lime, and orange juices, vinegar, and olive oil.

2. Blend or puree the ingredients together on medium speed until the garlic and onions are very fine, almost resembling a soupy paste.

3. Reserve 1½ cups of the mixture for the sauce and set it aside. The remainder will be used to marinate the pork.

4. Take the Boston butt and make 1-inch-wide slits, 4 inches deep into the meat (be careful not to hit the bone too hard with the knife). This will help the marinade penetrate the inner part of the roast.

5. Place the pork in a bowl or dish large enough to hold the meat. Pour the mojo marinade that’s still in the blender or food processor over the pork.

6. Give the pork a turn to coat it in the marinade and cover the dish.

7. Marinate the pork for 4 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. If the pork is not fully covered in the marinade, turn it over during the marinating time to make sure it’s getting all it can from the mojo.

8. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

9. After the meat has marinated, transfer it to a roasting pan (with or without a rack). Roast the pork, uncovered, for 3½ hours or until a thermometer inserted in the fleshiest part, not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees F.

10. When the roast is ready, remove it from the oven. The top will be beautifully caramelized from the sugars and the aromatics that were in the mojo.

11. Loosely cover the roast with a large piece of aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes while heating the reserved 1½ cups of mojo sauce*.

Sauce:

1. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon from the reserved mojo and stir together until no lumps of cornstarch remain.

2. Pour the mojo sauce and the cornstarch slurry into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat while stirring frequently.

3. Once the mixture begins to boil, lower the temperature and allow the sauce to simmer for 5 to 6 minutes while stirring occasionally to mellow out the garlic and onion flavors. The sauce is ready when it reaches the consistency of maple syrup.

4. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl. The mojo sauce may be served hot, cold, or at room temperature.

5. After the pork has rested, which allows the juices to settle down and not run when cutting the meat, use a carving knife to slice the roast.

6. Serve it with a side of rice and beans and plantains. Pour the sauce over the sliced portions of pork after serving.