Hispanic Heritage · Cuba

Ciego de Ávila

Ciego de Ávila · Morón · Chambas · Ciro Redondo · Florencia · Majagua

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Cerdo asado con mojo de piña

Descubre

Ciego de Ávila’s chapter explores roast pork with a pineapple mojo. Fruit and sour citrus join garlic, cumin, and oregano, bringing a sweet-tart variation to a familiar Cuban seasoning combination.

La Gente

The useful lesson is balance. Pineapple adds sweetness as well as acidity, while the pork develops savory flavor during roasting. Follow the marinating time and doneness guidance, then let the meat rest before slicing.

Sabor

Ciego de Ávila cooks the Cuban key with pineapple in the acid: sour orange and pineapple juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, bay, black pepper on the pork. Sweetness from the fruit and the roast. No heat.

Spice DNA · Sweet medium · Acid medium · Herb medium · Smoke medium · Heat none

Seasonings to explore

• Minced Garlic in Olive Oil. In the mojo. Adds a savory garlic base.
• Sour Orange Marinade 20. Half the acid in the mojo.
• Cumin Ground. On the pork.
• Oregano Whole. On the pork.
• Black Pepper Ground. On the pork.
• Bay Leaves Whole. Under the pork in the pan.
• Onion Powder. In the mojo with the fresh onion.
• Adobo with Pepper. On the skin before the roast.

From your market: a bone-in pork shoulder, a fresh pineapple or a can of juice, an onion, yuca to boil beside it. Badia does not sell the pineapple. Ciego grows the best on the island and any supermarket has one.

Cocina

Cerdo asado con mojo de piña

Pork shoulder marinated in sour orange and pineapple, roasted slow. The avileño lechón.

Serves 8

• 1 bone-in pork shoulder, 6 to 7 lb, skin on
• ½ cup Badia Sour Orange Marinade
• 1 cup fresh pineapple juice
• 4 tbsp Badia Minced Garlic in Olive Oil, or 10 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 onion, sliced
• ½ tsp Badia Onion Powder
• 1 tbsp Badia Oregano, whole
• 2 tsp Badia Cumin, ground
• 1 tsp Badia Black Pepper, ground
• 1 tbsp Badia Adobo with Pepper
• 2 Badia Bay Leaves, whole
• Salt

1. Mojo. Stir together the sour orange, pineapple juice, garlic, onion, onion powder, oregano, cumin, and pepper. Set aside a cup for the table.
2. Marinate. Score the pork skin in a diamond pattern. Rub with salt and adobo. Pour the mojo over it in a bag or a dish, turning to coat. Overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Roast. 325°F, skin side up, on the bay leaves in a roasting pan with the marinade poured around, covered with foil, 4 hours.
4. Crisp. Uncover, raise to 425°F, and roast 25 to 30 minutes more until the skin blisters and cracks.
5. Rest and slice. 20 minutes. Slice thick. Warm the reserved mojo and pour it over at the table.
6. Yuca con mojo, congrí or white rice and black beans, tostones. The rooster in Morón crows at noon. Eat then.

Pueblos de Ciego de Ávila

Ciego de Ávila · Morón · Chambas · Ciro Redondo · Florencia · Majagua · Baraguá · Venezuela · Bolivia · Primero de Enero

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