Cbanos

[MountainMan]

For years I've been just using my pulled pork in them...........

So the question is just how much better would they be if I replaced my pulled pork with lechon asado (Cuban roast pork)??????

[LYU370]

Do you mean Cubanos? Cuban sandwiches? I think lechon asado has a completely different taste than pulled pork. The one's I've cooked have been heavy in garlic. They are great in Cuban sandwiches.

[rookiedad]

more authentic. might not be better. maybe just different.

[robert-r]

2 different taste profiles. Give it a shot & let us know.

[CraigC]

I use a butt for Cuban pork roast. Using a pairing knife, I'll poke holes all over the butt, as deep as the knife will go, twisting the knife 360 to make pockets. My rub is a paste of garlic, kosher salt and cumin. When I rub the butt, I force the paste into the pockets. In a large (2 gallon) zip-lok bag, open and on its side, I make a bed of paper thin onions and set the roast on them. Then I pour freshly squeezed, sour orange juice over the roast (not letting it run out of the bag), seal it up and stick it in the fridge over night. If you can't get fresh sour oranges there is bottled "Naranga Agria" or you can use 1/2 and 1/2 orange juice and lime juice.

Depends on my mood whether I wrap the roast in banana leaves and foil or just cook it on the grate of my BGE. I use charcoal with no wood smoke, cook at 225 to 250 to an internal of 198 to 205, pulling temps.

When I remove the butt from the marinade, I keep the marinade to make a mojo. This is done by heating Spanish olive oil (about 3/4 the amount of the reserved marinade) in a deep sauce pan, over medium high heat until shimmering. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the reserve marinade, including the onions into the pan. Be very careful, you are adding liquid to hot oil! After the "fire works" have subsided, return the pan to the burner, reduce heat to simmer the mojo, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan and let cool to room temp. This roast will make a great meal served with black beans, white rice, yucca and either tostones or maduros. The mojo is good on the meat and yucca or as a dipping sauce for the tostones. Leftover pork makes great Cubanos and/or Media Noches. Cubans use a press for these sandwiches to toast the bread and melt the cheese. You can use two CI skillets and the oven as well.

[Nuco59]

You can bust out a pretty good "Cuban style sandwich" with pork shoulder cooked to about 170 and sliced- go heavy on the garlic. It may not be authentic- but it's pretty good.

Pulled pork is less authentic- but it still makes a darn good sandwich.

I've done the shoulder with the sour orange juice- and it's great- but we can't eat that many sandwiches to make it worth doing.

[Cook]

I make a take on the Cuban with Eastern NC chopped pork...I call it the Carolina Cuban. It's good.

[mawil1013]

For years I've been just using my pulled pork in them...........

So the question is just how much better would they be if I replaced my pulled pork with lechon asado (Cuban roast pork)??????

Authentic from my experience in Puerto Rico was the meat was cooked over coals, which adds a definitive taste.

Lechon Asado has a unique seasoning, olive oil, garlic, oregano, black pepper for a few solids? But all in all it is roasted pork shoulder (unless you got a whole hog laying around), Roasted Chicken with Adobo seasoning? This is the Cubano, for the Miami thumbing their nose at Castor they add ham.

To answer your question; and present a question; would it be better. You might not taste a huge difference if both are roasted over coals. I've eaten Cubano in a Dominican place too. The primary concern is roasted meat. IMHO

[MountainMan]

2 different taste profiles. Give it a shot & let us know.


OK so I did it I made the MOJO and marinated the pork in it, then baked and basted until in the 170 's.

Tonight I made a Cubano..............

It was GOOD, not better just a bit different and good.

My takeaway is that for me pulled pork is as good and vastly more usable in other dishes , so I'll stick with it.

The other BIG take away is about the bread.

It is hard to find a perfect bread (here in the mountains) that is not too hard or soft!!!!!!!

Poor me, poor me......