I am not Sol, but my Cuban SIL shared this recipe with me many years ago and I cook it often...

Lechon Asado

3 lb. pork loin roast
2 T mined garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 c sour orange juice (I buy the Kirby brand)
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/4 t ground bay leaves
1/2 t ground oregano
1/2 t ground cumin
1 Spanish Olive Oil

Remove excess fat and all of the skin from the pork roast. Pierce skin in several areas and marinate roast in the mixture of garlic, salt, juice, pepper, bay leaves, oregano cmin and olive oil for at least 1 hour.

Place roast in a pan with the fat side up and reserve the remaining marinade for basting. Roast at 350 until thermometer registers 165 degrees and the meat is browned.
Baste frequently with remaining marinade.

I usually turn the rost several times and roast with sliced sweet onion slices on the top. Serve with white rice, black beans, fried plantains and a simple salad - leaf lettuce, tomatoes, white asparagus and a viniagrette dressing. Flan for dessert!

This meal is our dinner for tonight - sometimes I will double the marinade.

Enjoy!

Thanks Andi...That sounds like a much leaner version than what I had. I don't believe I've ever seen sour orange juice round here. Is it bottled or frozen? and yes, I'd' double that marinade..it sounds very good.

I saw a similar recipe recently and wondered what sour orange juice was, too. It's from Cuba and is apparently available in Florida, as well as Latin grocery stores. I found this equivalent.

Bitter orange juice = bigarade orange juice = Seville orange juice = sour orange juice Substitutes: Mix 1 part lime or lemon juice + 2 parts orange juice OR 2 parts grapefruit juice + 1 part lime juice + dash orange zest OR 2 parts lime juice + 1 part orange juice

bump....

Sol. Anything to add?

Wow. I only missed this by a week? ;-
My apologies Maureen, my life's been a little topsy-turvy lately and my time on these forums is pretty limited.

Puerco Asado (Pork Roast) is a classic Cuban dish.
I highly recommend you first try the quintessential Cuban Garlic Sauce, Mojo Criollo (Moho Cree-o-yo). Make extra if you like, because it'll last for weeks, refrigerated, and you can use the sauce over pork, chicken and it's also served over root vegetables, like yuca (cassava).

Mojo Criollo

10 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
½ cup sour orange, or ½ cup sweet orange juice and ¼ cup each fresh lime and lemon juice
½ cup pure olive oil

Use a mortal and pestle or a food processor to crush the garlic and salt to form a paste (If using a food processor, make sure to keep it running when you drop the garlic in, so none of the cloves get buried under the blade.
Combine the garlic paste, onion and sour orange juice. You can refrigerate it at this point, or, leave it at room temperature for up to 1 hour.
Before you're ready to serve the mojo, heat the oil over medium-high heat, in a medium-size pan until hot, but not too hot or it will splatter when you add the Mojo. Add the garlic sauce, stir quickly and serve hot.

For a Cuban Pork Roast, you'll want to start this the night before serving. You can use a 4-5 lb. leg or shoulder of pork, a boneless pork tenderloin or if you're feeling really adventurous, a Lechón, which is a whole Suckling Pig.

Puerco Asado

5-6 pound leg or shoulder of pork
10 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup sour orange, or ½ cup sweet orange juice and ¼ cup each fresh lime and lemon juice
½ cup dry sherry
2-3 large onions, thinly sliced
freshly ground black pepper

Pierce the meat all over with the tip of a knife. With a mortar and pestle, or food processor, combine the garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt and mash into a paste. Rub the paste into pork and into the slits. Sprinkle generously with the black pepper. Add the sour orange juice, olive oil, sherry and onions. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning the meat several times.

Four or five hours before serving, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry, reserving the marinade.
Roast the pork, always with the skin side up, in an aluminum foil lined roasting pan. Roast 1 hour, turning to brown on all sides. Insert a meat thermometer. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F, pour the reserved marinade over it and cover loosely.
Cook for another 3-4 hours, basting frequently, until meat registers an internal temperature of about 160°F. You don't want to go over 160°F because once the pork is removed from the oven, and allowed to rest, the residual heat will continue cooking the meat. Remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of roasting. Remove the roast from the oven, and allow it to rest, covered, about 20 minutes before carving.
Serve with Mojo Criollo, and the traditional sides: Black Beans and White Rice, or Congrí; Tostones (Fried Green [not ripe] Plantains) or Yuca con Mojo. Enjoy Maureen.

Sol