Cuban 24-Hour Roast Pork
Created by Alison Mesrop

Cuban 24-Hour Roast Pork
This pork must marinate an entire day; it may be cooked a day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature or warm in a 200° oven before serving. Use leftovers to make Cuban paninis with pork, cheese and pickles.

Ingredients:
Serves about 12, with leftovers

Brine:

  • 1/2 cup fresh orange or tangerine juice
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked or sweet paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 cloves garlic , coarsely chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups cold water
  • 1 (5- to 6-pound) boneless pork shoulder roast , tied
Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup lemon or orange or tangerine sorbet
  • 2 tablespoons fresh tangerine or lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • Orange slices, for garnish (optional)
  • Chopped cilantro , for garnish (optional)
  • 24   Boston lettuce (about 2 heads), for serving
  • Fresh salsas (recipes below), for serving
To make brine: In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, salt, brown sugar, rosemary, paprika, peppercorns, oregano and garlic. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve, about 30 seconds. Pour into a large bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in water. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. Place pork roast in a large Ziploc bag. Pour brine over roast and seal bag. Place bag in a large bowl and refrigerate 24 hours, turning bag once.

Preheat oven to 300°. Remove pork from brine and transfer to a large roasting pan. Cover loosely with foil. Roast pork 6 hours, or until meat is very tender.

Remove pork from pan and set aside 30 minutes. Pour pan juices into a bowl and skim off fat (or refrigerate until fat hardens, then remove fat and discard). Set aside; do not clean pan.

Preheat broiler. Remove strings from pork and return pork to pan.

To make glaze: In a bowl, stir together sorbet, tangerine juice, brown sugar and lime juice. Spread pork with glaze and broil about 5 inches from heat until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove roast to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes. Add pan juices to other reserved juices and reheat in a saucepan.

Thinly slice pork roast and arrange on a platter. Drizzle with some of the hot pan juices; garnish with orange slices and chopped cilantro, if desired. To serve, place a slice or two of pork on a lettuce leaf, top with salsa, roll up and eat.