What's on the Grill #293: Puerco Asado

Our trip to Key West last month opened my eyes  to Cuban food.  Before we left, I told my friend Gary I was going to get a Cuban cookbook, and thanks to Amazon, it was waiting for me when I got home.   Yea, Amazon Prime.

For reasons I’m not entirely sure, I fail to make pork roasts on a regular basis.  I need to remedy this, as the bone in pork roast I had a few weeks ago was fantastic, and this dish, Puerco Asado, or roast pork loin, was equally divine.

A little prep, some Cuban influence, and a pork roast is the making of an excellent grilled meal.

Puerco Asado
Adapted from Memories of a Cuban Kitchen

5 pound boneless pork loin
2 to 4 cloves of garlic
1/2 t dried oregano
salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup dry red wine

After trimming any excessive fat, score the top of the roast with a sharp knife.  Truss the roast…and excuse the poor job I did here.

Combine the garlic and oregano in a small bowl and mash together with a wooden spoon.

Place the roast in a pan, cover with the garlic paste, add salt and pepper.  Pour in the juices and wine.  Cover and refrigerator for at least two hours.

Prep the grill for indirect medium heat.  Since I was cooking a roast, I pushed the coals to both sides of the meat and placed a drip pan in the center.

Remove the roast from the marinade and pat dry. Place the meat on the grill.  Cover with the lid and grab a beer.  I highly recommend a probe thermometer to monitor the cooking process.

The use of a roasting rack is optional, or mandatory if you place the rack directly in the pan.

Normally I would cook a roast to about 145 F; however, the cookbook said to push it to 165 F, so I pushed it to 165 F.  Admittedly, I was a little nervous.  I didn’t want a dry piece of meat, and in the end, I didn’t.

Figure on a 2 hour plus cook.  

Once the temperature hits 165 F (checked with an instant read thermometer) remove from the grill, tent with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

Sometimes it pays to follow directions.  The roast turned out better than I expected.  Sweet and mildly pungent.  Delicious.  A great foray into my own Cuban kitchen.