Masas de puerco fritas

Ingredients

Pork

• 1.5 kgpork shoulder
• in 4 cm chunks, fat left on
• 1 tablespoonsalt
• black pepper

The marinade

• juice of 6 sour oranges
• naranja agria
• or juice of 4 oranges with 2 limes
• 10garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoonsdried oregano
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1onion, sliced

To cook

• 300 mlwater
• 3 tablespoonslard
• or oil

The mojo

• 8garlic cloves, crushed
• juice of 3 sour oranges
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1 teaspoondried oregano
• 100 mloil
• 1onion, thinly sliced
• salt

To serve

• lime wedges
• raw onion rings
• yuca or tostones
• cold beer

Directions

1. Cut the pork shoulder into large chunks. Leave the fat on rather than trimming it away. Trimming it lean gives a dry poor result. Leave it on and let it render out. Making the marinade is straightforward enough. Squeeze the sour orange juice into a bowl. Add the crushed garlic to the juice. Add the oregano and the ground cumin.
2. Add the sliced onion and plenty of salt. Combining it takes only a moment. Put the pork chunks into the marinade. Turn them so they are all coated well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it. Give it at least four hours to marinate. Lift the pork out of the marinade. Keep the marinade liquid for the pot. Pat the chunks reasonably dry.
3. Heat the lard in a wide heavy pot. Add the pork chunks in a single layer. Work in batches if the pot is crowded. Let them brown on all of their sides. Give them about eight minutes in total. Pour in the reserved marinade. Add the water to the pot as well. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and lower the heat right down.
4. Let it simmer for about an hour. The lid keeps the steam in the pot. Simmer it on for longer if it resists at all. It must be fully tender before you fry. Take the lid right off the pot. Let the remaining liquid cook away. It stops bubbling and begins to sizzle.
5. Let the pork fry in the rendered fat. Give it about fifteen minutes altogether. Turn the chunks as they colour. The outside should go deep brown and crisp. Add a little more lard if the pot runs dry. Leaner cuts may need the extra fat. Put the crushed garlic in a heatproof bowl. Add the cumin and the oregano to it. Add a good pinch of salt as well.
6. Heat the oil in a small pan until hot. It should be hot but not smoking at all. Pour the hot oil over the garlic. The hot oil cooks the raw garlic briefly. Let the oil cool for a minute or two. Add the sliced onion to the bowl. Citrus added to very hot oil spits badly. Taste the mojo and adjust the salt. It should be sharp, garlicky and strong.
7. Add more citrus if it tastes too oily. Lift the chunks out with a slotted spoon. Set them on kitchen paper briefly. They should be crisp rather than greasy. Pile the pork into a serving bowl. Spoon some of the mojo over the top.
8. Serve the rest of the mojo alongside. Scatter raw onion rings over them. Serve yuca or tostones alongside. Serve very cold beer alongside it. It must be eaten hot from the pan.

Technique

• The two-stage cooking is the whole method: the pork simmers covered until genuinely tender, then the liquid cooks away and it fries in its own rendered fat. Listen for the sound changing from bubbling to sizzling, which tells you the water has gone. The frying will not tenderise it further, so it must be fully tender before that stage.
• Leave the fat on the pork rather than trimming it away, since that fat is what the meat later fries in; trimming it lean gives a dry poor result.
• Mojo is made by pouring hot oil over raw garlic, which cooks it just enough to take the harsh edge off without browning it; let the oil cool for a minute before adding the citrus, since juice hitting very hot oil spits badly.

Substitutions

• Orange juice with lime stands in for sour orange, the bitter Seville orange used across Cuban cooking.
• Oil replaces lard for the frying, though lard is traditional.

Variations

• It comes from the same tradition and seasoning as lechón, the whole roast pork of celebrations.
• Yuca or tostones are served alongside as the starch.
• Raw onion rings and lime wedges go over the top to serve.

History

Cut from the same roast pork tradition as lechon; fried pork chunks are the standard beer and party food at Cuban gatherings.

Frequently asked questions

What is Masas de puerco fritas?

Masas de puerco fritas is a snack from Cuba: chunks of pork simmered then fried crisp, squeezed with lime and mojo. Cut from the same roast pork tradition as lechon; fried pork chunks are the standard beer and party food at Cuban gatherings.

How long does Masas de puerco fritas take to make?

Masas de puerco fritas takes 20 minutes plus marinating of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Masas de puerco fritas?

Yes, within limits. Orange juice with lime stands in for sour orange, the bitter Seville orange used across Cuban cooking. Oil replaces lard for the frying, though lard is traditional.

What is the most important thing to get right in Masas de puerco fritas?

Cut the pork shoulder into large chunks. Leave the fat on rather than trimming it away. Trimming it lean gives a dry poor result. Leave it on and let it render out. Making the marinade is straightforward enough. Squeeze the sour orange juice into a bowl. Add the crushed garlic to the juice. Add the oregano and the ground cumin.