Cuban Style Fried Pork or Masitas de Cerdo or Carne Frita de Puerco is a very popular Cuban dish and can be found on the menus of most Cuban sandwich shops and restaurants. These crispy yet succulent pork cubes are traditionally served with Sautéed Peppers and Onions, fried and mashed plantains (known as fufu in Cuba or mofongo in Puerto Rico), moros y cristianos (black beans cooked with white rice) or Black Bean Sauce and a fragrant rice pilaf.
Similar to Carnitas in that each recipe uses a two-step preparation method, the preparation of Cuban Style Fried Pork is quite different. Cuban Style Fried Pork is prepared by first making a mojo or marinade with a decided Caribbean twist; marinating the cubed pork in it for a long period imbues the pork with the marinade’s flavors and tenderize the pork at the same time, later the pork is drained and fried, both steps are very easy to do. You will be surprised how tasty Cuban Style Fried Pork is when you serve it at your home.
Prep Time: 40 minutes, Total Time: 55 minutes plus marinating time*. Serves 4.
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Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless Pork Loin or Pork Cushion Meat
- 10 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp coarse Sea Salt
- 1 tsp ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tb dried Oregano
- 1 tsp ground Cumin
- 1 tsp ground Allspice
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 1 cup freshly-squeezed Sour Orange or Lemon juice, OR ½ cup Orange juice AND ½ cup Lemon juice
- ¼ cup Cooking Oil (Olive/Canola Oil blend is recommended)
- 3 Tbs fresh Cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges for garnish
Preparation:
- Mince the garlic, salt and black pepper in a food processor, then mix in the oregano, cumin, allspice, olive oil and juice to make your mojo or marinade; let this rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- While the marinade is resting, cut the pork into 1 ½-inch cubes.
- Combine the pork cubes and marinade in a sealable container and refrigerate overnight or longer*.
- Remove pork from marinade, reserving the marinade.
- Add the cooking oil or lard to a wide frying pan over a high heat until the oil is shimmering.
- Add the drained pork cubes to the frying pan and fry the pork until it develops a crispy, golden brown crust.
- Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the reserved marinade to the pork in the frying pan; stir and continue to fry the pork until the marinade is absorbed by the pork.
- Add the fresh cilantro leaves and stir to mix well with the pork and remove from the heat.
- Serve Cuban Style Fried Pork, garnished with lime wedges and accompanied by a selection or two from suggested side dishes.
*Notes:
- You must prepare the marinade or mojo and marinate the pork cubes at least overnight; we recommend preparing the pork and marinating 24 to 30 hours prior to cooking for the pork to really absorb the flavors of the marinade. Believe us, the extra marinating time is well worth it for super tasty Cuban Style Fried Pork!
