Pellet Smoker Cooking: Cuban Pork Roast, Red Beans and Rice

Feb 24 2013

I had really not planned to cook Sunday; but when I was at the grocery Friday they had some pork sirloin bone in roasts for 99 cents a pound. I couldn’t pass that up; so I bought one 5.7 pounds. I have wanted to do some Cuban pork. I’d rather do a butt or shoulder roast but if this didn’t turn out I would not be out much money.

My recipe was a mix of several I looked at. The seasoning would be 2 Tbs. kosher salt, 2 tsp. ground cumin, and 2 tsp. dried oregano. I had the roast lying on plastic wrap in a large dish. I cut about 12 slits in the roast and inserted a half of garlic clove in each slit. I zested an orange and a lime then squeezed the juice over the roast. I rubbed the seasoning mix all over and into the slits. I chopped about 5 more cloves of garlic and put over along with the orange and lime zest. I wrapped it with the plastic wrap and two more sheets over the dish. This went into the fridge for overnight.

The roast had marinated about 24 hours when I put it on my Traeger at smoke mode 180 deg. for an hour. I then went to 250 deg. for a half hour while I made up some mojo sauce of 6 oz. fresh natural orange juice, juice of one lime, a tsp. of dried garlic flakes and a tsp. of dried onion flakes. I brought the sauce to a boil then set aside. I sprayed a foil pan with some olive oil and added about a cup of water.

I placed the roast in the foil pan, inserted my temp probe, brushed on some mojo sauce and went to 275 deg. for the rest of the cook. I brushed on some sauce about every half hour I had added to the pan. My Traeger was running closer to 290 deg. but I let it go at that and the roast hit 150 deg. IT after 4 hours total cook time. I tented it for a half hour while I got my sides prepared.

My sides were pretty easy, I did some Zatarains red beans and rice in my rice cooker and baked some corn pudding. I like the rice cooker, I can have it done early and set on warm hold and serve piping hot later.

After the roast had set a half hour I sliced it all off the bone and placed in a dish. I made some more mojo sauce from a half cup of the pan drippings, 6 oz. orange juice, juice of one lime, some dried garlic and onion flakes, and a couple pinches of ground cumin. I normally do not like a lot of cumin but I think it melds well with the orange and lime juice. I reduced the sauce by half then poured over the meat.

I served it all up with a take home and bake baguette with some good organic butter. My wife and I both thought this was great. She is not a bean lover but liked the Zatarains red beans and rice.

Pork Roast