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Cuban Lechon Asado

A Cuban roast ham marinated with garlic, herbs, sour orange juice, and sherry, slow‑roasted until tender.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Cuban Lechon Asado

Oven350°F, then 325°F

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Trim the excess fat off the pork leg and make shallow slits all over the pork with the tip of a knife.

  2. Mash the garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, bay leaf, and olive oil to a paste in a mortar.

  3. Rub the paste all over the roast, forcing it into the slits.

  4. Combine the sour orange juice, sherry, and onions in a small bowl.

  5. Place the roast in a large, heavy plastic bag and add the sour orange juice mixture, ensuring the roast is fully covered.

  6. Refrigerate and marinate the roast in the bag overnight, turning occasionally.

Roast

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Drain the roast and pat it dry, reserving the marinade.

  3. Place the roast in a lightly oiled, nonreactive, heavy roasting pan.

  4. Cook the roast for 1 hour, turning once or twice to brown it on all sides.

  5. Reduce the heat to 325°F, pour the marinade and onions over the pork, and tent the pan with heavy‑duty aluminum foil.

  6. Continue roasting the pork, basting from time to time with the pan juices, until almost cooked, about 1 hour; add a little water or sherry if the pan dries out.

  7. Uncover the roast and continue cooking until the internal temperature reads at least 150°F, about 30 minutes more.

Rest and serve

  1. Let the roast stand for 10 minutes before carving.

  2. Serve with black bean soup, white rice, fried sweet plantains, and flan for dessert.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

680Calories
52 gProtein
35 gFat
37 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 14 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pork100g cooked242
Ham100g cooked145
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Sour Orange1 medium (131g)62
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together983 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,756 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Clove + cumintop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,306 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Fresh ham (pork leg)
Forms the main meat; its connective tissue and fat soften into a moist, tender roast during long cooking.
Garlic
Adds pungent aroma that mellows and deepens during roasting and marinating.
Sour orange juice
Acidity tenderizes the meat surface and brightens the rich pork flavor.
Onions
Sweetness and moisture from the marinade caramelize slightly and flavor the pan juices for basting.
Cumin
Contributes warm, earthy aroma that penetrates the meat through the slits.
Dry sherry
Adds aromatic depth to the marinade and helps keep the pan moist during roasting.

The step that matters

Uncovering and finishing the roast to 150°F. Pork cooked too long loses moisture as its proteins tighten, so checking the internal temperature and resting the meat before carving helps keep it juicy.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, pork, garlic, oregano, cumin, pepper, olive):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Rosemaryfits better
  3. Marjoramfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against ham, pork, garlic, oregano, cumin, pepper, olive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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