Cuban Style Pork and Special Sauce
This is a guest post by Scott Phillips of Get Your Grill On.
Instead of seasoning the pork with a dry rub, I went with a thick, flavorful marinade of garlic, red onion, and a few well chosen herbs and spices. As good as the marinade was, though, it was the “Special Sauce” that really took it to the next level. In our household, any sauce (BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce, chocolate sauce, etc.) that rises above the ordinary is deemed “Special Sauce” and carefully notated in a small black book for the betterment of all humanity. Those rarified concoctions that elevate themselves to the highest levels of yumminess are designated “Secret Sauces.” Secret sauces are never written down, only committed to memory and prepared late at night with the shades drawn and the lights off, hidden from the unwashed masses.
This sauce will remain pretty thin, but be sure to simmer it over low heat for about an hour to develop it’s flavor. Leave the fresh cayenne peppers as long as you think necessary. About fifteen minutes will make your lips tingle pleasantly, a full hour is even better if you like the hot stuff.
Instead of seasoning the pork with a dry rub, I went with a thick, flavorful marinade of garlic, red onion, and a few well chosen herbs and spices. As good as the marinade was, though, it was the “Special Sauce” that really took it to the next level. In our household, any sauce (BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce, chocolate sauce, etc.) that rises above the ordinary is deemed “Special Sauce” and carefully notated in a small black book for the betterment of all humanity. Those rarified concoctions that elevate themselves to the highest levels of yumminess are designated “Secret Sauces.” Secret sauces are never written down, only committed to memory and prepared late at night with the shades drawn and the lights off, hidden from the unwashed masses.
This sauce will remain pretty thin, but be sure to simmer it over low heat for about an hour to develop it’s flavor. Leave the fresh cayenne peppers as long as you think necessary. About fifteen minutes will make your lips tingle pleasantly, a full hour is even better if you like the hot stuff.
Author: Scott Phillips
Ingredients
Cuban Style Pork
- 1½ to 2 pound Boston Pork Butt
- 10 cloves garlic (six sliced in half for the pork and four for the marinade)
- ½ red onion
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano
- juice of one lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Special Sauce
- 1½ cup Non-alcoholic Sangria Soft Drink
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 fresh cayenne peppers, halved
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato catsup
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
Cuban Style Pork
- Halve six cloves of garlic. Make 6 deep slits into each side of pork butt and push ½ clove of garlic into each. Put remaining ingredients into food processor and blend until fully combined. Refrigerate pork butt and marinade in a large ziplok bag overnight. Smoke on grill or smoker for about 2 hours until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
Special Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour.
