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Part II of this recipe can be found by clicking this link!
I love grocery shopping. I enjoy examining labels, selecting produce and proteins, and comparing juices. Choosing ripe mangos and avocados excites me, and I carefully flip through cilantro bunches to find the one most likely to last a week. I hunt through manager’s special carts like a prospector and feel a small thrill when I find a sale worth stocking up on.
*All of this assumes the boys are home with their dad — an Evil Genius in jest, but a great father — and not clinging to my legs begging for sugary cereal or darting around the store in mischief. If they’re with me, shopping becomes an exercise in chasing adorable chaos. But when they’re not, I take my time and enjoy the hunt.
I’m a firm believer in bulk-buying staples our family uses regularly. We buy olive oil, canola oil, potatoes, onions, flour, yeast, carrots, coffee, tea, dried beans, oats, peanut butter and, yes, toilet paper in bulk. With a large household, stocking up on these basics makes life easier. We usually have ample frozen meat, but sometimes a sale is too good to pass up. Recently my husband found pork shoulder for $0.69 per pound and brought home three of them — roughly 30 pounds total. I tucked two into the freezer and kept a 9-pound shoulder for one of my favorite things: slow-cooked shredded pork.
Pork is endlessly versatile, but this slow-cooked Cuban-style pork is my top pick. The long, gentle braise in the slow cooker yields meat that is deeply flavored, juicy and incredibly tender — the kind of pork that invites you to eat until you’re comfortably full. I’ll guide you through making the Cuban Pork and two standout sides: a fresh mango salsa and spicy black beans. The pork itself benefits from a bit of planning, but the hands-on time is minimal.
Don’t be intimidated by the timeline: this recipe spans a few days, but most of that is passive cooking and resting time. You’ll cook the pork on Day 1, let it rest overnight in the refrigerator on Day 2, and shred and finish it on Day 3. The payoff is a large batch of shredded pork that freezes well in individual portions and becomes the base for pulled pork sandwiches, burritos, pizzas, salads and more. It’s also perfect for entertaining because most of the work is done ahead of time.
*The black beans recipe will be available separately. Making beans from dried is easy and rewarding — you’ll have them ready as a hearty side for this pork.
This recipe yields a large amount of pork — more than most families will eat at once — but that abundance is intentional. Treat this dish as a component food: make it ahead, portion and freeze what you don’t need, and you’ll have quick meals ready whenever you need them. Now let’s walk through Day 1.
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Cuban Pork: Day 1
Ingredients:
- 1 (8–10 pound) bone-in pork shoulder that fits your slow cooker; trim or cut to fit if necessary
- 1/2 cup frozen 100% orange juice concentrate
- 1/3 cup lime juice (fresh or bottled)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 whole peeled garlic cloves (or 1 tablespoon granulated garlic)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
- 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 cilantro stems (no leaves), if available
Drizzle the olive oil into the slow-cooker insert to lightly coat the bottom.
Remove the pork shoulder from its packaging and rinse under cold water. Place the untrimmed pork in the slow cooker, fat side down. Flip it over so the fat side is up to give both sides a light coating of olive oil; a little oil helps flavor and prevents sticking.
Sprinkle the pork evenly with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes, distributing the seasonings over the surface.
Use a spoon to dollop the frozen orange juice concentrate over the roast so it melts into the spices while cooking. Pour the lime juice around the edges of the roast to add bright acidity.
Scatter the whole garlic cloves around the pork and add cilantro stems if you have them. The garlic will soften and infuse the meat with savory flavor during the long cook.
Cover the slow cooker and set it to HIGH for 1 hour. After that hour, turn the heat to LOW and continue cooking for about 12 more hours, or until the meat falls apart easily when tested with a fork. When the pork is tender, turn off the slow cooker and place the insert in the refrigerator to cool overnight. If your slow cooker doesn’t have a removable insert, transfer the pork and cooking liquid to a large, covered container and refrigerate.
Return on Day 3 to shred and finish the pork, and to prepare the spicy black beans. The mango salsa will follow as a bright, fresh side that pairs perfectly with the rich shredded pork.