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Masas de Puerco Fritas — Crispy Pork, Cuban Physics

Masas de puerco fritas with congri rice and grilled onions

Tía Cary aquí. Masas de puerco obey a law of Cuban physics: the pork must cook twice, in its own fat, and arrive at the table crackling. This is the dish of the roadside puesto and the Saturday backyard — pork shoulder cubes that spent the night in mojo, gave up their fat in a slow simmer, and then fried in it until the corners went crisp. With raw onion and lime on top, it is proof that four ingredients and patience beat any restaurant in town.

What are masas de puerco?

Mojo-marinated pork shoulder chunks, simmered tender, then fried golden in their own rendered fat — the Cuban cousin of carnitas, but with sour orange and oregano in its blood. Always finished with lime and thin raw onion.

The recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 3/4 cup sour orange juice (or lime + orange)
  • 8 cloves garlic, mashed
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 onion, sliced into thin rings
  • Lime wedges

Steps

  1. Marinate the pork cubes overnight in the sour orange, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.
  2. Put the cubes and their marinade in a wide, heavy pot with 1 cup of water. Simmer uncovered about 45 minutes, until the pork is tender and the liquid has evaporated to fat.
  3. Now let the pork FRY in that rendered fat over medium-high, turning occasionally, 10-15 minutes, until every side is deep golden and crisp-edged.
  4. Lift onto a platter, shower with raw onion rings and lime juice while blazing hot.
  5. Serve with congrí, tostones and more lime. Stand back from the platter or lose a hand.

Tía's rule: don't add oil and don't pour any off — the pork brings exactly what it needs. Trust the pig.

The full combinación

Cuban combination platter — masas de puerco, yuca con mojo, congri, mariquitas and tostones

At a Cuban restaurant this arrives as the combinación: masas over congrí, boiled yuca with mojo, tostones and mariquitas crowding the rim. Build it at home and watch the table go quiet.

Tostones on a wooden plate with green plantains and salsa

The masas pantry, shipped

The adobo and garlic for the marinade, the frozen tostones that finish while the pork fries, and the party case for when the backyard fills up. Frozen orders ship Monday and Tuesday so they never sit in a weekend warehouse.

Preguntas frecuentes

What are masas de puerco?

Masas de puerco fritas are Cuban fried pork chunks: cubes of pork shoulder marinated in mojo, simmered until tender, then fried in their own rendered fat until the outside crisps and the inside stays juicy. Served with lime and raw onion.

What's the difference between masas de puerco and chicharrones?

Chicharrones are about skin — fried pork skin or belly with crackling. Masas are lean-ish shoulder meat CHUNKS, mojo-marinated, with crispy edges but a tender center. Masas are dinner; chicharrones are an event.

How do you keep masas de puerco juicy?

Two-stage cooking: simmer the marinated cubes in a little water until tender FIRST, let the water evaporate, then fry them in the fat that remains. Frying raw cubes straight makes them tough before the center cooks.

What goes with masas de puerco?

The classic combinación: congrí or white rice with black beans, yuca con mojo, tostones or mariquitas, and lime wedges. Raw onion on the pork is not optional in my house.

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