Ask three Cuban cooks for their favorite pork dish and you might get three different answers: masitas, pernil or lechón. All three start with pork and garlic, but they come out very different on the plate.
Here's what sets them apart, and where to try each one at Capri Bakery & Restaurant in West Palm Beach.
It Starts With Mojo
Almost every Cuban pork dish begins with mojo criollo, a marinade of sour orange juice (naranja agria), a lot of garlic, oregano, cumin and oil. The acid in the sour orange tenderizes the meat, and the garlic soaks in overnight.
Mojo also shows up again at the table, warmed with onions and spooned over the pork or a side of yuca. If you can't find sour oranges, home cooks mix orange juice with lime juice to get close.
Masitas de Puerco: Crispy Fried Pork Chunks
Masitas (you'll see them on our menu as masas de puerco) are chunks of pork shoulder, marinated in mojo and seasoning, then cooked until tender and fried until the edges are crispy and golden. They're usually topped with sautéed onions and served with a wedge of lime.
The texture is the whole point: crispy outside, juicy inside. Masitas are a weeknight favorite and a regular on Cuban restaurant menus.
Try it at Capri: order the Masas de Puerco Fritas plate, served with congrí (or white or yellow rice), beans and one side, or get masas de puerco pressed on Cuban bread as a sandwich.
Pernil Asado: Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder
Pernil is a whole pork shoulder or leg, marinated in mojo and roasted low and slow for hours until it falls apart. It's sliced or pulled and served with its juices, onions and more mojo.
Pernil is the easy way to get holiday-style roast pork without a whole pig, which is why it's a favorite for family Sundays and smaller gatherings. It's also the roast pork in a classic Cuban sandwich.
Try it at Capri: Pernil Asado con Mojo Criollo is on the menu every day, and so is the Pernil Asado roast pork sandwich. Roast pork also goes into our Cubano Supremo.
Lechón Asado: The Whole Pig
Lechón asado is a whole pig, marinated in mojo and roasted until the skin turns into a sheet of crackling. It's party food. It's the centerpiece of Nochebuena on Christmas Eve, and it shows up at birthdays, graduations and quinceañeras too.
Roasting a whole pig at home usually means a caja china (a wooden roasting box) and a long day of work. At Capri, whole pigs are a house special, roasted on-site in a specially designed oven. Our Roast Pig Package is a 40 to 45 lb pig that feeds 20 to 25 people and comes with congrí and yuca con mojo or maduros. Read more about ordering a whole roast pig.
Masitas vs. Pernil vs. Lechón at a Glance
- Masitas: pork shoulder in chunks, fried. Crispy and juicy. Best for a weeknight plate.
- Pernil: a whole pork shoulder or leg, slow-roasted. Tender and garlicky. Best for Sunday dinner or a sandwich.
- Lechón: a whole pig, roasted. Crackling skin and plenty of meat. Best for a party or Nochebuena.
More Pork on the Capri Menu
- Chicharrón de puerco con yuca: crispy fried pork with yuca.
- Costillas en fricasé con papas: pork ribs stewed Cuban-style with potatoes.
- Chuletas de cerdo: pork chops, regular or smoked, with cooked onions.
- Capri's Mix Platter #2: fried pork, yuca, ham and cheese and croquetas for sharing.
See them all on the full menu.
Come Hungry
Capri is at 817 Southern Blvd, West Palm Beach, just east of I-95 and a few minutes from Palm Beach International Airport. We open at 5:30 AM Monday through Saturday and 7 AM on Sunday, and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. In a hurry? Order online for pickup.
Planning Christmas Eve? Read our guide to planning a Cuban Nochebuena.