Each month, close friends and family come over a themed dinner I prepare. It’s something I’ve been doing for years and it’s become a tradition to have a big feast, catch up with everyone and really take in the quality time spent with each other. This past weekend was our June dinner event and our theme was the Caribbean! I prepared a few dishes with the tropical vibe in mind and it was a delicious success. It was especially good seeing that there were no leftovers lol.
On our menu were the following dishes, with the appetizers, desserts and drinks not shown (sadly):
Root Vegetable Chips (including taro, batata, yuca & plantains)
Sweet Onion Cassava Chips
Jerk Chicken Skewers with Creamy Cucumber Sauce
Coconut shrimp
Island Pork Roast
Mango Chutney for both shrimp & pork
Coconut Rice
Seasoned Rice & Pigeon Peas
Pineapple Coconut Cheesecake
Tortuga Rum Cake
(Filipino) Halo Halo Shake
Mai Tais
Strawberry Daiquiri Mocktail
Pina Colada Mocktail
Pineapple Cream Smoothies
Mango Smoothies
It was an amazing night where we not only feasted but enjoyed some backyard fun. Since it was such a hot and humid evening, after dinner, we went outside and had ourselves a good old water balloon fight with the kiddies. And the kids took it further with a water sprinkler and a few rounds down the Slip & Slide!
The biggest hit of the night was my Island Pork Roast. I was originally going to prepare a full crown roast but knew it would be too much food for our intimate group of 12 + kids. So I opted for half a crown and it was the perfect amount. This roast is coated with a flavorful rub of citrus juices and spices overnight so the pork has a chance to really absorb everything. However, the key to the recipe is not so much the marinade, but the technique in roasting.
The pork is slow roasted for 2 1/2 hours at a low heat. Then, the oven is turned off and roast remains in the oven for 45 minutes to lock in the juices. After the brief resting period, the oven is turned back on at a higher temperature and the roast continues cooking for another 20 minutes…. all without opening the oven during the 3 1/2+ hours. After the quick roast at a higher temperature, the pork is removed and is set to rest for 15 minutes before it can be cut and served.
Sounds crazy? Perhaps. But is it worth it? Definitely!
Island Pork Roast
marinade recipe from Food
Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons key lime juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 dash ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
5 lb bone in pork crown roast
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl large enough for your pork roast to sit in; whisk to combine.
Place roast in marinade and coat thoroughly. Keep thickest part of roast in marinade to absorb flavors. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Discard marinade and transfer marinated pork roast to a roasting rack set in a foil- lined roasting pan. Roast for 2 1/2 hours.
Without opening the oven, turn the oven off and leave roast inside the oven to rest for 45 minutes.
Warm oven to 375 degrees and allow pork to roast a second time for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, tent with foil for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
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