Ingredients

• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 6 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 4 pounds Boston butt pork loin
• Guava-Mango and White Cheese Stuffing, recipe follows
• Guava Rum Glaze, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons rum
• 3 ounces preserved guava shells without syrup
• 3 ounces artisanal Puerto Rican white cow milk cheese, chopped into small pieces
• 1 whole mango, skinned pitted, and chopped into small pieces
• 3 ounces processed guava shells with syrup
• 3 tablespoons rum

Instructions

1. Make adobo seasoning by combining the peppercorns, garlic, oregano, salt, cumin, olive oil, and vinegar in a mortar and pestle or in a blender.
2. Remove skin and excess fat from meat, if necessary. Season the meat with the adobo seasoning the night before serving. Place in refrigerator overnight.
3. With a sharp slicing knife, make 1/2-inch wide incisions down the middle of the meat until open straight through the center of loin. Stuff the incisions with the Guava-Mango and White Cheese Stuffing.
4. Place meat in large heavy Dutch oven or ovensafe pot with lid and pour the glaze over. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for about 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Remove pot from stove and place in oven to braise for 1 more hour, turning the meat to rotate every 20 minutes. Remove meat from pot and allow to cool slightly.
7. Add 2 tablespoons rum to deglaze the pot. Pour the remaining sauce from the pot into a glass skimmer to eliminate fat.
8. To serve, slice the meat to showcase the colorful stuffing. Fan out the slices of meat over a pool of the sauce on a serving platter. Serve with stewed rice or mashed garlic-seasoned potatoes or plantains.
9. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl with a wooden spoon or your hands.
10. In a blender, puree the guava shells in their syrup and the rum. Use as a glaze for the meat.