Masitas de Puerco in Miami: Cuban Fried Pork Done Right

Masitas de puerco — literally "little pork pieces" — are chunks of pork shoulder marinated overnight in sour orange juice, garlic, cumin, and oregano, then deep-fried until the outside crisps and the inside stays tender. Served with white rice, black beans, sweet plantains, and a wedge of lime, they're one of the most complete Cuban plates you can order at a Miami cafeteria.

They're also one of the most consistently overlooked. Walk into any Cuban cafeteria in Miami and you'll see people pointing at the ropa vieja or the pollo asado without ever glancing at the masitas next to them. That's the dish this post is for.

What masitas de puerco actually are

The dish starts with pork shoulder — specifically the fattier, more marbled cuts that hold up to both the marinade and the fry. The marinade is Cuban mojo: sour orange (naranja agria), garlic, cumin, salt, and dried oregano. The pork soaks for at least a few hours — ideally overnight — before it goes anywhere near the fryer.

The frying is the step that separates masitas from every other pork preparation you'll find in Miami. The pork chunks go into hot oil until the outside develops a golden-brown crust and the fat renders slightly, leaving a surface that stays crisp even after plating. The inside stays soft, pulling apart along the grain. This isn't a quick fry — the pieces are large enough that they need several minutes to cook through without burning the exterior.

Masitas de puerco are common across Cuba and the Cuban diaspora, but they've taken on a specifically Miami character — served in cafeterias, at Noche Buena tables, and at weekend family lunches throughout Miami-Dade for decades.

What a real plate of masitas looks like at a Miami cafeteria

At Cafeteria Miami, masitas come with pork shoulder chunks — skin-on when the cut allows it — fried to order from the morning prep. On the side: white rice, black beans, sweet plantains (maduros), and a lime wedge. The lime isn't optional. Squeeze it over the pork before the first bite and you get the acid hit that the mojo was built around.

That's a full Cuban lunch plate, priced under $12 — the same format as the ropa vieja or the pollo asado. Where it differs is texture: masitas are the only plate on the steam table that has a crisp exterior. Everything else is braised or roasted and holds moisture. The masitas have a bark on them, and when they're made right, that bark doesn't go soft even if the plate sits for 15 minutes.

How to tell a real masita from a shortcut

Three things to check before you order:

• 1.
  The exterior should look golden-brown, not pale. Pale masitas either weren't fried long enough or sat in a warming tray and steamed themselves soft. Either way, you've lost the texture that makes the dish.
• 2.
  The pork should be chunky, not shredded or sliced thin. Thin-cut pork that's been fried is a different dish — chicharrón or vaca frita de cerdo. Real masitas are generous-sized pieces. The size is what allows the inside to stay tender while the outside crisps.
• 3.
  You should be able to taste the mojo. Sour orange and garlic have a distinctive flavor that doesn't disappear after frying — it intensifies slightly as the marinade concentrates in the crust. If the pork tastes like plain fried pork, it wasn't marinated properly.

If you've had masitas and found them bland, dry, or soft, the dish was either under-marinated or overcooked and held in a steam bath. Done right, they're as satisfying as anything else on the Cuban steam table.

Why December is masitas season in Miami

Masitas de puerco are on the menu at Cafeteria Miami every weekday. But there's a reason they peak in December: Noche Buena.

Christmas Eve in a Cuban household in Miami means lechón — whole roasted pig — and masitas are the weekday equivalent. For Miami office workers who aren't hosting a full Noche Buena but still want the pork-forward, citrus-marinated flavors of the season, masitas are the answer. They're the cafeteria expression of the same preparation: pork, mojo, fire.

December catering orders from offices that want something Cuban but not a full hot-plate setup often include masitas alongside ropa vieja and pollo asado as a mixed protein tray — giving guests a choice of beef, chicken, or pork in one order.

What to order alongside masitas

The standard plate — rice, beans, maduros — is already a complete combination. But if you're building a larger spread or ordering as part of a group, masitas pair naturally with:

• • A Cuban sandwich — the pressed Cubano has lechón as a core ingredient, so the flavors track well
• • Tostones (fried green plantains) if available — a starchier counterpoint to the crisp pork
• • A colada or cortadito to close out — the bitterness of Cuban espresso cuts through the richness of the pork

For group office orders with first-timers who don't know Cuban food, masitas are actually an easier sell than ropa vieja. Fried pork needs less explanation than braised shredded beef. Most people immediately understand what they're looking at.

Getting masitas de puerco in Miami

We serve masitas at Cafeteria Miami Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Order online for pickup — most orders are ready in under 10 minutes. Delivery is available across Miami via our zones or Uber Direct.

We're five minutes from MIA, ten minutes from Doral, and close enough to the airport corridor that a lunch run fits inside a Miami workday. Catering orders that include masitas as part of a mixed tray — alongside ropa vieja or pollo asado — need at least 24 hours notice. Call (786) 558-5374 or email catering@cafeteriamiami.com to book.

New to Cuban plates and not sure where to start? Read: Lunch near me in Miami — a guide for office workers →