Recipe

Cornmeal with Pork and Cuban Sofrito

Name: Cornmeal with Pork and Cuban Sofrito
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: 450 g (1 lb) boneless pork loin, cut into 1–1.5 cm cubes; ¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine salt; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil; 1 medium onion (about 200 g), finely chopped; 1 medium green bell pepper (about 150 g), finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic (about 15 g), crushed; ½ cup (120 ml) tomato sauce; 1 bay leaf; 1 cup (240 ml) low-salt light chicken broth; 1 cup (about 145 g) dry fine yellow cornmeal ( fine yellow cornmeal ), non-precooked; 1 cup (240 ml) cold water; Hot light broth, as needed to complete 3 cups (720 ml) together with the stew juices (calculate about 2½ cups); ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt, or to taste; 1½ cups (360 ml) hot light broth, reserved

Savory, creamy cornmeal served with a spoon, featuring chunks of pork loin and a Cuban sofrito of onion, bell pepper, garlic, and tomato.

CiberCubaNovember 6, 2026

Image generated with AI.CiberCuba

Preparation20 min
Cooking1 h 15 min
Total time1 h 40 min
Servings4 main course servings
DifficultyEasy

Cornmeal with pork is the savory version of a lifelong home dish in Cuba: yellow cornmeal cooked slowly in a pot, with sofrito and chunks of pork, served piping hot in a deep bowl. It is midday food, the kind that fills you up and is eaten with a spoon.

Here the base is fine dry cornmeal (the yellow cornmeal found in any US supermarket), non-precooked, with cubes of pork loin and a well-made criollo sofrito. This is not the sweet cornmeal with milk and cinnamon, nor a stewed tamale, which is made with grated fresh corn and has a different flavor and texture. If you are looking for a savory, flavorful, and creamy cornmeal, this is the one for you.

Method

The pork and sofrito

Measure 1 cup (about 145 g) of fine yellow cornmeal into a bowl and set aside. Check that it is dry, loose, fine-grain cornmeal, raw.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
Pat the pork cubes dry with paper towels and season them with the salt, pepper, and cumin.
Heat the oil in a 4–5 liter (4–5 qt) heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Brown the pork in two batches, without crowding, 5–6 minutes per batch, until colored on all sides. Remove to a plate.
Reduce to medium heat. In the same fat, sauté the onion and bell pepper for 5–6 minutes, scraping the bottom, until soft. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and let it sit for 2 more minutes.
Return the pork with its juices, add the bay leaf and 1 cup (240 ml) of broth. Cover and cook over low heat for 15–20 minutes, until the pork is tender and well cooked inside (minimum 63 °C / 145 °F).
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
Measure the liquid: tilt the pot and pour all the juice you can drain into a measuring jug, holding the meat with the spoon. Complete with hot broth up to 3 cups (720 ml). Pour it back into the pot, remove the bay leaf, and bring to a gentle boil.

The cornmeal

In the bowl of cornmeal, add 1 cup (240 ml) of cold water and beat with a whisk until you have a smooth paste, without a single lump.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
Reduce to medium-low heat. Pour the cornmeal mixture slowly, in a thin stream, over the hot broth with the pork and sofrito, stirring without stopping with the whisk or spoon. Continue stirring for 3–5 minutes, until it begins to thicken.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
Add the salt for the cornmeal. Cook over low heat, with the lid slightly ajar, for 25–35 minutes, stirring every 2–3 minutes and scraping the bottom and corners well with the wooden spoon. If it becomes too thick, add reserved hot broth, ¼ cup (60 ml) at a time.
Taste a little: it must be smooth, without sandy texture, and fall from the spoon in a thick, creamy ribbon. Adjust salt if needed.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
Turn off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Since it thickens as it cools, if you see it is very firm, loosen with a splash of hot broth just before serving in deep bowls.

Tips and variations

Which flour to buy. Look on the label for yellow corn meal or fine yellow cornmeal: dry yellow cornmeal, fine grain, and raw. Do not use cornstarch (maicena), pre-cooked masarepa, nixtamalized masa harina, instant polenta, coarse grits, or self-rising mixes (they contain baking powder and salt). Do not substitute with fresh, frozen, or canned crushed corn: that is a different dish.

The time depends on the flour. A normal fine flour usually finishes in 25 to 35 minutes over low heat. If you use stone-ground flour, it may need more time and more broth. Go by the signs, not the clock: it should not feel sandy when tasted and should pull away from the bottom when stirred.

Watch out for splatters. The cornmeal bubbles and jumps as it thickens. Work with the lid slightly ajar and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon.

It thickens as it cools. In 10 minutes in the bowl, it will already be firmer. Serve it a little looser than you would like to eat it.

To reheat. Place it in a pot over low heat with 2 to 4 tablespoons (30–60 ml) of broth or hot water per serving. Stir and crush the lumps with the spoon until it becomes creamy again, about 5–8 minutes. In the microwave, heat in 1-minute intervals with the same splash of liquid, stirring between each one. In both cases, check that the center reaches 74 °C (165 °F).

Storage. Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the ambient temperature exceeds 32 °C (90 °F). Keep them covered at 4 °C (40 °F) or less and consume within 3 to 4 days.

If you prefer pork shoulder (pork shoulder or Boston butt), it needs more time: simmer the cubes covered with the sofrito and about 2 cups (480 ml) of broth for 60 to 90 minutes, until tender, before measuring the liquid and proceeding with the cornmeal as in the recipe.

The broth. You need a total of about 1.2 liters (5 cups of 240 ml). If you only have a 32 fl oz (946 ml) carton, complete it with water; with low-salt broth you control the seasoning better.