Cuban Roast Pork Recipe (Mojo Pork)
Mojo pork is a delicious Cuban pork roast marinated in mojo sauce made with onion, garlic, herbs, and sour orange juice, then slow roasted until tender.
Servings: 20
Calories: 208kcal
Ingredients
- 8-10 pound pork shoulder can use bone-in or boneless – can also use pork leg
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup sour orange juice or use 1/4 cup sweet orange juice mixed with 1/8 cup each lemon and lime juice
- 2 yellow onions sliced
GRAVY OPTION
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
FOR THE MOJO MARINADE
- Add the garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper to a food processor and process to form a paste. Alternatively, you can use a mortar and pestle (or molcajete) to grind by hand.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sour orange juice and olive oil until it thickens. Stir in the seasoned garlic paste until well combined.
- Adjust with salt and pepper and use as needed.
- Trim excess fat from the pork shoulder. Pierce the meat with the tip of a knife to allow the marinade to enter more freely.
- Rub the pork shoulder down with the mojo marinade and cover. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight for more flavor penetration.
FOR OVEN ROAST PORK
- When you’re ready to cook, remove pork from refrigerator and allow to rest for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C).
- Remove pork from the marinade and pat dry. Reserve the marinade.
- Add the sliced onions to the bottom of a large roasting pan or baking dish.
- Transfer the pork shoulder to the bottom of the roasting pan or baking dish (on top of the onions) and roast for 1 hour, turning half way through to ensure browning on all sides.
- Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F (163 C). Pour the reserved marinade over the pork and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Bake/Roast for 3-4 hours or longer, turning and basting frequently with the pan juices, until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 180 degrees F (82 C) when measured with a meat thermometer, or when a skewer can pierce the meat easily.
- Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of roasting, adding a bit of water or sour orange juice to the bottom of the pan if the meat is too dry.
- Remove the pork to a serving dish. Cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes.
- Carve and serve.
MOJO SAUCE/GRAVY OPTION
- Strain the drippings from the roasting pan into a bowl and skim the fat. Stir in vinegar and chopped cilantro. Add salt to taste. Serve with the finished pork as a dipping sauce or gravy.
Notes
Great served with salsa criola, on a platter of cold meats, or use to make Cuban sandwiches or media noche.
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 422mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg