A traditional roasted Cuban Mojo Marinated pork recipe that is very simple, yet packed with tons of flavor! There is nothing to this pork except an amazing marinade, but it is honestly some of the best meat I’ve ever put in my mouth. Just look at that crust! Originally published April 9, 2015.
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Today I was craving a snack, so naturally I grabbed a banana and the jar of Biscoff sitting in our cupboard. The banana-Biscoff dip is a habit I’ve been nursing for a while now, and I don’t think it’s heading out anytime soon.
Then I opened the jar and IT WAS EMPTY. Not even last-tiny-bit-scrape-able. This was no crap job, that jar was CLEAN. I’m the only one in the house with a Biscoff habit, so there is no question about culpability here. Past-Karen scraped that jar clean, and then she put it back in my cupboard. It’s like she’s trying to torture me. Oh, hi Future-Karen, you wanted a snack? TOO BAD.
Have you guys seen the movie Chef? It’s about a guy who opens a food truck and drives across the country selling Cuban sandwiches and it helps him win at life. Whatever, all I know is that by the end of the movie I NEEDED a Cubano, more than anything ever.
But first things first: the pork. This pork, you guys. I would climb mountains and cross rivers for this pork. The crust alone is enough to make a man weep.
What is Mojo Pork?
If you’re pronouncing this like “moe-joe” stop it right now, it’s “moe-ho” (as in “ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!” as in, I wish Santa Claus would bring me some mojo pork). In Spanish “mojar” means to “to wetten” and we’re going to wetten, nay, DRENCH this pork with a delicious citrus herb marinade.
Mojo Pork Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a quick list of the ingredients so you can see whether or not you’ll need to go shopping for them. See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions!
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Orange zest
- Orange juice
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
- Mint leaves
- Minced oregano (fresh or dried)
- Ground cumin
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Pork shoulder (boneless or bone-in will work)
What cut of pork to use for mojo pork?
Are you the person standing in the meat aisle, staring at the shrink wrapped styrofoam trays glinting in the fluorescent light and wondering helplessly what the labels mean? Pork shoulder. Boston butt. Picnic roast. Blade roast. Pork butt. How to choose??
The good news is, all of those things I just listed are the. same. thing. I know this is confusing but until somebody makes a rule, just know any of the above are great. A bone-in cut is going to be soooo flavorful but I’ve made this with boneless too. It’s still delicious!
How to make Cuban Mojo Pork
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this Cuban Mojo Pork (just a summary – full instructions in the recipe card below!).
- Marinate the pork in olive oil, orange zest, orange and lime juice, chopped cilantro and mint, minced garlic, oregano, and cumin. Allow it to marinate for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
- Season pork with salt and pepper. Roast it at 425ºF until browned, then turn the temperature down and cook at 375ºF for another 90 minutes or so.
- Remove pork from the oven, cover with foil, and let the pork rest for 20 minutes.
- In Cuba they have sour oranges. I’d never heard of them or tried one, but using sour oranges is how to make a true Mojo sauce. The best substitute is a combination of orange and lime, which is what I’ve done here. I’m not complaining. The result is incredible.
Check out the meat before and after cooking. It’s so beautiful!
Mojo Pork Recipe Tips
Here are a few of my best tips and tricks for the best Roasted Cuban Mojo Pork!
- Bone-in or boneless: Feel free to use either! The recipe calls for boneless, but I’ve grabbed bone-in before and it has turned out great (really, even juicier).
- Make time for the marinade. Marinating the pork for enough time is the key to a tender texture and great flavor. Don’t ruin the party! Give those amazing flavors at least a few hours to get acquainted, but ideally let them marinate overnight.
- Cook at high heat, then low heat. Starting the pork at 425ºF gets the exterior nice and crispy. Finishing the roast at a lower temperature gives the pork time to cook all the way through without drying out. Check the temp. Use a meat thermometer to verify that the internal temperature of your pork is 160ºF before you take it out of the oven.
- Let it rest. Give the pork 20 minutes to rest before you slice into it. Cut into it too soon, and all the moisture and flavor will seep out. Nooooooo
- Slice against the grain. Cutting it against the grain makes for tender meat in every bite.
How to serve Cuban Mojo
I used this pork to fill Cuban sandwiches, coming to the blog next week. (UPDATED: Cubanos in the house.) The recipe for the pork and the sandwiches are both from the chef they hired for the movie. Cool right?
How to store Cuban Pork
Leftover Mojo pork will last in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months. Keep it whole as slices tend to dry out more.
To reheat, thaw the pork overnight in the fridge if frozen. Wrap your pork (whole or sliced) in foil and warm for 10-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven. If you’re in a hurry, you can microwave slices on a plate, covered by a paper towel, in 30-second intervals until it’s warm.
Cuban Pork Recipe FAQs
Mojo pork has a unique fresh, citrusy, garlicky flavor. It’s made using a combination of fresh herbs, seasonings, orange juice and zest, and lime juice. It’s so tender, incredibly juicy, and SO GOOD!
Mojo pork is a type of pork roast that originated in Cuba, inspired by mojo sauces of the Canary Islands. It’s tender and juicy thanks to a flavorful marinade and roasting to perfection.
Mojo sauce is made with citrus juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, mint, and cumin. Everyone’s recipe is a little different, but those are the essential components. It’s simple but packs a serious flavor punch!
More great pork recipes to try
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork >> tastes like you cooked it on a smoker…without the smoker!
- Easy Pork Ramen >> there is no wrong time for ramen
- Asian Pork Tenderloin with Ginger Glaze (Slow Cooker) >> so little time for an awesome dinner
- Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin >> this one is just packed with flavor!
- Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja from Cooking in Stilettos
- Slow Cooker Puerto Rican Pork from The Noshery
- Crispy Roast Pork from Nutmeg Nanny
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Cuban Mojo Pork Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup lightly packed mint leaves, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced oregano, 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 3 & 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, in one piece*
Instructions
- If you have a food processor: Add the orange juice, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, and smashed (not minced) garlic cloves, and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add this mixture to a ziplock bag, along with the rest of the oil, zest, lime juice, oregano, and cumin.
- If you don’t have a food processor: In a large ziplock bag, combine olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, minced garlic, oregano, and cumin. Shake it around a bit to mix it up, then add the pork shoulder.
- Place the zipped up bag in a baking dish, and put it in the fridge overnight, or several hours at least.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a wire rack (I used a cooling rack) over a rimmed baking sheet.
- Place the pork on the rack and discard the marinade. Salt and pepper the pork well.
- Roast the pork for 30 minutes. It should be lightly browned.
- Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. Roast for another 1 hour and 20-30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160.
- Transfer to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil and let rest at least 20 minutes.
- Carve against the grain and serve.
I know the butt roast and shoulder roast are quite close. Could I use a butt instead. Sounds like a great recipe and I have a 6# boneless butt I want to cut in half.
Hi Zandra! I haven’t tried it with a butt roast. Let me know how it goes!
My husband and his family are hundred percent Cuban first of all in Cuban cooking they donot use cilantro nor do they use cumin and true Cuban cooking a moho they just use garlic oregano salt and pepper and sour Orange. If you need to substitute the sour Orange you take regular orange juice lime lemon or white vinegar. TV Cuban makes their sandwiches a different way but my father-in-law is 91 years old so I’m going to take his version of it since he has been making them the longest and we live in Florida and the Florida way is the only way!
Visit Cuba. You will see this combo often. Cooking is an art. Enjoy the flavors.
Mine is in the oven now, the excess marinade dripped down under into the pan and its pretty dark. Is it ok to be burning under it for the next hour? Thanks! Smells so good, can’t wait!
Hi Kate! Yes it will probably burn but it won’t hurt your pork at all. It might stain your pan. Next time line with foil before roasting! Then you can just toss it in the trash when you’re done. Enjoy!
Could I omit the mint, and still have a delicious pork?
Hi Giselle! I’m sure you could! But I promise the finished pork doesn’t taste minty.
Any side recommendations?!?
Hi Kate! I would serve this with black beans and rice! And maybe tortillas if you want to do tacos! Honestly cubanos are my fav though: https://finalstockalert.com/cuban-sandwiches-cubanos-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Our family LOVES this recipe. It is so tasty and pretty easy as well! My partner literally will hang around the oven until its done when its mojo pork night!
One question I have though is whether or not you can marinate and then freeze the meat so its ready to pop in the oven another day. We have a foodsaver vacuum sealer and wondering of the integrity of the flavors and texture of the meat will stay.
So glad you are loving the recipe Dawn! This is a great recipe for marinating ahead of time and freezing. Just thaw in the fridge for a couple days when you want to eat it, and follow the recipe as described. Thanks so much for commenting, great question!
Have you done it on the grill? Getting super hot here and would rather not use the oven!;
Hi Sam! I haven’t tried it on the grill, let me know how it goes!
Making this a second time, thought it was high time to leave a worthy review!
The first time, our oven broke and I resorted to a crockpot which is obviously not the same at all, but I then put the shredded meat on a iron skillet to give it the crispiness- and it worked great!
This time I’m doing it right with an oven (probe and all)!
Its corona virus life here, so I dont have fresh OJ (so I used a full cup instead. I also added Tajin (a mexican lime salt of spices) and lemon pepper, bc the two are AHmazing together on my Cuban dishes in the past.
It came out great!!!!! Thank you!
My husband used to live in Mexico and he loves Tajin!! That is such a fun idea! I love it. Thank you for your slow cooker/skillet crisp idea too!
Can I use a pork butt instead? It seems much thicker than the picture but same weight. My butcher obviously lied! He told me it was the same as a shoulder..
Hi, this is an excellent recipe. There is not one flavour that is predominate, there is just a magnificent blend of everything. For those people who were worried about the mint, it doesn’t taste “minty” at all, it just adds to the layers of flavour. We had it last night for dinner and today in sandwiches, yahoo…winner winner mojo dinner! The only problem I had was my husband was sneaking pieces of the pork as I was slicing it, snagging all those yummy dark parts!
This recipe sux sorry
Wow, this is crazy good and so easy! I used Dietz and Watson plain baked ham and my butcher deboned the shoulder for me but I think I will leave it in next time and there will be a next time. I also used brioche deli buns and a panini grill to make them flat and slightly crunchy! I did not deviate from recipe except for the type of ham and will not deviate in the future.
Definitely a new family favorite Thanks for posting the recipe
I never would have thought to try this with ham! that sounds delicious, thanks for sharing Susie! Love the idea of using a panini press!
This was perfect! I was asked to prepare the pork for the entire family for Christmas Eve. My mother-in-law is Cuban, and this is the staple for the meal (in fact, my father-in-law had been using his on spices for over 30 years, which never came close to this!). My mother-in-law pulled me aside to explain how her aunt used to make it, and she hoped I could recreate the same taste from her childhood. I was nervous, but came across your recipe and followed the directions. We didn’t use the mint leaves, and I was given a loin (instead of shoulder), but it was amazing! My mother-in-law was so happy and she kept telling me “oh, this was perfect!” I was complimented all night long from all other members of the family, including my young children who don’t typically eat the pork. Thanks you so much for this, it was perfection!!
You are a brave man, preparing the pork for your Cuban mother in law, on Christmas even no less! Talk about pressure! I’m so glad it worked out! Try the mint next time, you won’t regret it. Thanks for reviewing!
This recipe is easy and delicious. Just takes a little planning and will feed a group of 6 to 8. Really yummy.
I was thinking about making this as the main for Christmas lunch. Can you eat the pork as the meat dish as is with sides or should I select a different cut of pork? Thanks!
Hi Sheppard! Yeah you can totally eat it as-is, it’s delicious! Would be good served with rice and beans or mashed potatoes or whatever. Enjoy!
I made a vegan version with jack fruit instead of pork and my husband LOVED IT! I might add just a little less lime juice the next time I make it, but that’s for the vegan version only – I assume a little more acidity works great with meat.
…and obviously I only cooked it for 20 minutes.
That is so awesome Elena! I’m so glad a vegan version worked out for you, and thanks for the tip about the lime juice so people can make that adjustment if they want to try it vegan style! Thanks for commenting!
Have you ever cooked this dish to approximately 200 degrees F? I do a lot of BBQ and for pulled pork you typically cook unto 200 so you can shred the pork. I’m thinking pulled pork might be fantastic but I am worried that the glaze might char too much.
Thanks!
Hi Christian! I haven’t tried this cooked like pulled pork. I bet it would be good! Let me know how it goes.