Tender and juicy, slow-roasted pork shoulder marinated in fresh lime juice, orange juice, cumin, and garlic. Serve this Cuban-style mojo (pronounced “mo-ho”) pork with rice, black beans, and fried plantains or in a Cubano panini!
This Cuban-style mojo pork is marinated in an aggressive (but delicious) amount of garlic, fresh citrus juice, zest, and smokey cumin. The result is a super flavorful, fork-tender, juicy roast smothered in bright and citrusy mojo sauce that is a perfect complement to the fatty pork.
If you’ve never slow-roasted a large cut of meat before this is a great recipe to start you off. When cooked low and slow the collagen and tendons in tough cuts of meat like pork shoulder break down and melt away leaving behind juicy, super tender meat that falls apart with no resistance!
This recipe is seriously delicious! Serve Cuban Mojo Pork with rice, black beans, and fried plantains. If you have leftovers I suggest turning them into a Cubano panini!
Recipe Ingredients
Cuban Mojo Pork only required 8 simple ingredients:
- Boneless Pork Shoulder
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Lime Juice + Zest
- Orange Juice + Zest
- Fresh Oregano
- Fresh Mint
- Olive Oil
Recipe Step by Step
Step 1. Marinate the Pork
Whisk together the citrus juices and zest, olive oil, garlic, and cumin. Reserve half of the marinade for the mojo sauce later in the recipe, pour the other half over the pork and marinate in for at least two hours and up to twelve.
Step 2. Roast
Cover the pork with foil and roast for three hours at 275 then remove the foil, turn the oven up to 325 and continue roasting for an additional 2-3 hours until the pork is golden brown, caramelized, and fork-tender.
Step 3. Make the Mojo Sauce
Roughly chop the oregano and mint leaves then add them to the reserved marinade. Whisk in some of the pork drippings, season with salt and pepper.
Step 4. Serve
Serve the pork by slicing or shredding then place it onto a large platter with the mojo sauce on the side. Serve with rice, black beans, and plantains.
Recipe FAQs
Mojo (pronounced “mo-ho”) is a traditional cuban sauce and/or marinade. It’s super flavorful and packed with garlic, citrus juice and zest as well as fresh mint and oregano.
Rice, beans, fried plantains all go great along side this recipe!
No, for this recipe, pork loin/tenderloin would come out way too dry.
I’m all for short cuts but I wouldn’t skip this step. It makes a big difference in flavor. If you need to save time you can marinate the pork the night before.
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Slow-Roasted Cuban Mojo Pork
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb boneless pork shoulder
- 1/2 c orange juice plus 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1/2 c lime juice plus 1 tbsp lime zest
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 c fresh oregano + mint leaves
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Marinate:
- Place the pork in a large roasting pan. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Whisk together the orange and lime juice and zest, cumin, garlic, and olive oil. Divide the mixture in half, reserve one half to make the mojo sauce later in the recipe, pour the other over pork. Use clean hands to massage the marinade evenly across the whole surface of the pork. Cover with foil and leave in the refrigerator to marinate for at least two hours or up to twelve.
Roast:
- Preheat the oven to 275. Place the foil-covered pork in the oven. Roast for 3 hours. After 3 hours turn the oven temperature up to 325 and remove the foil. Use a large spoon or ladle to baste the pork with the pan drippings. Continue roasting and occasionally basting, for 2-3 more hours. The pork is done when it is fork-tender (when the meat can be easily pierced with a fork without resistance and easily falls apart with a little pressure). Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.
Serve:
- To make the mojo sauce; roughly chop the fresh oregano and mint leaves then place them in a large bowl. Whisk in the reserved marinade and 1/4c of the pan drippings from the pork. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve the pork by slicing or shredding then place it onto a large platter with the mojo sauce on the side. Serve rice, beans, and plantains.
Notes
What sides go with Cuban Mojo Pork?
This recipe was phenomenal! I paired with jalapeño black beans, friend plantains, and rice just as recommended and it could not have been more delicious. I will definitely be making this again:)