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.
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)
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.
Check out the meat before and after cooking. It’s so beautiful!
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.
Tips for Mojo Pork
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 roasted Mojo Pork
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?
Storing 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 meat recipes to try!
- Asian Pork Tenderloin with Ginger Glaze (Slow Cooker):
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Peanut-Lime Sauce:
- Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Tenderloin:
- Cuban Shredded Beef from The Girl Who Ate Everything
- 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
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.
Boneless? The first picture has a bone in it.
There is an asterisk on that ingredient, and below it says, “*I accidentally grabbed a bone-in pork shoulder. Worked great!”
Searched “mojo chicken” on Pinterest after recalling an article I read many years ago in a “foodie” magazine. Made this, using thick center-cut pork chops. My intent was to grill them on low, but I ran out of time and motivation, so they went in the oven. Because they don’t cook as long they didn’t develop the “bark”, and I’ll do it differently next time, since I think the direct heat of the grill would change that. But they were absolutely the best pork chops I have ever made, as far as flavor goes! I just wanted to come back because so many folks are cooking for smaller families, and it is well worth making the marinade no matter how you’re going to use it. Just don’t worry about it when chops or a smaller today don’t look like the photo, and I’m sure you’ll want to make the “real thing” when you have the larger roast handy.
Thanks for the review Katie! i will have to try this with pork chops next time! Others have tried it with success too. It sounds amazing! This marinade really is the best.
Mine didn’t get as crusty and gorgeous as yours when I made this the other night, but MAN OH MAN that flavor!! Can’t wait to make Cubanos for dinner with the leftovers tonight. Delicious!!!!
How did the Cubanos go Chris? I’m glad you liked the pork!
I made this yesterday and it was scrumptious! I have mint and cilantro growing at our house and I loved clipping fresh herbs to use in this recipe. It was a huge hit with my family too. Thanks!
Using herbs from your garden is just the best, right Amber?? So glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
I accidentally got 3 relatively equal sizes of pork, instead of one big piece. How do you recommend cooking it since it isn’t one piece? (They are like pork steaks…)
Hey Jennifer! I would marinate as usual and then use a meat thermometer to roast. It definitely won’t take as long!
Thank you!
No need to reply. I just followed the link to the original recipe.
Thanks!
Oh good I’m glad the original post offered clarification for you Heather! It’s meant to brown up pretty quick in that first half hour. How’d it turn out?
Quick question…
I have the roast in the oven right now. Since it’s browning rather quickly, I decided to reread the recipe as I thought maybe I messed up the temp. Everything seems to be right on my end.
What I’m wondering is:
The recipe calls for a boneless pork shoulder what is what I bought. I just noticed your photos are of a “bone-in” pork shoulder.
Do you think that’s the reason why mine is browning so quickly? I did reduce the heat to 325 degrees as I don’t want it to dry out.
Any thoughts would be great!
which is what I bought…
I am doing this up right now. The crust looks delectable. The marinade smelled so good, I bet it could serve as the base of a helluva salad dressing.
How did it go Jorge?? Did you boil the marinade to use as a salad dressing? I bet that would be delicious!
I did not do the salad dressing this time. The pork roast however was delicious. The crust came out like the picture, and was right on par with the Cuban restaurant that I frequent here in Tampa. I have tried this with the store bought Mojo Criollo marinades, and there is no comparison. This recipe is the real deal.
P.S. Thinking about adding some tamarind to this next time.
Wow, on par with a restaurant in Tampa! High praise indeed. I’ve never been but I hear Tampa is the place to go for legit Cuban food. Awesome! So glad you liked it! Also love the tamarind idea, that would be tasty.
This recipe popped up on my Facebook news feed today and I was impressed! I mentioned it to my boyfriend this afternoon and we’re going to attempt this tomorrow on the smoker. We’re prepping to marinate it tonight and hopefully it comes out just as delicious!
Ooh on the smoker! Fun! I think other readers have tried it with success. Did you make it already? How’d it go?
The recipe calls for pork shoulder and you say you do not trim anything prior t cooking. Are you actually calling for a pork butt like is used for making pulled pork? It usually has a fat cap on one side about 1/4″ thick similar to a brisket. It also is usually a thick, cube shape piece of meat with lots of internal fat that normally cooks out when making pulled pork because of the very long slow cooking. Is this the same cut of meat you are using?
Hey Bob! You clearly know way more about pork than I do, haha. It’s the charlatan coming through. :) The original recipe said to get a boneless pork shoulder, I used a bone-in shoulder. There are photos in the post of the raw marinated meat that you can look at if you want. Also it might be helpful to follow the link to the original source, found below the recipe. Good luck! Enjoy!
Your Cuban Mojo Marinated Pork must have been amazing! I’m a vegetarian, but I made the pork for my husband and son….and they loved it! My son was hesitant to try it, but he finally did. Then he went back for seconds….and thirds….and FOURTHS!!! (He’s 13 and has a bottomless pit for a stomach!) Thanks!!!
Those bottomless pit teenagers!!! I’m so nervous for my kids to grow up and eat me out of house and home!! Ha. Glad they enjoyed it!
it seems a shame to throw the marinade away! I understand the danger of eating something that’s had raw meat marinating in it, but can’t you take the marinade put it in a sauce pan and cook or boil it for some time And then use it as a sauce to drizzle over your meat?
You are so right Debbie! I agree it seems like a waste! Other commenters have mentioned boiling it and then simmering for a while to kill the bacteria. I’m sure it would be safe if you did that. And delicious too! Try it out, let me know what you do!
I made this roast for our Sunday night dinner today. It was delicious! Hubby loved it. We are also looking forward to using the leftover for the sandwiches tomorrow night! and I’m going to stick the rest into potstickers later in the week. Thanks for posting this recipe, it was great!
potstickers!!! That sounds like basically the best idea ever Sarah!!!! Thanks for the review :)
Hi there,
I am looking forward to making this but our local grocer just had pork shoulder (picnic roast). Do you think this would still be ok.
It is about 3 lbs. Thanks.
Hey Betty! Yeah, I think it would be okay! Just use a meat thermometer to make sure you don’t over/undercook it. Let me know how it goes! Lots of people have asked about this but I’ve never tried it.
This looks delicious! Do you have any suggestions for making it with boneless pork tenderloin? I have a 2.5 pound tenderloin, and just wondered if I need to adjust the temperature/cooking time? I can’t wait to try it!!
Hey Kara! I’ve never tried it with a pork tenderloin. I would cook it at the high temp for the first half hour as suggested, then lower it and use a meat thermometer to know when it’s done. Hope you like it!