Cuban Mojo Pork Food

CUBAN PORK CHOPS WITH MOJO

Steps:

• In a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag, combine 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup lime juice, and vinegar. Add pork and let it sit and marinate for about 1 hour in refrigerator.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine all dried spices. Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and rub with the dry spice mixture.
• Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Place the pork chops in the pan and sear on 1 side until brown. Flip over and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and continue to cook until garlic begins to brown. Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, and white wine. Simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced and begins to thicken. The chops should be cooked through.
• Remove the chops from pan and put on a warm plate. Continue to reduce juices in pan by half. Pour over the chops and serve immediately.
• Garnish with watercress, tomatoes and avocado.

SLOW COOKER CUBAN MOJO PORK

Steps:

• In a large skillet or in slow cooker if it has the saute feature, add the oil over medium high heat.
• Salt and pepper all sides of the pork and sear on all sides.
• In the slow coooker add orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes and bay leaves and mix.
• Add the pork to the slow cooker and spoon marinade over all the sides of the pork roast.
• Cook on low for 8 hours or 6 hours on high.
• For a thicker sauce remove some of the drippings and add in cornstarch and mix well with a fork or whisk.

JUICY CUBAN MOJO PORK ROAST (CHEF MOVIE RECIPE)

Steps:

• Combine Marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped. Alternatively, you can finely chop/mince the garlic and herbs then mix all ingredients in a bowl.
• Place in a large ziplock bag with the pork. Place in the fridge overnight (in a bowl, just to be safe).
• Remove the pork from the Marinade and leave on counter for 1 hour (bring to room temp). Reserve the Marinade.
• Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan).
• Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Base with pan juices.
• Reduce heat to 190°C/375°F (170°C). Roast for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours, basting every half hour, until the internal temperature reaches 70°/160°F. At this temperature, the pork is cooked, still juicy, and carvable, as it is intended to be (Note 1)
• Fall-apart tender alternative (not slicable, meat falls apart): Roast at 160°C/320°F (all oven types) for 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat can be easily shredded using 2 forks (check on side).
• Remove from the oven and place on a plate, loosely covered with foil. Rest for 20 minutes before serving with the Mojo Sauce on the side. I decorated mine with pan fried slices of oranges and extra cilantro/coriander leaves.

CUBAN ROAST PORK WITH MOJO CRIOLLO

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 of the grated garlic, all of the dried oregano, 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper into a paste.
• Score the trimmed roast with a knife point and rub the paste into the roast, then place roast in a gallon freezer bag or other dish/container that will fit in the refrigerator.
• Pour juice of 3 oranges, juice of 3 limes, the red wine, and 2 teaspoons of the lite olive oil over the roast, seal bag and turn the bag several times to combine the ingredients.
• Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or the day before you plan to serve.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Place roast and marinade in a roasting pan, cover with foil, and roast until the meat falls apart when pulled with a fork, 3 to 4 hours, up to 6 depending on the cut- it must become fork tender.
• Remove roast from oven and let it rest for 20 minutes, then pull roast into shreds with a fork, leaving the meat in the pan juices- it's ready to serve.
• Prepare Mojo Criollo: put onion slices in a bowl deep enough for the onions to be covered with the juice (I use a 2-cup glass measuring cup).
• Put the rest of the fresh grated garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, juice of 3 limes and juice of 5 oranges and the optional juice of 2 blood oranges over the onions, press down to make sure onions are submerged in the juice.
• Allow the onions to marinate in this mixture for at least 20 minutes (important step).
• Heat 1/4 cup of the lite olive oil in a skillet.
• Quickly and carefully, pour the onions and all the juices into the hot oil and"stir fry" for about 2 to 3 minutes, just to soften the onions.
• Pour the Mojo into a serving dish and serve with the roast on the side.

CUBAN MOJO MARINATED PORK

Steps:

• 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.

MOJO MARINADE

Steps:

• You will also need: Mortar and pestle, Jar or container with a tight-fitting lid, Meat mallet to smash the garlic (or use the side of a large knife), Mesh strainer
• Juice the sour oranges, strain to remove the seeds.
• Peel and smash the garlic.
• Add the smashed garlic and 1 teaspoon salt to a mortar and pestle. Work the garlic until you break it down into small, flat pieces.
• Add the smashed garlic, sour orange juice, olive oil, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf to a bowl or jar. Stir or shake to combine well.
• Let the marinade sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, a couple of hours to overnight is better. Shake or stir well before using.

CUBAN PORK SANDWICH (CUBANOS) FROM CHEF MOVIE

Steps:

• Heat skillet over medium heat. Add ham and pork slices, and cook each side until slightly browned then remove to a plate.
• Butter cut sides of baguettes then place in the skillet, cut side down, for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Remove onto work surface.
• Layer the bottom of the baguettes with pork, ham, then cheese and pickles. Cut, break or fold the ham, pork and cheese so they fit. Spread the cut side of the bun tops with mustard then place on the sandwich.
• Butter the bottom AND top of the outside of the baguettes.
• Heat skillet over medium high heat. Place the baguettes in the skillet, top with a sheet of baking paper then weigh it down with a heavy skillet or pot (use cans if necessary for extra weight so the sandwich compressed). Cook for 3 minutes on each side, until dark golden brown and crispy, and the cheese is melted.
• Let sandwiches stand 1 minute before cutting in half. Serve IMMEDIATELY.

INSTANT POT CUBAN MOJO PORK

Steps:

• For the mojo: Combine the orange juice, lime juice, onion, garlic, olive oil, oregano, cumin, 3 teaspoons kosher salt and a few grinds pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth and the mojo is emulsified. Set aside.
• For the pork: Pierce some small slashes in the pork with a sharp paring knife to allow the mojo marinade to penetrate. Place the pork in a large bowl. Add the mojo, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 8 hours.
• When ready to cook, remove the pork from the bowl and dab off the excess marinade. Reserve the marinade in the bowl for cooking.
• Set a 6- to 8-quart Instant Pot® to saute and add the canola oil (see Cook's Note). Cook each piece of pork until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Depending on the size of your pork and Instant Pot, you may need to do this in batches. Combine all the pork with the reserved marinade in the pot. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 1 hour. (It will take 8 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure.)
• After the pressure-cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for natural release. After 20 minutes, being careful to release any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid.
• Remove the pork to a medium bowl. Strain the liquid from the Instant Pot through a fine-mesh sieve, then remove and discard the grease and solids. Return the liquid to the pot, set to saute and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, shred the pork with 2 forks. Once the sauce is reduced, toss with the shredded pork and serve.

CUBAN MOJO PORK

Steps:

• Add first 11 ingredients to a large plastic ziplock bag. Close bag and gently shake it to mix ingredients.
• Add Boston butt. Close bag and turn over several times to evenly distribute marinade ingredients.
• Marinate for at least 4 hours up to overnight. Turn bag over several times while marinating. Remove marinated pork from refrigerator and keep at room temperature at least one hour before cooking. Tip: place marinade bag on a rimmed baking sheet in case it leaks.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Remove meat from marinade bag and place on a baking rack inside large baking pan. Season all sides with salt and pepper.
• Pour marinade in the bottom of the pan along with 1 cup water.
• Roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Baste with marinade several times while cooking. Add more water to marinade if necessary. Note: if you want to pull the pork instead of slicing, cook to an internal temperature of 190 degrees.
• Remove to cutting board. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest 30 minutes before slicing.

SLOW COOKER CUBAN MOJO PORK

Steps:

• In a large pot add the canola oil on medium high heat.
• Season the pork with the kosher salt and black pepper and brown the pork on all sides.
• To the slow cooker add the orange juice, lime juice, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic and bay leaves and mix it together.
• Add the pork to the slow cooker and roll it in the mixture until it is coated well.
• Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6.
• When the pork is done you can serve as is with the juice on top.
• If you want a thicker sauce, 30 minutes before it is done skim the fat off the top, add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water to the slow cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes.

CUBAN MOJO MARINATED PORK

Steps:

• Trim and discard excess fat from meat. Use sharp knife to cut 2-inch-deep slits, 2 inches apart, into top and bottom of meat.
• Mix all remaining ingredients except rice and cilantro until blended. Reserve 1/4 cup dressing mixture for later use. Pour remaining dressing mixture over meat in large resealable plastic bag; seal bag.
• Refrigerate 3 hours to marinate.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Heat large heavy skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Remove meat from marinade; place meat in hot skillet. Reserve marinade in bag for later use. Cook meat 3 to 4 min. on each side or until evenly browned on all sides.
• Transfer meat to 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; pour reserved marinade from bag over meat. Cover.
• Bake 50 min.
• Cook rice as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, pour reserved dressing mixture over meat; bake an additional 15 min. or until done (145°F). Remove meat from oven. Let stand 10 min. Remove any fat that has risen to the top of meat juices with a spoon.
• Combine rice and cilantro. Slice meat. Serve meat over rice mixture drizzled with juices from baking dish.

SLOW COOKER CUBAN MOJO PORK

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients except for the pork shoulder and pulse until everything is finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor or blender, just finely chop the herbs and mince the garlic, then combine everything in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the mojo sauce for later and keep it in the fridge while the pork cooks.
• Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker and pour the mojo sauce over it. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours or on LOW for 8-10 hours.
• When the pork is fully cooked and tender, carefully transfer it to a baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes until browned on top. While doing this, you can thicken the cooking juices remaining in the slow cooked using a slurry made from 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water, if desired. Just stir it in, cover, and cook on HIGH for 20-30 minutes while browning the pork and shredded it.
• Pull the Cuban mojo pork apart using two fork or just by chopping with a large knife a few times to break it up into tender chunks. Drizzle with reserved mojo sauce, if desired, and serve with the remaining juices from the slow cooker.

24 TRADITIONAL CUBAN FOODS (+ RECIPE COLLECTION)

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a Cuban dish in 30 minutes or less!

CUBAN MOJO CRIOLLO (MOJO MARINADE RECIPE)

Steps:

• In a mortar and pestle, add the garlic cloves and salt. Mash both until you get a smooth paste.
• In a large mason jar, add the garlic paste, minced onion, black pepper, oregano, cumin, sour orange juice, and olive oil. Close the jar tightly with the lid and shake it until well combined. Be sure to shake well before every use.
• Feel free to taste and adjust seasoning. If you're not a fan of garlic, you can add less (maybe 5 or 6 cloves). This marinade should taste garlicky, fresh, tangy, citrusy, bright, and slightly sour. Never sweet nor spicy.
• This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of mojo marinade which will last approximately up to 3 weeks in an airtight container/mason jar. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

SLOW COOKER CUBAN MOJO PORK

Steps:

• Using a paring knife, make a few slits all over the surface of the pork. (See Note 1)
• Place the pork roast in the slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients. Make sure the pork gets coated with the marinade.
• Cover and cook on high for 5 - 6 hours or on low for 8 or until tender.
• At this point, the pork is fully cooked and can be served with the cooking juices or you can make a quick sauce (see Note 2)
• To crisp up the top, carefully remove the pork from the slow cooker and place it onto an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake on a preheated 400 degrees F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned.
• Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. You will be able to shred the meat with a couple of forks. Yes, it will be that tender!
• Serve with the remaining juices from the slow cooker or sauce. (See Note 2)

CUBAN MOJO MARINADE

Steps:

• Juice citrus.
• Chop onions and mince garlic.
• Mix all ingredients.

MOJO PORK SKEWERS WITH CUBAN COOLERS

Steps:

• To make the skewers, pour the oil into a large heavy-based pan, add the garlic and cook over a low heat until cooked and starting to toast - take care not to burn. Tip in the cumin, stir briefly, then add the citrus juices, thyme and some seasoning. Allow to boil for several mins to concentrate and make a sauce. Cool.
• Put your pork into a bowl, and stir in three-quarters of the cooled marinade. Leave to marinate for 1 hr at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
• When ready to serve, thread the pork onto 18 pre-soaked wooden skewers. Griddle for 2 mins on each side or until cooked. Arrange on a platter, pour over the remaining sauce and serve garnished with orange wedges.
• To make the coolers, put a handful of crushed ice into each of 6 tall glasses. Stir the lime juice and sugar together until the sugar dissolves, then tip into the glasses. Divide the lager, then the ginger ale between the glasses, top with lime slices and serve with the pork skewers.

MOJO SAUCE MARINADE

Steps:

• Start by taking apart the garlic head into cloves and remove the papery skin. Next, place the garlic cloves and white onion into a food processor or blender and blend into a finely chopped mixture.
• Then, pour the garlic and white onion mixture into a mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix everything well with a whisk or spoon and let the marinade sit for 45 minutes before using or storing inside the refrigerator.

CUBAN MOJO MARINATED PORK

Steps:

• 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 cooking 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.

CUBAN-STYLE ROAST PORK SHOULDER WITH MOJO RECIPE

Steps:

• For the Mojo: Combine garlic, cumin, pepper, oregano, orange juice, lime juice, and olive oil in a large bowl and whisk. Season to taste generously with salt. Transfer half of mojo to a sealed container and reserve in refrigerator. Add pork to remaining mojo and turn to coat. If desired, transfer pork and marinade to a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag and refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight before continuing.
• For the Pork and to Finish: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 275°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place pork and juices on top and fold up foil, crimping to seal loosely but making sure that there is room for air to circulate inside. Place in oven and roast for 3 hours. Fold back foil, increase oven temperature to 325°F, and continue roasting, basting pork with pan juices occasionally, until pork shows almost no resistance when a metal skewer or knife is inserted into it and the surface is crackly and brown, 2 to 3 hours longer. Remove pork from oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
• Pour accumulated pork juices into a bowl and discard all except 1 cup. Add reserved mojo to pork drippings, along with fresh chopped mint and oregano. Whisk together and season to taste with salt.
• Serve shredded pork, passing mint mojo and lime wedges on the side. Serve rice, beans, and plantains on the side. Reserve any leftovers for sandwiches.