Cuban Mojo Pork is a flavorful, citrusy recipe that massively upgrades an ordinary pork roast into one worthy of a movie chef. With notes of lime, cumin, cilantro, and mint, it makes a great meal when served with rice and beans.
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Why this Cuban Mojo Pork Recipe is a Keeper
Garlic and citrus, along with sour orange zest, combine in an amazing marinade to make mojo sauce. The pork is juicy, and the meat can be easily shredded. Here are a few reasons why you’ll want to try this recipe for pork using homemade mojo sauce:
- Easy Ingredients: All of the ingredients for Cuban pork roast can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store. So it is easy to make.
- Family Friendly: This Cuban pork recipe is perfect for a family dinner. Put it in the oven, forget about it, and come back to it when you’re ready.
- Adaptable: Easily adapt this Cuban pork mojo to your tastes and dietary needs.
If you love this recipe and are looking for more of our favorite pork recipes, try these: French Onion Pork Chops, Pork Burgers, and Quick Roast Pork Chow Mein.
What is the Best Pork to Use for this Dish?
This mojo pork recipe uses a pork tenderloin, which roasts well in the oven. Remove any skin beforehand, and let rest for 10 minutes after cooking.
Ingredient Notes for Roast Mojo Pork
- Orange Juice and Orange Zest: Use both the citrus juice from an orange and the zest from the orange peel.
- Cilantro: Use finely chopped cilantro to make the marinade.
- Garlic: Mojo is a marinade of garlic, herbs, and citrus. Pulse garlic in the food processor along with the rest of the marinade ingredients.
- Pork Tenderloin: Roast the 2-pound boneless pork loin in the oven after marinating.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions to Make Cuban Roast Pork
- Slow Cooked: You can make slow cooker Cuban pork instead of roasting in the oven. You can also use the instant pot to allow the pork to cook more quickly if you don’t have time to make it low and slow.
- Bay Leaf: Add a bay leaf to the mojo pork marinade ingredients.
- Pork Cuts: Make this recipe with different cuts of pork, such as roasted pork shoulder or pork butt.
- Shredded Pork: After you make mojo pork, you can shred the pork for sandwiches, fillings, and more.
Special Equipment Needed for Pork Roast Marinade
- Food Processor: Blend the mojo marinade ingredients in a processor.
Fun Fact
In Puerto Rico, there’s a very similar sauce called “mojo Isleño,” made with garlic, citrus, and olive oil, but without oregano. This version is typically served as a dipping sauce for fried green plantains or yuca.
How to Make Mojo Cuban Pork
These are the basic steps for slow roasting mojo marinated pork. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Make the Marinade in Food Processor and Blend
Place the olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, oregano and cumin to a zip top bag. Then, in a processor, add the lime juice, cilantro, mint and garlic; add salt and pepper, and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add lime juice mixture to the zip top bag and seal to reserve the marinade.
2. Marinate the Pork Overnight
Season all sides of the pork tenderloin with all-purpose seasoning; add zip to bag and shake it up to ensure all the meat is coated with the marinade so that the pork gets fully covered. Place the bag in the refrigerator for 2 – 8 hours or overnight in the fridge to keep the meat moist.
3. Roast the Pork Tenderloin
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and remove pork from the marinade. Then, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place the pork on the center of the baking sheet and discard reserved marinade. Place the pork in the oven and roast for a cook time of 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn down the oven to 350 degrees and roast for an additional 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork is 160 degrees.
4. Roast Again, Remove the Pork and Let the Pork Rest
Add the pork back to the oven and roast the marinated pork for 30 minutes. It should be lightly brown and crispy. Afterwards, remove from oven and cover with foil; once the pork is done, let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Juicy Cuban Pork Recipe FAQs
Store the pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the oven until warmed through.
Mojo (pronounced MOH-hoh) is a sauce that originated in the Canary Islands but is popular in traditional Cuban food. The variant in this recipe is based on mojo verde sauce, which is made with cilantro, parsley or mint, olive oil, and other spices. Use mojo sauce as a dipping sauce or marinade, and you can use with meats like pork, fish, steak, and chicken.
This pork recipe is great as a dinner, and you can serve it with rice and beans, or any other sides you like. You can also finely shred it to make Cuban pulled pork. Shredded pork is great for making Cuban sandwiches or tacos.
Expert Tips for Making this Mojo Cuban Pork Recipe
- Honey: Add some sugar or honey to the marinade to counter the tart citrus flavors.
- Smoked Paprika: Add in some paprika for a smoky flavor.
- Jalapeno: For some spice, add jalapeno or cayenne pepper.
- Crock Pot: You can cook the pork low and slow in the crock pot.
What to Serve with Mojo Pork
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Cuban Mojo Pork
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Ingredients
MARINADE
- ½ cup Olive Oil, extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon Orange Zest
- ¾ cup Fresh Orange Juice
- 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
- ½ cup Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup Mint Leaves, finely chopped
- 8 cloves Garlic
PORK
- 2 teaspoons All Purpose Seasoning
- 2 pound Pork Tenderloin
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, oregano and cumin to a zip top bag.
- In a food processor, add the lime juice, cilantro, mint and garlic; pulse until everything is finely chopped.
- Add lime juice mixture to the zip top bag.
- Season all sides of the pork tenderloin with all purpose seasoning; add to zip to bag and shake it up to ensure all of the meat is coated with the marinade.
- Place the bag in the refrigerator for 2 – 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place the pork on the center of the baking sheet.
- Discard remaining marinade.
- Roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees then turn down the oven to 350 degrees and roast for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork is 160 degrees.
- Roast the pork for 30 minutes. It should be lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and cover with foil; let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Christina’s Notes
- Honey: Add some sugar or honey to the marinade to counter the tart citrus flavors.
- Smoked Paprika: Add in some paprika for a smoky flavor.
- Jalapeno: For some spice, add jalapeno or cayenne pepper.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
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This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
It sounds tasty. I have some pork in my freezer right now. This will a great way to use it.