Try this Cuban Mojo Marinated Pork recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (i like tantillo )
- 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)
- 3 and 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder in one piece*
- Carbohydrate 4.23027167016592 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.209144166710548 g
- Fiber 0.344666668194623 g
- Protein 0.529928333536876 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0182350000051887 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (31g)
- Sodium 28.130500000578 mg
- Sugar 3.8856050019713 g
- Trans Fat 0.0459740833545032 g
- Calories 18 calories
Step-by-step
- 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.
Acid is the primary driver in a citrus-heavy marinade, but because citrus juice lacks the molecular mass to break down dense connective tissue efficiently on its own, the substantial volume of extra-virgin olive oil acts as a hydrophobic barrier that keeps the aromatics adhered to the meat surface while the organic acids slowly denature the exterior proteins. Oranges and limes supply citric and ascorbic acids, which lower the pH of the meat's outer layers, tenderizing the muscle fibers without denaturing them to the point of structural mushiness provided the immersion time stays under twenty-four hours. Roasting begins at a high initial temperature of 425 degrees Fahrenheit to initiate Maillard browning reactions between the amino acids and reducing sugars in the citrus juice before dropping the ambient heat to finish cooking the interior evenly. Resting the carved roast for twenty minutes under foil allows internal muscle fibers, which tightened under heat and forced moisture outward, to relax and reabsorb escaping juices. Doubling or halving this recipe requires proportional adjustments to surface area and pan sizing rather than linear time scaling, as a larger meat mass demands extended oven time to reach the target internal temperature of 160 degrees.
