Mojo (Traditional Cuban Sauce)

dawn

Dec 30

It's like my previous post for pork tacos , but without the chiles 🌶 basically...

I LOVE (WE LOVE) this stuff! And use it on all meats 🍖 😋🍊🧄 but mostly on pork and beef roasts. It's awesome with chicken too 🐔 My minneolas work just right for this! I take recipes below into account, along with knowing the best local Carnicerias flavors. From there, I go by what I have (and like), i.e., oranges that don't need much in the way of lime or lemon. They're already a mix of like tangerine and grapefruit. But BETTER! They're delicious! When I don't have those, I'll mix it up to get the right balance of sour and orange. Another example is that in this case, I used chopped Calabrian chilies instead of cayenne pepper 🌶 Following either of the recipes below will be damn delicious 😋

Adapted from Kitchen De Lujo recipe ⤵️ Mojo (Traditional Cuban Sauce)

INGREDIENTS

1 head garlic
1/2 cup white onion
1 cup sour orange naranja agria
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp oregano powder
1/3 cup olive oil optional

INSTRUCTIONS

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.

RECIPE NOTES

We are fortunate to have sour/bitter oranges at the grocery store where we live but if you cannot find them, you can also use the Goya bottled version or 3/4 Cup orange juice and 1/4 Cup lime. If you can find them, it takes about 4-5 medium sized oranges to juice a cup.
The olive oil is optional and is only used to help meat preserve moisture and fat.
This marinade can be used for pork, steak, chicken, and fish.

AND Chef John at Food Wishes ➡️ Garlic & Citrus Mojo Pork - Caribbean-Inspired Tender Roast Pork - Food Wishes. Also found on Allrecipes ⤵️

Ingredients

Marinade:

1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup oregano leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cloves peeled garlic
2 limes, juiced
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pork Roast:

3 1/2 to 4 pounds pork shoulder, bone-in or boneless
1 yellow or white onion, sliced
1/2 cup water
salt as needed

Poured over pork to marinate for 24 hours-ish

The little bit of mint came from Chef John at Food Wishes 😉 & well 🤷‍♀️ I have so much of it! 🤭

And oregano

Salt & pepper

I didn't have smoked paprika, so I went with Chipotle to get smoky chile flavor

I didn't need much lemon & lime because these minneolas are just right! Like the flavors of the oranges used in traditional mojo.

I usually have really good evoo, from Italian grocer, but Costco will work 😉

I sliced up onions to throw into container of marinade, too, because when I get the best marinated meats from local carnicería, they're in it. When in Rome.

My immersion blender is ancient, but... still works! Thank you, Braun 😊

I'll be making more to add to this. However, I was in a hurry to get pork going 🐖

Pour over meat in a ziploc bag or covered container. Marinate at least a couple of hours

Ready to go, rather it's oven, pc, slow cooker, whatever method you prefer. I used to do the oven method, but in the last couple of years, I've been using pressure cooker, to sear first, then PC (high for 55 minutes) with marinade added, then to slow cooker to shred, add juices from PC and leave on warm, to be able to serve/eat at any time. That's due to my home situation, which is not only multi-generational but also different schedules.