Cuban Pork with Mojo Oven Recipe! Ideal for Pull-Pork & Cubano Sandwiches

Learn how to make 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐣𝐨 in your oven that rivals a Caja China! I will disclose the secret and how many Cuban restaurants from Miami to Tampa deliver delicious, succulent Cuban style roast pork from an oven.

If this is your first time cooking a 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, don’t worry. Even though this recipe is simple, the result is impressive! There are many 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐤 shoulder with mojo recipes online, but I don’t think I have seen anyone make Cuban-style roast pork shoulder with Mojo like this before. That is surprising since I know of more than one restaurant using this technique.

Regardless of your cultural background, few are those who don’t gravitate to the taste of Cuban 𝐦𝐨𝐣𝐨-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐤 as it should be! I mean juicy, succulent with garlic and citrus, intensely porky, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. As a youngster growing up in #Miami, they told me that the secret was la Caja China. If you’ve never heard of this term, know that they use the same or a similar device in Louisiana, but they call it the “Cajun Microwave.” It’s nothing more than a large box lined with metal sheeting, a grill halfway up from the bottom, and a metal tray suspended over the pig to contain coals.

As with many things related to 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞, and as crema de vie, the name’s origin is not clear. Rumors are that the “#CajaChina,” which means “Chinese box” in Spanish, was brought to Cuba by Chinese laborers who migrated to the island in the 1850s.

𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐞!

Please remember to visit the Cuban Redneck website for full details of the recipes on this channel. Now to the seasoning for my Cuban style pork and Mojo; it is the same regardless of whether you make it on the grill, in the oven, or a Caja China. Nevertheless, I would recommend using powder seasoning, especially for the garlic, instead of the real garlic. That is to avoid any chance of it burning during the cooking process. Other than that, the basics for the Cuban Mojo are the same.

– 1 tbs. of Salt
– 1 tbs. of Black Pepper
– 1 tbs. of Onion Powder
– 1 tbs. of Garlic Powder
– 1 tbs. of Cumin
– 1 tbs. of Oregano or Italian seasoning
– 3X Sour Oranges or about a cup (see the blog on how to get around this)
– 2 tbs. of olive or vegetable oil

*These quantities are for every 6 lbs. of pork!

𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐤

Until now, this Cuban pork recipe has been somewhat traditional. However, things are about to change. Instead of placing our Cuban pork shoulder in a baking dish and placing it in the over as 99% of YouTube videos recommend, we will wrap it, first in parchment paper and then aluminum foil. The objective is a very similar cooking technique used in Hawaii and other Polynesian cultures. In Hawaii, they wrap the pork with banana leaves and then bury it on the ground on top of coals. What this does is create a steam chamber at a very low temperature for many hours. The result is a fall off the bone pork like you never had before. The only difference is the 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐤 and #Mojo taste profile, which is as unique as the Hawaiian cuisine.

Keeping with the tradition of how many #Cuban restaurants cook their pork shoulder, we are going to cook our pork at 250 degrees and 1.5 hours per pound. Yes, for our 11 lbs. pork shoulder, that means sixteen hours. That is why I usually cook this the day before the party, event, or whatever it is you are having! Once the cooking time has expired, take your pork out of the oven and let it rest untouched for at least one hour. Although it is still going to be hot and you need to be careful, we need to cut an H shape on the top. That will allow us to peel back the paper and foil, leaving the top exposed. With a brush, use the juices around your pork shoulder to brush the top several times. Place it back in the oven at about 6-8 inches from the broiler and broil it on high for 5-minutes. Then, you are ready to serve.

SPECIAL NOTE: You may want to trim the skin off the pork shoulder if it has a lot of fat. You can use this to make chicharrones (pork rinds) or even pork belly if you cut enough meat. Also, if this is your first time, I suggest using a smaller shoulder. I find that a pork shoulder about 6-8 lbs. works best with this recipe or cooking method.
Cuban Mojo

If you want to make more Mojo than what you have left, I suggest making it with real garlic and onion instead of powder. Simply put, two tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil (the rendered fat from the pork shoulder is better) over medium to low heat. Let it come up to temperature, then add 6-8 cloves of chopped garlic, about one-quarter of a thinly sliced yellow onion, half a teaspoon of cumin, salt, black pepper, and oregano. Cook slowly until the onions get translucent, take it off the heat, and let it stand before serving.

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