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Mojo Pork served with a Chimichurri Sauce

That’s ‘Mo-Ho’ not ‘Mo-Joe’. I like your thinking though, I’m just not that kind of therapist…(made you click). Mojo is a Cuban marinade that lends itself well to most meats; pork, beef & chicken. It’s citrusy & herby with enough garlic to give it kick & freshly toasted cumin seed to keep it grounded & earthy. In this recipe, we have cooked up a good size pork butt roast & given you three different options to enjoy it.

Mojo Pork with Chimichurri Sauce

serves 8 (this recipe is gluten free)

5 lbs. pork butt roast (shoulder will work here also)

Mojo Marinade

1/2 cup tangerine juice
zest of 1 tangerine
1/4 cup key lime juice (or regular lime)
1/4 cup cilantro
1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano
4 plump cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin seed, toasted/freshly ground (or pre-ground cumin if desired) See notes below
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

1.) In a slow steady stream whisk in olive oil to create an emulsification (alternately you may use a food processor, giving the mixture a few pulses, or shake mixture vigorously in a small jar with a tight fitting lid). Place roast in a gallon size ziplock bag, pour marinade over meat, seal & gently massage to work through roast. Refrigerate overnight.

2.) Remove your roast from the bag, place in an open roasting pan, pour marinade over top. Preheat oven to 325. Cover with foil & roast for 2 hours. Remove foil & continue to roast until meat is fork tender & reaches about 175f (approximately 1 hour). Pork roasts are cooked low & slow. This size roast will require 3-4 hours of cooking time at low roast (325f). The term fork tender means that it will be very easy to pierce with a fork. If the fork upon sliding into the meat give a squeaky resistance, it’s not done. Allow the roast to rest 20 minutes before slicing or shredding.

Chimichurri Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed & roughly chopped (approximately 1 cup)
3/4 of a bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley, rinsed & roughly chopped (approximately 3/4 cup)
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano
1/2 cup shallots (or purple onion)
5 plump cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2-1 tsp. of red pepper flake, depending on level of heat desired

Combine all listed ingredients in a food processor add pulse just until smooth. I like to use my bullet as it’s easier to clean after. Best used the same day. Drizzle over pork.

Pressed Cuban Pork & Pickle Sandwich

Every once in a blue moon, there comes along a… dish. So provocative, so enticing. That you say to her…. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day…”

serves 1

2 slices of sourdough
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
4 thin slices of Mojo Pork (from recipe above)
4 slices of smoked ham
4 slices of aged swiss cheese, thinly sliced
4 Claussen sweet sandwich pickle slices (or dill)
2 thin slices of hot house tomato

1.) Brush each slice of sourdough with butter on the outside, mustard on the inside. Layer two slice of swiss over mustard on both slices. Lay out pickle planks on just one side of bread. In a large fry pan, heat a bit of oil & fry up slices of pork & ham until slightly browned & a bit crisped, layer meats over the pickle planks then top with other slice.

2.) At this point you press & crisp your sandwich up in a Panini Press following manufactures directions. Alternately, you can use a fry pan with a tinfoil covered brick to compress layers together while sandwich grills. When golden, simply remove brick, flip, lay brick back on top & continue grilling until golden & cheese is melted. I will show you below what I used to accomplish a nicely crisped, compressed sandwich with signature grill marks.

Serve with a fresh order of hand crafted tater chips, an ice cold beer & a rye smile. (Shown served on a rustic aluminum tray).

This is my make-shift panini grill using a grill pan & a grill press. It worked quite well. These are two pieces of versatile equipment that we use on a regular basis in our kitchen so this was adequate for our needs. However, if you love a good panini, or if you do a lot of grilled sandwiches, then I say invest in a panini press. This one is Hamilton Beach sold on Amazon with a very reasonable price tag.

Mojo Pork Carnitas | with Pico de Gallo | Cotija | & Chipotle Crema

serves 4- 2 tacos each (this recipe is gluten free if you choose gluten free corn tortillas)

2 cups Mojo Pork shredded
16 corn tortillas (if you are using thick tortillas like the ones above you will need 8 of them, if using thin corn tortillas then use 2 for each taco)
1 cup Cojita cheese, shredded
2 large Hass avocados, thinly sliced (sprinkled with 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice & salt to taste)

Pico de gallo

4 hot house or heirloom tomatoes, small diced
1/4 cup cilantro, rinsed & roughly cut
1 shallot minced
2 plump cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 small jalapeno, finely minced (ribs & seeds removed)
1 tsp. salt.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Garnish

2 limes cut into wedges
4 large radishes, thinly sliced
seeds from 1 pomegranate
1 cup of Mexican Crema blended with 1 Chipotle pepper & 1 tsp. of adobe sauce (you may substitute sour cream for crema)

1.) Combine all ingredients listed for Pico de Gallo & set aside for flavors to meld.

2.) Pan fry tortilla until golden, cover with a damp paper towel, set aside. In a large non-stick fry pan heat 1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil & crisp up Mojo pork, keep warm, set aside.

3.) Layer each tortilla with 1/4 cup Mojo pork, sprinkle with Cotija cheese, layer a couple slices of avocado, spoon on some pico de gallo & garnish as desired. Alternately, lay out all of the taco fixings & allow each guest to dress their own.

3 ways | to get your MOJO on…