Oven-Roasted Mojo Pork Recipe
If you're looking for a stellar meat dish that stands out from the rest — without spending hours in the kitchen — this oven-roasted mojo pork recipe is a winner. While the overall cook time may appear long, the hands-on prep time is minimal, with the rest of it simply requiring patience as the meat marinates, rests, and cooks. Thanks to a low and slow cooking method, the oven does most of the work with optimal results.
Mashed recipe developer Feta Topalu shares this impressive recipe, describing, "This tender, fall-apart mojo pork has succulent flavors of herbs, garlic, and citrus." The combination of ingredients makes it a great match for a wide range of dishes. Topalu agrees and comments, "I love this pork for a number of reasons. First, the beautiful caramelized crust, and second, how versatile pulled pork is." Whether you serve this Cuban dish with a side of plain white rice or scoop it into corn tortillas, it's bound to be the talk of the table.
Gather the ingredients for this oven-roasted mojo pork recipe
For the mojo marinade you'll need olive oil, orange juice and zest, lime juice and zest, a minced yellow onion, minced garlic cloves, finely chopped cilantro, finely chopped oregano leaves, cumin, kosher salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. For the meat you can use either a bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt. You'll need some canola oil to brown the meat and lime wedges to serve.
Start by making the marinade
Grab a large bowl and add in the olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, lime juice, lime zest, minced onion, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, chopped oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together to combine them into a uniform consistency. If you want to get ahead in the meal prep, Topalu notes, "The marinade can be made a day in advance."
Coat the pork in the marinade
Rinse the piece of pork then use paper towels to pat it dry. Place it in the large bowl with the mojo and turn it to properly coat it in the marinade. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or tin foil. Then, transfer the pork to continue marinating in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
An hour before you plan to start cooking, remove the bowl from the refrigerator to let it warm up slightly.
Brown and roast the pork
Preheat the oven to 275 F. Pour canola oil into a Dutch oven and place it on the burner on medium-high heat. Place the pork in the pot, turning it to brown all the sides. Pour the rest of the marinade from the bowl over the pork.
Place the lid on the Dutch oven and transfer the dish to the oven. Roast the pork covered for 3 hours. Then, take the lid off and raise the temperature to 325 F. Roast the pork for another 2 ½ hours, then remove the dish from the oven and let the pork rest for 15 minutes.
Shred the meat and serve
Once the meat is cool enough to handle, shred the pork with two forks or just use your hands. Transfer the shredded meat to a serving plate and drizzle around ½ a cup of the drippings from the Dutch oven over top.
"This mojo pork can be served with a bed of rice, black beans, or tucked into a brioche bun with pickles and onions," Topalu recommends. A few lime wedges to squeeze over top add a pleasant tang. Once you've enjoyed your fill of this juicy flavorful pork, she says to "Store any leftover mojo pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days."
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ¼ cup yellow onion, minced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons oregano leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 (4-pound) pork shoulder or pork butt, bone-in
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, lime juice, lime zest, onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Rinse the pork and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Transfer the meat to the large bowl with the mojo marinade and turn it over a few times until it is well coated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Remove the bowl from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 275 F.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the pork to the Dutch oven and brown it on all sides.
- Pour the remaining marinade over the pork.
- Cover with the lid and transfer the dish to the oven. Roast the pork for 3 hours.
- Remove the lid and increase the oven temperature to 325 F; continue roasting for 2 ½ hours.
- Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Shred the pork using 2 forks or your hands.
- Transfer the meat to a serving plate and spoon about ½ a cup of the remaining drippings from the Dutch oven over the mojo pork.
- Serve with lime wedges.
| Calories per Serving | 592 |
| Total Fat | 44.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11.8 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 142.5 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 5.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 1.5 g |
| Sodium | 613.2 mg |
| Protein | 40.7 g |
