Cuban-Style Roast Pork

1. Stage

Prepare the mojo marinade: To your blender or food processor add the garlic cloves, chopped onion, dried oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, grapefruit, lime, and orange juices, vinegar, and olive oil. Blend or puree the ingredients together on medium speed until the garlic and onions are very fine—almost resembling a soupy paste. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture for the sauce and set it aside. You will use what remains to marinate the pork.

2. Stage

Marinate the pork: Take your Boston butt and make 1-inch-wide slits, 4 inches deep into the meat (be careful not to hit the bone too hard with your knife). This will help the marinade penetrate the inner part of the roast. Place the pork in a bowl or dish large enough to hold the meat. Pour the mojo marinade that’s still in your blender or food processor over the pork. Give the pork a turn to coat it in the marinade and cover the dish.

3. Stage

Transfer to the refrigerator: Marinate the pork for 4-12 hours in the refrigerator. If the pork is not fully covered in the marinade, turn it over during the marinating time to make sure it’s getting all it can from the mojo. Because I usually begin marinating my pork roast the evening before cooking it, I usually turn it in the morning after it’s marinated overnight.

4. Stage

Heat the oven to 350°F

5. Stage

Roast the pork: After the meat has marinated, transfer it to a roasting pan (with or without a rack). Roast the pork, uncovered, for 3 1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in the fleshiest part, not touching the bone, reads 165°F.

6. Stage

Rest the meat: When the roast is ready, remove it from the oven. The top will be beautifully caramelized from the sugars and the aromatics that were in the mojo. Loosely cover the roast with a large piece of aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes while you heat the reserved 1 1/2 cups of mojo sauce. Mojo is pungent and can be overwhelming in its raw form. To serve it as a sauce, it’s best to cook it to soften the harshness a bit.

7. Stage

Make a slurry: In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon from the reserved mojo and stir together until no lumps of cornstarch remain.

8. Stage

Heat and thicken the mojo sauce: Pour the mojo sauce and the cornstarch slurry into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat while stirring frequently. Once the mixture begins to boil, lower the temperature and allow the sauce to simmer for 5-6 minutes while stirring occasionally. Allowing the mojo to simmer will mellow out the garlic and onion flavors considerably. The sauce is ready when it reaches the consistency of maple syrup. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl. The mojo sauce may be served hot, cold, or at room temperature.

9. Stage

Serve the roast pork and sauce: After the pork has rested, which allows the juices to settle down and not run everywhere when you cut it, use a carving knife to slice the roast. Serve it with a side of rice and beans and plantains. Pour the sauce over the sliced portions of pork after serving. LEFTOVERS! Leftovers may be refrigerated for 2-3 days and reheated in the microwave or, my favorite way, by lightly sautéing in a skillet with a bit of mojo sauce until warmed through. Any leftover mojo sauce should be covered and stored in the refrigerator. Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!