This is THE Cuban Roast Pork from the 2014 movie “Chef”, created especially for the movie by LA Korean-fusion food truck original and rockstar chef Roy Choi. Easy to make, the pork is juicy and tender (no thermometer required!) and the flavour is incredible. INCREDIBLE!!
While the rest of the word is obsessed with “50 Shades of Grey”, I am obsessed with the Jon Favreau movie “Chef”. Have you seen it? If you are a foodie, it is a must-see!
There are classic moments in the movie that only “foodies” will appreciate. Like when one of the actors is swaying away to the beat of Latin music while he rubs marinade into the pork (seriously, cooking has never been so sexy!). And the passion for cooking the food you love.
I was somewhat dubious about trying a recipe from a movie until I read that the “star” recipe was actually developed by a real chef – Roy Choi. Do you know who Roy Choi is? He is a ROCK STAR in the foodie world, known for starting the food truck movement in LA with his Korean-fusion taco truck, Kogi. Cool and talented beyond words.
I found the recipe for the Mojo marinated Cuban Roast Pork from the Chef movie here on thestar.com. And as soon as I read it, I knew it was going to be a good recipe.
When I tried it, I discovered it was a great recipe. One that I had to share with you!
This Cuban Roast Pork is really easy to make. Just whizz up a handful of ingredients for the marinade, then let it marinate overnight to get the flavours infused into the pork. This marinade REALLY infuses into the meat. You will be amazed.
It’s also much less maintenance and stress than traditional roast pork because this is meant to be cooked past overdone, long and slow until the meat is tender and juicy. The cook times I have provided yields a roast that is really tender and juicy but can still be carved. But you know what? Even if your oven is too strong, if you leave it in for too long, it is still going to work! The worst that can happen is that the meat is too tender and it becomes fall apart i.e. you simply pull shreds off with tongs instead of carving it.
Really. If that is the “dud” outcome, then in my books, this is a “foolproof” recipe.
I made this Cuban Roast Pork using Murray Valley Pork which is simply the best quality pork produced in Australia! You can’t get it at supermarkets, only at butchers, and if there’s ever a time to splurge on good quality pork, Easter is it!
OK, signing off! I really want to say I’m going to have this Cuban Roast Pork for Easter lunch. But I have cooked almost 15 kg/30 lb of pork in the past couple of weeks so I’m pretty porked out. So I think I’m going to stick with chicken this year.
Really hope you consider this pork for your Easter table though!! I promise it is worthy of being the centrepiece. 🙂 – Nagi
PS Make sure you save some Cuban Pork Roast to make Cuban Sandwiches (Cubanos)! I’ll share the recipe on Easter Monday. All you need is leftover Mojo Marinated Pork, baguettes, swiss cheese, gherkins and slices of ordinary ham. One of the BEST SANDWICHES I have never had in my life!!
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Juicy Cuban Mojo Pork Roast (Chef Movie recipe)
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup cilantro / coriander, lightly packed
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 3/4 cup orange juice, fresh
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, lightly packed
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, packed (or 1/2 tbsp dried oregano)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Pork
- 4 lb / 2 kg pork shoulder / pork butt, skinless and boneless (not loin or leg roast, will dry out)
Mojo Sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine Marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped. Alternatively, you can finely chop/mince the garlic and herbs then mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- Place in a large ziplock bag with the pork. Place in the fridge overnight (in a bowl, just to be safe).
- Remove the pork from the Marinade and leave on counter for 1 hour (bring to room temp). Reserve the Marinade.
- Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan).
- Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Base with pan juices.
- Reduce heat to 190°C/375°F (170°C). Roast for another 1 1/2 – 2 hours, basting every half hour, until the internal temperature reaches 70°/160°F. At this temperature, the pork is cooked, still juicy, and carvable, as it is intended to be (Note 1)
- Fall-apart tender alternative (not slicable, meat falls apart): Roast at 160°C/320°F (all oven types) for 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat can be easily shredded using 2 forks (check on side).
- Remove from the oven and place on a plate, loosely covered with foil. Rest for 20 minutes before serving with the Mojo Sauce on the side. I decorated mine with pan fried slices of oranges and extra cilantro/coriander leaves.
Mojo Sauce
- Place the reserved Marinade, Mojo Sauce ingredients and 2 tbsp of the roasting pan drippings into a small saucepan. Bring to boil and add salt and pepper to taste. You might also want to add more lime juice or even a touch of sugar. Turn the heat down and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the stove and set aside.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
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I think you’ll LOVE this Grilled Corn with Chipotle Mayo to serve on the side!
Or how about this Green Coriander / Cilantro Rice? Very on-theme! 🙂
Roast was great!!! I added just a little sugar to the sauce and skimmed off the fat. Not impressed by sandwich though. Just like a grilled sandwich with meat, pickles, cheese and mustard.
This was great! The flavors fo citrus, cilantro and garlic were really nice.
I had just watched “Chef” about a month ago. It was a fun movie. Speaking of food-related movies, I also have eyes on “Today’s Special” and “East-Side Sushi” on my “want to watch” list.
I’m so glad you loved it J-Mom! N x
I’m at such a loss! I followed the instructions exactly and the pork came out half dry. I’m not sure where I went wrong. All the flavors were amazing, just must have messed up tenting the pork or something. Any thoughts?
I had the same issue. My pork roast was exactly 4 1/2 lbs, I roasted it for 2 hours with a lid, in a Dutch oven at 325; when I checked on it at the 2 hour point, I was concerned, I took the lid off and continued for 15 minutes only (because it had shrunk and browned so much), tenting it for 20. It was as dry as a toenail sadly. I was gutted. Great flavor profile though!
Hi Sarah, sorry you had issues here – what cut of pork, what size and how long did you cook it? N x
3.3lb Pork shoulder and I cooked it the amount of time dictated in the recipe
mojo over LA YUCA??
My plan is to double this recipe for Christmas (huge family) but to use two bone-in pork butts and in a large covered roasting pan
Do you have any recommendations? I was going to stick to the recipe but maybe keep it in the oven for an extra 30 minutes or so??
Use a meat thermometer probe, they can be gotten inexpensively. Your internal target is 73°c but no prob if you go a bit over. It’ll just be more tender. Internal temp will rise faster later in the cook, so don’t worry if it’s still sub 40° half way through the cook. Don’t forget to rest it too. It’ll only turn out dry if you cook too hot for too long and cut in too soon
Made this tonight after it sat for 24hrs in the mojo(I added a mild chili for a bit of heat)and We loved it. Massaging in the sauce into the pork shoulder is a good idea. Also dipped some potatoes into the sauce and baked them along with pork. Taking cubaneros for lunch tomorrow.
Sounds amazing Cameron!!!!
A baby with out teeth could eat it. For the sauce I added some sour cream sugar lime juice and this was amazing served over pork and the rice.
Sounds delicious Jeff!
I am one of those people who hates cilantro. What should I replace it with in this recipe?
Bay leaves…. 6 – 8 fresh, I break them to release oils but keep them whole to easily remove later. Not traditional but works well with orange and pork flavours.
Parsley
Close…this sounds really good too…but that’s not how Roy Choi makes it. The recipie is shown on his and Faverau’s new show. He starts with a citrus/herb brine for at least 6 hours. Then the meat is slathered with the mojo sauce. Then cooked (higher heat/shorter time for cubanos, lower heat/longer for carnitas) Brining really makes a difference to help break down the proteins and makes it much juicier.
Made this on the weekend and made cubano’s one night with enough leftover pork to make taco’s with a charred corn salsa another night, this ones a winner and a keeper and so simple – just takes time to let it all do its magic!!
YESSS!! Perfect!
Would it be okay to cook it in a Dutch oven?
I was curious as if this would work with a pork butt? I love the flavors and thought it would make for great street tacos.
YES! Would be great – N x
Hi Nagi, I have a rolled shoulder of Pork from Woollies to cook this. Do I remove the netting and take off the skin/fat or remove when carving? Cooking for 18 at the weekend!!
Hi Janeen, remove the netting before cooking – leave some of the fat on to keep the pork juicy! – N x
Thanks Nagi for getting back to me so quickly. Looking forward to making this, starting with marinating tomorrow and cooking Sunday.
Amazing! Cooked yesterday for a food/wine group and received rave reviews. Recipe requested by several at the lunch. I will be making this again. Tks again Nagi. x
Hi Nagi, I watched Chef last night and googled the recipe. Voila…to your site! I have a strong aversion to mint. Does the mint flavor come through at all from the marinade? If it does, do u think it would totally mess up recipe if I left it out? Thank you! Love your site!
Hi Lechuga, you can leave it out if you prefer – N x
I havent cooked this year but watched them recreate this on the Chef show currently on Netflix and it seems like you are missing ingredients in both recipes?
They changed the recipe! Roy says himself in that show that recipes constantly change 😂
Hi Nagi, I was so excited to make this pork yesterday (I’m obsessed with the movie). I followed everything to the letter but the pork came out super dry and tough, rather than moist and easy to eat. The flavours were great and that sauce divine but it was just chewy – so much so that the Cubanos I had planned to make tonight would be a no go because the meat would be too tough I think.
This failure is hot on the heels of my equally tough pastrami I made from your recipe last weekend.
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong when it comes to these two recipes but it has really knocked my confidence.
I’m wondering whether cooking it in the slow cooker would be an option to try and get super tender meat? I’m assuming still roast for 30 mins though?
I really want to make the cubanos recipe but am a bit nervous to ruin another hunk of meat hahaha.
Hi Lisa, I’m so sorry you’re having trouble here – sounds like it hasn’t cooked long enough for the protein to break down and get to that tender stage! What cut of pork are you using? – N x
I bookmarked this recipe many months ago from a google search after watching Chef and craving a Cubano sandwich, but hadn’t at the time been familiar with your site. I’ve since properly “discovered” many more of your recipes and finally got around to making this one on the weekend. Amazing! Soooo tender and flavoursome. I used a slightly smaller rolled pork shoulder and cooked it for the whole time. We’ve now had both the mojo pork with the sauce and the Cubano sandwiches. Winners! Will definitely make this again. Thanks Nagi!
Wahoo!! Thanks for the feedback Nicole – N x
Hi Nagi,
Loving your recipes.
Would this work for a skinless, boneless Pork Leg?
As I am not a great cook so not sure what to do with it.
Kind Regards
Joanne
hi Joanne! I’m afraid I haven’t tried. How big is it? If it’s similar size to the lamb leg I use in my Slow Roasted Lamb Leg then YES this recipe will work great with leg. So do the marinade but then cook for the length of time and covered then uncovered per the slow roast lamb leg recipe!
Just wondering if this will also work in a slow cooker? And maybe I could pop it into the oven to brown once the pork is cooked through?
Yes!! I would do 8 hours on low for this, so it’s super tender but not like pulled pork, then finish by browning in oven. YUM!!
What is considered Low temp? 325 or less?
Hi Nagi!
So I cooked this pork tonight, had it marinating for just over 24 hours.. Now, both hubby and I couldn’t taste the marinade flavour within the pork, at all??!! Perhaps just on the very bottom of the meat?! Is that correct?
I actually didn’t mind the coriander flavour at all, so used the mojo sauce as recipe! So with that poured on, it was great..
Is that only where the flavour would come from, with the sauce poured over?
Cheers! 😁
You score the shoulder roast lightly so it can absorb
Hi Jax! With marinades for big hunks of meat, there’s no denying that it’s unlikely that you get intense marinade flavour all the way right into the middle 🙂 But there should be some, even if it’s just a hint. It’s a pretty intense marinade flavour!! You definitely used all the flavourings in the marinade?? Glad you enjoyed the sauce still! N xx
Hey, Yeah that’s true…and yep i definitely did use everything! Theres no doubt abot it, It was still all bloomin delish! Used it as soft tacos 😃