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! 🙂
I saw the comments about doing this in the slow cooker(which I plan to do), but should I leave the marinade in with the roast while its cooking?
A slow cooker will work well to add the marinade! 🙂 Definitely brown the pork afterwards in the oven though – it won’t look very attractive out of the slow cooker 🙂 Hope you try it Rebekah!
This recipes sounds so good and I really want to try it. My only question or problem is I can’t handle mint.(I start sneezing everytime I smell or eat it). Would this recipe still be worth making without it?
definitely! Sub with parsley for a neutral replacement that won’t upset the flavour balance 🙂 (It’s mainly about garlic and coriander)
I tried this recipe today.
Started marinating the pork last night and roasted it this afternoon.
It was AHMAZING!!!
I like the lower temperature-longer roast time method and it worked perfectly.
The pork is fully cooked and wonderfully tender.
And the sauce… Oh My Lord is all I can say about the sauce
This recipe is definitely one that I will use often!
Isn’t it amazing?? I can say that because it’s not my recipe, it’s Roy Choi’s! SO glad you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know! N xx
I already have a pork tenderloin roast. Will this recipe work with it? If so, any recommended adjustments on cooking?
Thanks
Hi Jerry! This recipe is intended to be slow roasted so is best made with fattier cuts of meat like shoulder. Tenderloin is very lean (typically) but if yours is fatty, then you can use this recipe. If the weight is the same then use the same cook time. 🙂
I’m using this recipe to cook an 8 lb boneless pork shoulder. Should I double the ingredients since your recipe uses a 4 lb shoulder? Also, how should I adjust the cooking time for the larger piece? I made this last year using a 4 lb piece and it was delicious!
Hi Christina! You can probably get away with increasing the ingredients by 1.5x, not double, but double is probably easier from a calc perspective 🙂 For cook times, increase the covered roasting time by around 45 minutes. Doesn’t require double the time as a larger pork is larger more in length than in thickness 🙂
Sounds great! Thanks for your help!
Would it be ok to marinate the pork for 48hrs?
Hi Jessica! yes that will be fine 🙂
As a Cuban, I have to say this is a really great recipe.
A little tip on the Cuban sandwiches, while on the grill (even better if you have a press) when the sandwich is almost done, melt some Swiss into the exterior of the top (or bottom) of the bread. Try to get the cheese a little brown so it is crispy. Just a little tip to get it perfect.
THANK YOU for those tips Anthony!!! And I’m so glad you approve of this recipe 🙂 I don’t know much about Cuban cooking so I had to rely on the source! N x
Hi, I have a couple small pork legs from a wild pig. Would this recipe work? I plan to brine the legs first to add moisture. Thanks for any tips!
Hi Robin – I haven’t cooked with wild pig before but because this is a slow cooked recipe, I am sure it will be fine! Because leg is leaner than shoulder I think brining is a good tip. I think leg may need to cook longer to become tender but if you’re legs are smaller then it might be the same time. 🙂 N x
Thanks for the response – I’m cooking it up tonight, I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Oops, disregard my question regarding the slow cooker, I didn’t see all the older comments addressing this!
-Kay
Hi, I just found this receipe and I want to try it this weekend!
I would like to make it with chicken breats; do you have any roasting advice so I do not ruin it?
We are 4 adults eating, so I am thinking 2 per person, not sure the weight though.
Greatful for any help or advice you can give me – the dish you made looks great!
All the best,
Hege/Norway
Hi, this is the 2nd time I am making this recipe because it was such a hit. I have a 61/2 jb bone in shoulder – how long should I cook it? Thanks for the recipe!
Isn’t it awesome??? One of my favourite ways with pork shoulder! I’d add around 45 minutes to the initial roasting time of 2 1/2 hours covered. 🙂
Hi Nagi. I can’t wait to try this tomorrow. I mixed the marinade and its soaking in it now. It was the perfect recipe because I have cilantro and mint growing in my garden☺️ I plan on using the old crockpot and making street tacos out of them. I need to figure out a simple slaw to put on top. I plan on subscribing to your blog. You seem to like food that is flavorful, yet easy.
Ooh! Tacos – YUM! Hope you enjoy it Chrissy! 🙂 N x
I made the marinade and roasted this. It would have turned out perfectly except the final internal temperature of 160F is WAY too high. The center was overcooked and slightly chewy. I checked other internal temps for roasted port and I’d try it again but maybe use 140-145F as the internal temperature, then remove and tent it so it retains juices. I made this and served a group of people, so I was a little disappointed with the overdone slices. The following day, I used the side that was thicker for Cubanos and it was pretty darn perfect. So, reducing the internal temp recommendation would ensure the following day’s recipe to not be too overdone.
Also, the mojo sauce base could could use some fresh herbs like some Cuban dishes’ Mojo sauce: just add some fresh oregano and maybe 3-4 cloves of garlic. Adding that to the degreased pan drippings made for a really memorable sauce. Thanks for the recipe.
Well, pork shoulder is usually cooked VERY low and slow as a bbq dish due to all its connective tissue needing to melt away. So I cook it at about 300 for around 8-9 hours and it comes out around 180. No tent, no cover. That way it gets nice and brown on the outside and perfectly tender and juicy in the middle. All that tissue doesn’t start melting into the meat until about 170 internally. So if it’s held there between170 and 185 for a good while, you’ll have amazing pork. Then for the Cubans, I chill and slice thin later. Wow, I tested this twice now, it’s amazing. I tried it with “pulled pork” and to my surprise, it wasn’t as good. (I’m a pulled pork fiend) HAVE FUN COOKIN’!
Hi Bamboogirl! The internal reading temperature using the directions in note 1 per the original recipe by Roy Choi is supposed to be 160F because the purpose of this pork is to slice it really thinly so it’s not chewy. I totally agree with you that if this was served as a normal pork roast, it would be chewy, which is why I slow cook this until tender i.e. beyond well done. 🙂
Nagi, first of all, thank you for taking the time to post this – I saw the movie as well and got a real craving to try those Cubanos, so first I want to roast the pork ‘authentically’. I can’t get your Murray Valley pork as I hail from the Land of OZ (Kansas) but will find something similar if possible. But what can I substitute for cilantro as I absolutely cannot stand it? Flat leaf parsley? I want to be as close to the original recipe as possible but cilantro ranks with liver as my most hated tastes. 🙂
Hi Eric!! Ahh, a cilantro hater!!! 🙂 That’s a tough one because cilantro is pretty key for the flavours of this. I would add the zest of 1 lime and swap the cilantro for parsley, I think that will still be super yum and the underlying flavours will still be similar to the original recipe!
Question do u rotate to pork half way through or rotate at all? FYI I am making this as we speak has about 30 mins left in oven. And the pork shoulder I have was pre rolled and tied so I kept it tht way since u said dint do that only because u didn’t have the string.
Hi Marisa! Nope, not necessary because this is slow roasted. Unless your oven is particularly hot on one side 🙂
Hello! I have been looking forward to making this dish and tonight I am making it for a group of our friends! I do have a question:
I could find pork shoulder. Went to several places…So I settled on pork sirloin. What baking changes would you do with this to make it as tender and juicy as possible? I noticed your comments that you baked it longer at a lower temp. Can you let me what you did there?
Thank you!
Kathy
Hi Kathy, sorry for the late response! Sirloin is leaner than shoulder so it’s not the best cut for cooking long and slow like this. I’d love to know if you tried it though!
Hi Nagi,
Meal 1. I followed your Mojo Pork recipe to the letter and it was magnificent with garlic mash.
Meal 2. Moved on to the Cubano sandwiches again to the letter – another hit
Meal 3. I had a couple of cups of the Mojo pork left, so looked around the pantry and refrigerator and put together a Mojo/Thai/Japanese fusion soup! just finished off a bowl, so that shoulder of pork had three lives.
In case anyone is interested here is what I found laying around and how I put it together:
2 cups shredded mojo pork Shoulder
1/2 raw chicken breast
8-10 medium green king prawns (fresh or frozen)
1.5 litres water
small onion
half capsicum
bunch bock choy
small carrot
medium floret broccoli
2 medium musrooms
1/2 teaspoon – dried:
medium dry chilli flakes
cummin
parsely flakes
coriander
ginger
tablespoon:
terriaki or soy sauce
2 x fish sauce
honey
sheet of dried nori seaweed
small sache of miso paste
1 cup of dried flat thai noodles
Method:
Rough cut/chop all ingredients and combine in water:
1. Pork, chicken, onions, carrots, mushrooms herbs/spices, sauces, honey
Bring to boild then simmer on very low heat for 1 hour
2. Add rest of vegetables simmer for 30 minutes
3. Add prawns and bok choy simmer 10 minutes and serve
Woah! That’s awesome Mark, thank you so much for sharing that! And I am SO GLAD you enjoyed the Mojo Pork and Cubanos!!! N x
How would you adjust this recipe if you used the marinade on chicken breast?
Hi Suzy! Just scale it down by weight 🙂 It works fab with chicken!
So good! Hard to stop eating! I think your website is so decadent! Thank you Nagi!!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it Evangeline! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Hi, In the Movie he clearly added Rice wine vinegar how ever it is not on this recipe list. Is there a particular reason it was left out?
I’ve just realised he was making Tostones (plantain chips) with Chilli Vinegar sauce – so that is probabl why we saw the rice vinegar in the film. The sauce was – 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1 crused garlic clove, 4 seeded jalapeño deseeded chillies and 2 Thai chillies – all blended into a smooth paste. I hope that answers your question.
Roy Choi’s recipe on reddit.com has a whole other process – brining the pork shoulder for 12 hours first before it is marinaded. The brine includes 1/2 cup rice wine vingegar amongst a long list of other things. I would think this brining boosts the flavour immensley.
Hi Meryl! I find his recipe as written in Food and Wine (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mojo-marinated-pork-shoulder) achieves wonderful flavour infusion from the marinating! That’s how I do my recipe. 🙂
Really?? I don’t remember that! I have to watch it for the 6th time this long weekend!!! This is the recipe that Roy Choi published, as written. 🙂