Smoked Cuban mojo pulled pork boasts a variety of exciting flavours such as garlic, lime, sherry, oregano, and marjoram. Use pork butt or pork shoulder to make perfect Cuban roast pork. This mojo smoked pork is a great recipe for a pellet smoker or Traeger grill.
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Mojo smoked pork is one of the tastiest recipes you can make in your smoker. Once shredded, the pork butt or pork shoulder can be used for tacos or sandwiches, or you can serve it with coleslaw and beans.
Smoked Cuban Mojo Pulled Pork Ingredients
The main ingredient in mojo smoked pork is of course the meat. Bone-in pork butt (which is technically pork shoulder or sometimes a Boston butt) is the meat of choice here.
Olive oil, garlic cloves, oregano, marjoram, salt, cumin, pepper, chilli powder, pickle juice, orange and lime juices, sherry, vegetable stock, and an onion are also featured in Cuban roast pork. Cilantro makes a great garnish on this Cuban pulled pork dish.
You will want to have fresh oranges and fresh limes to make the citrus juice.
How Do You Make Mojo Smoked Pork?
Score the fat on the pork and add salt, pepper, chilli powder and cumin to flavour it. Next put the garlic, marjoram and oregano in a food processor with the oil and puree. You can then rub this mojo marinade over the meat.
Stir the fruit juices, sherry and vegetable stock together. Put the pork in a heavy pot or a Dutch oven and add pickles and onions. Pour the mojo sauce over it.
Cover the pot and cook the smoked cuban pork for 4 hours in a pellet smoker or Traeger grill then cook uncovered for 2 more hours and shred the pork. When it shreds easily, you know it’s done.
What to Serve With Mojo Cuban Pulled Pork
This Cuban pulled pork dish is great served with mashed potatoes, white rice or cilantro lime rice, black beans, pico de gallo and fried plantains (maduro). Gouda and Cream Cheese Corn, Garden Veggie Macaroni Salad, coleslaw or a Burrata Caprese Salad would also be great choices for a summer cookout.
Why Cuban Roast Pork is So Well Loved
Pork butt or pork shoulder as it’s also known is a great cut of meat. It’s a budget cut of meat and it’s pretty much impossible to overcook it, since it always seems to come out beautifully juicy.
The orange, lime and spice flavours of the Cuban mojo (pronounced MOH-hoh) are apparent in every mouthful, while the chilli powder adds a kick of heat and the pickle juice adds a tangy taste. I can’t get enough of this amazing dish. The only thing that makes me crazy is the incredible smell and having to wait patiently until it’s done! Cuban Mojo marinade, made with sour oranges, garlic, oregano, cumin and olive oil, can also be used or served as a sauce or condiment.
It’s an easy recipe because you don’t have to cook any part of the marinade. Instead, you just combine the ingredients and pour the sauce over the pork. In fact, apart from the smoker, you don’t have to cook anything. Simply let the smoker work its magic on the pork while you prepare your chosen sides.
Leftover Cuban mojo roast pork makes the absolute best sandwiches – like a delicious Cubano sandwich. You can also add the shredded pork to tacos, salads, quesadillas, or burritos.
Smoked Cuban Mojo Pulled Pork FAQs
Actually yes. The traditional Cuban roast pork recipe is made with sour orange juice, but it isn’t always possible to find a sour or bitter oranges here. Try combining 2 parts orange juice with 1 part lemon juice and 1 part lime juice, or else 2 parts orange juice with 1 part grapefruit juice and a teaspoon of lime juice. Alternatively, you can get sour orange juice on Amazon. If you can find sour Seville oranges, which are called naranjas ágrias in Spanish, use those in place of both the orange juice and lime juice.
Pork is great with maple or hickory smoke or you might prefer something fruity like cherry or apple wood, perhaps. You can of course also combine more than one kind.
Cuban roast pork can be sliced but I love to shred it using a couple of forks. Try it with mashed potatoes or rice, as a filling for sandwiches or tacos, or pair it with a Cuban side dish such as fried ripe plantains, pico de gallo, or black beans.
I recommend you reheat it in a foil-covered dish along with some meat juices. Do this on the stove, in the oven, or in the pellet smoker or Traeger grill. I recommend you eat this smoked Cuban mojo pulled pork within 4 days tops for the best results.
Smoked Cuban Mojo Pulled Pork Recipe
Smoked Cuban Mojo Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 4 Pound pork butt bone-in, or pork shoulder
- ½ Cup olive oil
- ½ cup garlic cloves
- ½ Tablespoon oregano dried
- ½ Tablespoon marjoram
- 2 Teaspoon sea salt coarse
- 2 Teaspoon cumin
- 2 Teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 2 Tablespoon pickle juice
- 2 oranges juiced
- 3 lime juiced
- ½ Cup sherry
- ½ Cup vegetable stock
- 1 white onion sliced
Garnish
- Cilantro optional
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 300 degrees F.
- Use a knife to score the pork fat. Season with salt, cumin, pepper, and chili powder.
- Combine garlic, olive oil, marjoram, and oregano in a food processor and purée. Brush over the pork.
- Combine orange juice, lime juice, vegetable stock, and sherry in a bowl and stir.
- Place pork into a Dutch oven. Surround with sliced onions and pickle juice. Pour mojo over the sides.
- Place the lid onto the Dutch oven and place into the smoker. Cook for 4 hours, then remove the lid.
- Lower heat to 180 degrees F.
- Cook for 2 hours.
- Shred the pork. Garnish with cilantro (optional).
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Cuban style mojo pork is so easy to prepare and offers a rich, juicy result. The magical combination of garlic, citrus and spice enhances the pork so well and all you need for this iconic Cuban dish are the ingredients and a pellet smoker or Traeger grill. It’s just perfect for summer BBQs and special occasions.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for recipes, dogs, sustainability, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Bella Bucchiotti is a freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer for MSN and the Associated Press Wire.
I am making this on the weekend. Just got a smoker!
Can’t wait to try this on my Traeger!
The pickles in this recipe made it taste just SOO good! It cannot be overstated how flavorful this ways.
The ingredients only mention pickle juice. The instructions mention pickles? How many? What kind?
hi! I corrected it. It should say pickle juice in the instructions, not pickles. 🙂
I made this on the Traeger and it turned out perfectly! I agree; it is hard to wait to eat it since you can smell how delicious it is going to be! I served it with mashed potatoes and my family loved it.
I love pulled pork. Happy to have a new recipe in my arsenal. Thank you.
Yum! My family loved this recipe! I am going to make it again for Super Bowl in a few weeks!