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! 🙂
Hi AGAIN!
Does the corriander flavour stand out, not a fan of fresh, but I’m assuming after cooking it changes? Perhaps i strain it out of the marinade before cooking into the sauce at the end?
Cheers Nagi, you’re awesome! 😀
Hi Jax! Yes the flavour definitely changes 🙂 Most people wouldn’t even know what it is. What I’d do is marinate it but then don’t use the leftover marinade as sauce. Instead, use the pan juices! Add a splash of chicken broth to stretch it out further and scrap up all the brown parts on the bottom of the pan. Or even add some orange juice. YUM! N xx
Ooooh YUSS, sounds grand!! Thanks heaps for that!😆
Hi Nagi,
Center cut pork chops are on sale! Would this recipe work with them and how would I change the temp/bake time?
Yes! Go by thickness – if it’s much thicker than mine, add a bit of time 🙂 Not too much, pork cooks quickly!
Thank you, Nagi! I have ham in the freezer so am hoping to use the leftovers for cubanos. My husband and I found your website recently and are enjoying trying lots of new , delicious recipes!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! i loved this movie too and that part when John Leguizamo was making the marinade and them eating the fruits of their labor was my favorite. I tried looking for a recipe to mimic theirs. Thank you for sharing this! I look forward to trying it out!
So pleased to hear that Zara! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi,
Can i check if this marinate is alright for smaller pieces of pork shoulder, after which i will cook them over bbq?
Hi Kenny – yep, they sure will be! It is SO GOOD on BBQ!
Hi Nagi,
Noted and thank you so much for your confirmation:)
Hi Nagi,
Can I check if I can just use this marinate for the smaller piece of the pork shoulder and then cook it over bbq?
Hi do I remove the rind off my pork shoulder ?
UK most shoulders are sold with a thick rind skin .
Hi Jane! For this recipe, yes please remove the skin because otherwise the marinade won’t infuse as much as it needs to. Save the skin! Freeze it if you will cook later 🙂
Just a question, but do you believe this will work with a ham instead of pork shoulder?
Hmm…. not sure. Ham is already cooked and salted so I am not sure how much it will benefit from a mojo marinade? 🙂
Sorry, I should of specified it was a fresh ham.
Oh! You mean gammon??? Has it been brined already??
Hi Nagi,
Say i got pork shoulders from the supermarket but they came in small cuts of 150-200g, roughly 1 inch thick. I have roughly 4 of those. Any advice on how long these should be roasted for in the oven?
Thanks!
For tender, I am guessing 1 hour 🙂 N x
Made this absolutely wonderful Mojo Pork for dinner last evening. My husband and I were wowed by how delicious it was (and will be today)!
Thank you for another perfect recipe!
Austin, TX
How did you get all the charred bits cooking it low and slow. Did you grill or fry the oranges in the photo? I am a fan of the film also. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Hi Suellen! Yes, Note 7 “I decorated mine with pan fried slices of orange ” 🙂 The charred bits on the roast are from the oven – meat still chars when roasted long and slow! N x
Hi Nagi, are those oven temps for fan ovens?
Hi Jonathan! I do use fan but for recipes like this, fan vs standard doesn’t affect it (well, it does but there is such a wide window for when it’s ready that I just pick the standard oven ready time which is after fan oven 🙂 ) Where a recipe is affected by standard vs fan, I always specify both temperatures – things like baking, quicker cooking roasts. 🙂
I’m going to make the Mojo Cuban Pork roast for a dinner party for 10. I bought the 2-pack boneless pork shoulder butt from Costco. Each butt weighs about 6-1/2#. I’m debating whether I should just make them both OR would (1) 6.5# roast be enough for 10 adults (sides black beans & rice and Cuban shrimp tamales)? To confirm cooking times: If I make (1) 6.5 roast, I would cook covered for about 3 hrs. & a smidge, uncovered 30 min. If I made both, on same pan, would the cooking time be the same?
Hi Linda – I think one will be enough with sides. I think it might take a bit over 3 hours covered, I’d allow for 3.5 hours just in case + 30 min uncovered, because I don’t know how thick your shoulder is. 🙂 Don’t worry, shoulder is very forgiving re: cook times.
Thanks for the recipe, going to try it next week. I was surprised to find this exact recipe. I watched the movie and when they took that pork roast out of the oven I was like… “Holy sh*t I need that in my life”
Definitely making those cubanos, I’ll let you know how it goes. Also, is that 1 cup of cilantro AND corriander? Half of each? Or just one or the other? I was a little confused by the he 1cup cilantro/corriander.
Hi Anthony! Coriander and cilantro are the same thing 🙂 We call it coriander here in Australia, it’s called cilantro in America! 🙂
Nagi, have you ever tried this in a slow cooker? I was thinking of doing a 2lb boneless pork shoulder? Would I still use the same amount of marinade ingredients. No serving slider on this. 🙁
Converting over now so you can use the slider! I haven’t but it will be terrific, but it should be finished in a hot oven for 20 – 30 minutes to brown the outside. 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi! I am really tempted to make this. Looks mouth-watering! I was just wondering would that work with pork tenderloin? If so, how to adapt the method? Should I sear it in the pan before roasting? For how long and what temperature should I be roasting it? Xx
Hi Kasia! This would work great with tenderloin too! Just marinate for 12 – 24 hours, then sear all over over high heat then bake at 180C/350F for 20 minutes or until cooked to your taste (that time will be just cooked moist inside, add 5 minutes if you want properly cooked through which will be less moist but not overcooked 🙂 )
Nagi,
I am so glad I came across your recipe on here. I have always wanted to make this roast for Cubanos and it just so happens that my son needs to make a dish for Spanish class and waited until the last minute to tell me. I am super excited to see someone asked about using a tenderloin. Unfortunately I do not have time to let it marinate overnight or even for 12 hrs, do you think injecting the loin will turn out OK? If I inject it, should I lower the temperature and cook it a little longer?
Hi Amber! Injecting the loin will certainly go a long way to replicating marinating! I would still cook it for the same time 🙂 N x
Despite what thestar.com says that’s not Roy Choi’s recipe. The recipe is posted in the Chef soundtrack liner notes and posted on reddit by John Favreau.
Check it out here: https://np.reddit.com/r/food/comments/44t67p/im_jon_favreau_and_these_are_cuban_sandwiches_i/czsrjx1/
WHAAAAT???!!! Jon Favreau is on reddit???
Thank you for this recipe.I love that movie have watched it seriously more than a 100 times(hides face).Will definately be trying it this weekend.
There is no shame! In fact, I am tempted to watch it again tonight – there is NOTHING on TV!
made this today – pork was amazing!!
not sure if i have over estimated the US measurements in ‘cups’ though? how sweet is the mojo saicevsupposed to be Nagi?
cubanos tomorrow!!
Oooh! CUBANOS!!!! The sauce shouldn’t be that sweet, the only sugar is from the oranges and there’s a ton of lime juice and savoury flavours in the marinade that balances it out. I will convert the recipe to a new recipes card format soon and include ML. 🙂
Thanks Nagi!
just tried it with your coconut & kidney bean rice and was lovely.. balanced out really well (i put a few chillis in the rice)
Sounds amazing Stuart! So pleased to hear that!
I tried your recipe and it worked beautifully. Great flavor profile. I have been married for 27 years and my wife does not cook and I’ve been the cook in our relationship since day one. My children are grown and gone and I just became a grandfather. Growing up, my children would open their eyes wide with excitement when they found out I made my pulled Cuban pork for dinner and lunch sandwich leftovers. It was simple, I’d put the pork shoulder in the crockpot and pour a bottle of Cuban Mojo Marinade. Set the crockpot on high the night before and I would wake up to a pork falling off the bone. I then placed it under the oven broiler to brown. I also took the drippings and marinade left in the pot and brought it to a boil on stove top. I added fresh lime juice, chopped garlic, cumin. I basically then pulled apart with two forks and poured sauce over the meat. Everywhere I would take this dish, people would beg for the recipe. They were thrilled when they found out how simple it was. Thought I’d share. Thank you for sharing your recipe, loved it, and added a different twist to my repertoire. Served it with the coconut rice you shared the recipe for……outstanding……Thanks again. :o)
Hi John, thanks so much for sharing that, it sounds AMAZING!!! The browning part is a fabulous touch 🙂 I may have to do a recipe like that using this marinade, YUM, that is totally my type of food!
Hi Nagi,
in the recipe you call for 2 tsp of ground cumin, is there anything I can substitute for this? My husband really doesn’t like the taste of cumin and even when I try to sneak in a pinch of it he can tell and just doesn’t enjoy it. Do you have any suggestions of what I can use instead?
Hi Alana! Can you use ground coriander instead? 🙂
Yes, I can use ground coriander – would that be the best substitute for ground cumin? Someone suggested chili powder instead of cumin, which do you think would be better?