cuban pork

A citrus based marinade adds flavor and tenderness to crockpot Cuban pork. Change up your normal routine of pulled pork with this unique flavor combination. 

Crockpot Cuban Pork

lime juice (from 3 limes)

orange juice (from 1 orange)

water

garlic,

oregano

cumin

salt

black pepper

bay leaves

pork shoulder

onion

For the marinade, combine lime juice, orange juice,...

For the marinade, combine lime juice, orange juice, water garlic, oregano, salt, cumin, pepper, and bay leaves in a medium bowl. Pierce meat in several places and place in zip-top bag. Pour marinade over meat. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove from fridge, put meat and marinade into...

Remove from fridge, put meat and marinade into crockpot; top with sliced onion.

Cook on low for 10-12 hours or on...

Cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.

Discard bay leaves and remove meat. Using 2...

Discard bay leaves and remove meat. Using 2 forks, shred pork.

Serve pork and onions on rice and black...

Serve pork and onions on rice and black beans, if desired. Or make Cuban paninis.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/li9drwl6mzpti70jquwd.mp4

A citrus based marinade adds flavor and tenderness to crockpot Cuban pork. Change up your normal routine of pulled pork with this unique flavor combination.

Slow Cooker Cuban Pork 

tbsp Olive Oil

lb Butcher Box Pork Shoulder

Garlic Cloves

Onion

Chicken stock

tsp Coriander

tsp Cumin

Chipotle Peppers

jalapeno

poblano

Lime juice

Cilantro

Season pork liberally with salt and pepper and brown on both sides, 5 minutes per side on medium-high heat. 

While pork is browning, slice the onions, mince the garlic and slice the peppers if you are using them. 

Turn your crockpot on to high for 6 hours.

Add in the onions, garlic, peppers, tomato sauce, chicken broth and seasonings to the crockpot. 

Stir everything together and place the pork in the middle.

Cook on high for 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Pork is done when it is fork tender. 

A half hour before pork is done, add in lime juice.

Garnish with fresh Cilantro and Scallions. 

Learn how to make flavor-packed, zesty and tender Instant Pot mojo pork, perfect for meal prep and family dinners. This dish is easy to make and tastes amazing on its own, as a filling for tacos or burritos, or as the star ingredient in Cuban sandwiches, included in this recipe.

Instant Pot Mojo Pork &amp; Cuban Sandwiches

pork pork

orange juice

lime juice

olive oil

garlic (cloves, minced)

tsp cumin

cilantro (freshly chopped (coriander))

tsp black pepper

baguettes (or sub rolls)

Swiss cheese (slices,

ham (slices)

Dill pickles (sliced)

Mustard

Mayonnaise

Make Mojo marinade

In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper to create the marinade. Optional: Coat the pieces of pork in the marinade and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to infuse with more flavour, otherwise go straight to cooking.

Add water to Instant Pot

Add ¼ cup of water or chicken stock to the bottom of the Instant Pot.

Add pork and marinade

Place the pork chunks in the Instant Pot and pour the marinade over the top, ensuring that all pieces are coated with the marinade.

Pressure cook

Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.Select the &quot;Manual&quot; or &quot;Pressure Cook&quot; button and set the timer for 60 minutes on high pressure. After the cooking cycle is complete, allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 10-15 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.

Shred the pork

Remove the pork from the Instant Pot and shred it using two forks.

Reduce the sauce

Using the Saute function, cook down/reduce the cooking mojo liquid for 5-7 minutes, stirring a few times. Then pour over the pork when serving so it absorbs all those delicious juices.

Broil the pork

Optional broiling: Transfer the pork and juices to a baking dish and pop under the Broil/Grill in the oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp up and get a few brown edges.

Make sides

While the pork is cooking, prepare the ingredients for sandwiches OR side dishes such as rice or tortillas.

Make Mojo Pork

Assemble Cuban sandwiches

Using a knife, halve the rolls. Begin building the sandwiches. First, spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard onto one side of the bread and mayo on the other. Add 5 pickle slices, about 3 ounces (90 g) of ham and a few slices of roasted pork. Top with 2 slices of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Grill the sandwiches

Heat a flat-top griddle pan or skillet (you can also do this on a BBQ) to medium heat and add a little olive oil. Place the sandwiches on to the griddle pan and place a weighted cast-iron pan on top to press or even just a lid to trap the heat in. Press the sandwiches until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and cut in half. Secure with bamboo skewers if needed and serve immediately.

Make Cuban Sandwiches

Of all the recipes published here on Foodie With Family over the years, this remains one of the best loved and for good reason. Fragrant, garlicky, crispy-edged yet succulent, this mouth-watering pork is as easy to make as it is wonderful and habit forming. The recipe yields a large amount making it perfect to feed a crowd or freeze for quick meals in the future.

Mojo Pork a.k.a. Cuban Roast Pork

pork

100% orange juice

lime juice (fresh squeezed

garlic

dry oregano leaves

Tablespoon cumin

Tablespoon ground pepper

cilantro

Place untrimmed pork, fat side up in the slow-cooker.

Toss garlic cloves around the roast and scatter the salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and crushed red pepper flakes or fresh jalapeño around the pork shoulder.

Dollop the frozen orange juice concentrate over the roast. Pour the 1/3 cup of lime juice around the edges and toss in the cilantro stems. Cover and turn the slow cooker to &quot;HIGH&quot;.

Allow to cook for 1 hour, turn the heat to ’LOW’ and continue cooking for another 7 hours or until meat falls apart when prodded with a fork. When the meat is tender, turn off slow cooker and place the slow cooker bowl in the fridge until it is cool enough to handle comfortably.

(If your slow-cooker doesn’t have a removable insert, transfer the contents to a large container with a tight-fitting lid and pop that into the fridge.

Use a spoon to remove the congealed fat from around the pork shoulder. Discard the fat.

Transfer pork shoulder to a large cutting board, preferably one with a groove to catch juices. Otherwise, keep the paper towels handy! Let sit while attending to the pan juices.

Pour the cooking juices that surrounded the pork through a fine mesh strainer positioned over a saucepan. Remove and discard any solids left in the strainer. Add the remaining lime juice to the cooking juices.

Whisk until evenly combined and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Allow to boil (while working on shredding the pork) until reduced to about 1/4 of the starting volume. Set aside until pork is fully shredded.

Pull the bone out of the pork and discard. Scrape as much fat as you can from the outside of the pork shoulder. Discard the fat.

Pull large chunks of the shoulder apart. It should naturally come apart at places where there is additional fat you can remove. Take as much of the fat out as you can without wasting meat.

Using your hands -or two forks- shred the meat into small pieces. When you’ve shredded all the meat, you can leave it as is or chop through it quickly with a knife to ensure that you have small bite-sized pieces.

When pork is fully shredded (and chopped, if desired) transfer to a 9? x 13? baking dish with sides. Pour the reduced pan juices over the pork and toss. Tightly cover the pan with foil.

If you plan on serving it immediately, put into a preheated 350ºF oven and heat for 25 minutes, or until hot all the way through. If you are preparing this ahead of time you can either place the pan directly into the freezer or into the fridge.

Place, still covered in foil, in a preheated 350ºF oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

To reheat from chilled:

Place, still covered in foil, in a preheated 350ºF for 45 minutes, or until heated through

To heat from frozen:

This recipe was perfect. I currently have 4 young adults (between 18 and 20) living here and I got a pork shoulder on sale. Made this with an easy Spanish rice and a lime cilantro slaw. Probably the best meal on a budget I’ve made in a long time. Thank you!

Can I give this 10 stars?? My family LOVES this, even my father in law who is a notoriously picky eater. I have made this multiple times and it always turns out amazing. It is time consuming (mostly waiting ⏱️👀) but so so so worth it! I alway make the mango salsa as a side dish and it’s the perfect meal!

Amazing!! Simply amazing! The flavors blend together so well. I made it overnight and woke up to the most amzing fragrant and authentic tasting mojo. I did use fresh oranges and limes. This recipe was simple to follow and will become a staple in my house.

This Instant Pot Cuban Pork Recipe features tender shredded pork marinated in a garlic, cumin, and citrus marinade, then cooked to perfection in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Garlicky Cuban Pork

pork shoulder blade roast (lean, all fat removed)

juice of 1 grapefruit (about 2/3 cup)

juice of 1 lime

bay leaf

lime wedges (for serving)

cilantro (for serving)

hot sauce (for serving)

tortillas (optional for serving)

salsa (optional for serving)

PRESSURE COOKER: Cut the pork in 4 pieces and place in a bowl.

In a small blender or mini food processor, combine garlic, grapefruit juice, lime juice, oregano, cumin and salt and blend until smooth.

Pour the marinade over the pork and let it sit room temperature 1 hour or refrigerated as long as overnight.

Transfer to the pressure cooker, add the bay leaf, cover and cook high pressure 80 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

Remove pork and shred using two forks.

Remove liquid from pressure cooker, reserving then place the pork back into pressure cooker. Add about 1 cup of the liquid (jus) back, adjust the salt as needed and keep warm until you're ready to eat.

SLOW COOKER: Cut the pork in 4 pieces and place in a bowl.

Transfer to the slow cooker, add the bay leaf, cover and cook low 8 hours.

Remove liquid from slow cooker, reserving then place the pork back into slow cooker. Add about 1 cup of the liquid (jus) back, adjust the salt as needed and keep warm until you're ready to eat.

Amazing after marinating overnight. Yum! Had over cilantro-lime rice.

So tasty, tender and so good.  I used my instapot and wow!  With the arroz con gris, avocado and added pickled red onion,  Yummy

Made this last night and just finished leftovers with a fried egg for breakfast! I used a bone in shoulder and had to add some extra time to the IP so it would shred (went 100 minutes at high pressure).  Served it with charred tortillas and all the toppings.  I made rice, but we barely touched it since the tacos were so amazing.   Usually when we do pulled pork, my husband spends hours smoking it.  This was so much easier and so tasty.  Thanks!

I love the pernil, and this is right in line with it. So easy and delicious. Have you ever considered going down the sous vide route? This works great for it as you cook it in the marinade. You have done every other easy prep piece of equipment out there (air fryer, slow cooker, and instant pot). I have all those cookbooks. Keep wondering when sous vide will come up. Thanks for all you do!

Made this today using shoulder roast trimmed as best I could. No idea where to find a blade roast. Otherwise, made as written in the crockpot and it was EXCELLENT. Served it with Gina’s Arroz Congri, and it was equally good on a tortilla with some avocado and hot sauce. Looking forward to leftovers!

Do NOT cook pork tenderloin in pressure cooker for 80 minutes!   More like 7-8 minutes, then allow pressure to release naturally for 10-12 minutes.  
It was very good, but I wish I'd marinated overnight at least, to get a bit more flavor.

Excellent! I used pork country ribs.

Edited to add rating.

This was restaurant-quality delicious and ridiculously easy! Served with flax tortillas, avocado, diced white onion, cilantro, and tomatillo salsa, with a green salad. This will 100% go into our rotation ASAP! The only question is, what to do with the leftover super flavorful broth?

Not bad but also not super flavorful. Impossible to trim all the fat as well. Would add more spices next time.

So good. We make garli la tostones for sliders, put clothe Cuban pork, ached Swiss, &amp; mustard. Crazy good. 

This is such an easy and delicious Cuban pork recipe! I have made it several times (both in the instant pot and slow cooker). My favorite way to serve it is with white rice and Skinnytaste Quick and Delicioso Cuban Style Black Beans.

It’s definitely worth it to marinate overnight if time permits! The only substitution I ever make is dried oregano when I’m unable to find fresh, and occasionally I’ll add a little extra garlic. But otherwise, I follow this recipe exactly and it has never let me down!

This recipe is fantastic!  This is a dinner that all 5 of my kids loved!  Win!  Thank you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO8hndZ1kBw

This Cuban pulled pork is made with tender shredded pork, marinated in garlic, cumin, grapefruit and lime and cooked in the pressure cooker is perfect to serve over rice, or with tortillas and salsa and avocados for taco night.
PRINT: https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-garlicky-cuban-pork/

If you love big flavors, this Cuban Pork recipe is for you. Also known as Lechón Asado, this pork is marinated in garlic, citrus, and herbs, then slow-roasted until juicy, tender, and packed with punch!

Cuban Pork Shoulder (Lechon Asado)

olive oil oil

orange zest

orange juice ((about 3-4 medium navel oranges))

lime zest

lime juice ((about 4-5 limes))

mint leaves

orange

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a food processor blender and pulse until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped. Place the pork in a large zip-top bag and pour the marinade over it, and seal the bag. Toss the pork around in the bag to coat thoroughly. Place orange and lime slices in the bag on top of the roast. Place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 - 4 hours or overnight.

If you don&#39;t have a food processor, finely chop the herbs and garlic, then mix everything in a bowl. Place the pork in a large enough bowl to put the pork in it.  I prefer not to use a shallow bowl so that the pork will sit down in the marinade.  Pour the marinade over it, and toss to coat.

Place in the refrigerator for overnight preferably or for at least 3 - 4 hours, for the flavors to come together. If using a ziplock bag, I like to put the bag in a bowl—just in case there are any spills.

Marinate the Pork

Take the pork out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter for about 1 hour so it comes to room temperature. Don’t forget to reserve the marinade—we’ll use it for the sauce later! Discard the fruit slices. (Keep it refrigerated while the meat is cooking.)

Preheat your oven to 425°F or 400°F if using a convection or fan oven.

Prep for Roasting

Place the pork in a roasting pan, uncovered, and roast for 30 minutes to get a nice golden crust. Baste the pork with the pan juices a couple of times during this step.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F or 350°F ( convection/fan). Continue roasting for another 1½ to 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes * See Note (this is optional- if you wrap tightly and aren’t able to baste it still turns out delicious). The pork is ready when the internal temperature hits 160°F —juicy and tender but still sliceable.

For pork you can shred: Lower the oven temp to 325°F and roast for about 3 to 3 ½ hours, or until the meat easily shreds with a fork.

If you would like to crisp the top more, place the roast in the oven on broil for a few minutes. Keep an eye on it.

Roast the Pork

Once the pork is done, transfer it to a plate and loosely cover it with foil. Let it rest for about 20 minutes to let all those juices redistribute into the pork.

Rest and Serve

In a small saucepan, combine the reserved marinade, 2 tablespoons of the roasting pan dripping.

Bring it to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it cook for about a 2-3 minutes.

Taste and adjust the flavor as needed. A little extra lime juice will brighten it up, or a pinch of sugar can balance the tanginess if it’s too tart for your liking.

Top 6 cuban pork recipes from across the web

The most viewed cuban pork recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Crockpot Cuban Pork

Slow Cooker Cuban Pork

Instant Pot Mojo Pork & Cuban S...

Mojo Pork a.k.a. Cuban Roast Pork

Instant Pot Garlicky Cuban Pork

Cuban Pork Shoulder (Lechon Asado)

Top 6 cuban pork recipes from across the web

The most viewed cuban pork recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Crockpot Cuban Pork

Slow Cooker Cuban Pork

Instant Pot Mojo Pork &amp; Cuban S...

Mojo Pork a.k.a. Cuban Roast Pork

Instant Pot Garlicky Cuban Pork

Cuban Pork Shoulder (Lechon Asado)

The most viewed cuban pork recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Instant Pot Mojo Pork & Cuban S...