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 Nagi, love your website! I’ve done this a few times with great success but am giving the pull apart option a go. Would you recommend I carry out steps 4 and 5 and blast it for 30 mins before moving to step 7 whereby I turn it down to 160? Do I cover it in foil for step 7 and should I still be basting if it at intervals?
As good as , maybe better than my Cuban grandmothers Noche Buena roast pork.
Beyond yummy in the sliceable version
Whhhhew!!! Hi praise indeed!! Thanks Andrew!! N x
Hi Nagi. If i use a 1 kg piece of shoulder will I need to halve the marinade and the cooking time?
Hi, 2 kilos is too much for us. If I use 1 kilo do I use the same amount of herbs etc and how much do I adjust the cooking time.
Thanks
Colin
Just wondering after the pork gets a lovely brown roasted colour in the first 30 minutes do u have to cover the pork for the rest of the cook? Not sure
Hi
For the mojo sauce I seem to have about 300ml of reserved marinade is that correct?
Is it possible to make this recipe with bone-in pork butt? If so, how should we change the cooking time?
“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. ”
Is this covered or uncovered?
When you reduce to 190C for the 1-1/2 hrs do you then cook for a further 3-1/2 hours at 160C (if fall apart) or is that instead of the 190C cooking time?
Hi Nagi, major fan of your website – thank you for arming me with so many cooking skills. For this recipe, is the pork cooked uncovered the whole time? Also, my local butcher provided two boneless / skinless pork shoulders weighing 2.7 kg in total – will the cooking time remain the same? Looking forward to trying out this recipe for a dinner party tomorrow along with the coconut and pea rice.
Made this and it was excellent! Thanks for posting this recipe from the movie. One thing that puzzled me was in the movie it looked like they brined it…but no mention of that on any site until they posted it on the new “Chef Show”.
Just saw the movie and immediately googled the recipe! Can this be made with beef and what cut would work best?
Made this last week but didn’t have cilantro so used flat leaf parsley. Also didn’t have mint so omitted that. Even with these adjustments the recipe turned out fabulous. The pork was flavourful and juicy. Worth a repeat for sure! Thanks for a great recipe Nagi!!
Forgot to mention that we made Cubanos with the roast as well. They were amazing!
How do I do the sliced oranges on top, as in the picture?
Good recipe but the movie one uses a brine before the marinade which makes the pork even better
Can I cook this in pressure cooker?
Hi Cecilia, you can – I would cook for 60 minutes in a pressure cooker then finish uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes. N x
I made this for my husband’s birthday today! Delicious and tender, so flavorful.
I think this is probably the best pork shoulder I’ve ever made. I had purchased a 2lb boneless pork shoulder roast without a plan for it. I’m so glad I stumbled across this recipe! I cooked mine in a Dutch oven on a bed of sliced onion for 1 hour 10 minutes with the lid on then about 25 minutes without the lid. It turned out just beautiful! The flavor was spot on and the roast was not dry at all! I’m so excited to make Cubans with the leftovers tomorrow. Served it with a Cuban inspired slaw and Cuban black beans. Perfection!
I have made this recipe twice now and my family keeps asking me to make it. I have a Boy Scout Troop and we are going to try and make it in a dutch oven on a campout. This is a PERFECT cuban mojo pork. Thanks for the recipe!
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Hi Leslie, you could (time dependant on the weight of the pork you have) however, you’d still need to brown it in the oven – N x
1 cup cilantro it’s like a lot, also when you say coriander it’s not the same, this time referring to the seeds. So, it’s confusing.
I would say half cup in all from leaves and seeds mixed.
Pork
Reacts amazingly well to that.
I always see people who do not eat cilantro regularly, tends to put a lot of it, when cooking with.