Authentic Cuban Pork MARINADE
Before you even think about cooking your pork as a Cuban style, it’s essential to marinate them properly using this authentic Cuban Pork Marinade. Also, this is listed alongside other recipes in our Cuban Cuisine, pork, and sauces & marinades categories. And, it’s listed in our “Cuban Pork Chops” article.
NOTE: This is the MARINADE; if you want the Mojo as the SAUCE or Dip, see this “Cuban Pork Sauce” recipe.
Cuban Pork Marinade Recipe
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 3 Tbsp minced garlic or ½ amount garlic powder
- ½ Tbsp Oregano
- ½ Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients thoroughly into a small bowl.¼ cup olive oil, ¾ cup orange juice, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 Tbsp lime juice, 3 Tbsp minced garlic, ½ Tbsp Oregano, ½ Tbsp ground cumin, 1 tsp salt
- Add pork to marinade for 2-24 hours.
- Freshly made marinade (no meat ever inserted) can be stored up to 1 week in fridge or 3 months in freezer.
Nutrition
Cuban Mojo Pork Marinade Ingredients
The Cuban pork marinade is a blend of spices that infuses flavor deep into the meat. The marinade typically includes sour orange juice (or regular orange juice plus lime & lemon juice), garlic, oregano, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt. Marinating your pork chops for at least two hours (or even up to 24 hours) allows these flavors to penetrate the meat, resulting in incredibly tender and flavorful chops.
Unlike some marinades that double as sauces, this one is tradition of Cuba for marination only. This distinction is important to keep in mind; using it as a sauce after marinating can compromise the dish’s authenticity. Once marinated, your pork chops will be ready for whatever cooking method you choose—whether it’s grilling or pan-frying.
What Pork Recipes are Cuban pork MARINADE used on?
It’s great for marinating several Cuba-styled cooked pork recipes. You can marinated any Latin-styled things like pulled pork, pork chops, pork roasts, and other Dominican pork dishes. Here are some examples:
- Classic Pan Fried Cuban Pork Chops
- Authentic Pan Fried Cuban STUFFED Pork Chops
- Classic GRILLED Cuban Pork Chops
- Ultimate GRILLED Cuban STUFFED Pork Chops
- Cuban Pork Shoulder Roast (Pernil), regular or pulled pork
Is Cuban pork Marinade the same as Cuba’s pork Sauce?
No. This has a few ingredients that aren’t on this Latin Sauce recipe . However, many American sites will have a generic style Cuban Sauce that they will identify as also being able to use the same as a usable marinade.
Storing Cuban Marinade for Pork
This Cuban Pork Marinade can be stored in the fridge up to 7 days. On freezing, it can go up to 3 months. Just set it in the fridge overnight to thaw out.
Conclusion of Classic Cuba Styled Pork Sauce
Now you know how to make the traditional pork marinade from Cuba. It’s a matter of just mixing some ingredients together. Also, you’ve learned the alternative to the traditional “sour oranges” ingredient is just a combination of regular orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice.
Finally, here are more recipes for this Caribbean pork marinade. They vary a lot since this classic is changed a lot of ways over the years and across many countries. Some of them use the marinade also as the sauce for simplicity.
- Cuban Mojo Marinade for Lechon Asado (roast pork)
- Cuban Mojo Marinade Recipe
Much easier to make and saves a ton from buying it in the bottle.