Mojo Criollo Roasted Pig Recipes

Steps:

• Combine 4 cups of the orange juice and 1 cup of the lime juice and zest in a large saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 cups. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining orange juice and lime juice add a few cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of the oregano. Let cool to room temperature.
• Using a paring knife, make small slits over the entire surface of the pork and rub the garlic into the slashes. Whisk together the oil and remaining 1/4 cup of the oregano in a large roasting pan, add the pork and turn to coat, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the marinade during the last 30 minutes of roasting until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 150 degrees F. Remove from the oven, baste with any remaining glaze, tent loosely and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
• Serve the pork with the Mojo Dipping Sauce and the Plantains with Rum and Brown Sugar.
• Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, serrano, cilantro and a few pinches of salt until it becomes a paste. Add the orange juice, lime juice and oil and stir to combine.
• Heat butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the sugar and cook until melted. Add the plantains and cook until soft and heated through. Remove pan from the heat, add the rum, return to the heat and cook until the alcohol has reduced.

Steps:

• 1. THE NIGHT BEFORE: For the Mojo: You will need a large bowl. In a large bowl, pour the sour orange juice or lime juice, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and sliced onion into the bowl and stir.
• 2. Mix the mojo ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes.
• 3. Prepare pork leg by piercing pork with a sharp knife. Place pork leg, fat side up in large pan. Pour Mojo over and around pork, cover in aluminum foil, and let sit in refrigerator overnight. Reserve some of the mojo for basting.
• 4. DAY OF ROASTING: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• 5. Place the pork in a large open roasting pan with all the Mojo juices. With a large spoon, pour the juices all over the pork.
• 6. Place the pan in the oven and reduce the temperature to 225 degrees F.
• 7. Check pork occasionally and pour Mojo on sides over the roast pork with spoon.
• 8. Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature, when it reaches about 195 degrees F, remove the pork from the oven.The outer skin should be a golden brown and crunchy. Place pork in a large serving pan and cover with aluminum foil. Wait a few minutes to let cool down, then either slice or fork shred and serve. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Place pig skin side down on a large work surface. Strain one recipe of the mojo into a bowl, reserving solids. Transfer liquid to a large syringe and inject the mojo into the meat of the pig every 3 to 4 inches, taking care not to push syringe down so far that it punctures the skin on the underside of the meat. Sprinkle the interior and exterior of the pig with adobo criollo and rub all over; rub reserved solids from mojo over rib cage. Cover and let marinate, chilled, overnight.
• Bring pig to room temperature. Lock the pig into the wire rack of the Caja China by using the S-hooks. Place locked pig in the Caja China on top of the drip pan, skin side down. Insert a meat thermometer with a cable attachment into the thickest rear section of the pig.
• Place ash pan and grid tray on top of the Caja China. Fill the bottoms of two large chimney starters with crumpled newspaper. Starting with16 pounds of charcoal briquettes (not instant), fill the tops of the chimney starters with some of the 16 pounds of charcoal. Place a chimney starter on each end of the grid tray; light the newspaper in each chimney starter. Flames will sweep up through the chimney, igniting charcoal. When charcoal is red-hot, after 15 to 20 minutes, dump out charcoal from starters and add remaining charcoal to total 16 pounds; spread evenly across grid tray. After 1 hour of cooking, evenly add 8 pounds charcoal. Repeat process every hour until pig reaches 185 to 187 degrees, about 3 1/2 hours.
• When pig has reached 185 to 187 degrees, two people wearing protective gloves should raise the grid tray and carefully shake ashes off the coals and into ash pan. Carefully place the grid tray on the long handles. Two people should then lift the ash pan with ashes and safely dispose of them, adding water to ensure they do not cause a fire.
• Using protective gloves, carefully turn pig skin side up and return to the Caja China. With a knife, carefully make cross cuts into skin between each grid of the rack, taking care not to cut into the meat. Return ash pan and grid tray with hot coals to the Caja China and cook, until skin is crisp, 30 to 45 minutes more.
• Heat remaining recipe mojo and transfer to a serving bowl. Remove ash pan and grid tray from Caja China. Lift wire rack containing pig out of the Caja China. Detach S-hooks and remove top rack. Serve meat on rolls topped with warm mojo and chopped onions, if desired.

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 of the grated garlic, all of the dried oregano, 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper into a paste.
• Score the trimmed roast with a knife point and rub the paste into the roast, then place roast in a gallon freezer bag or other dish/container that will fit in the refrigerator.
• Pour juice of 3 oranges, juice of 3 limes, the red wine, and 2 teaspoons of the lite olive oil over the roast, seal bag and turn the bag several times to combine the ingredients.
• Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or the day before you plan to serve.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Place roast and marinade in a roasting pan, cover with foil, and roast until the meat falls apart when pulled with a fork, 3 to 4 hours, up to 6 depending on the cut- it must become fork tender.
• Remove roast from oven and let it rest for 20 minutes, then pull roast into shreds with a fork, leaving the meat in the pan juices- it's ready to serve.
• Prepare Mojo Criollo: put onion slices in a bowl deep enough for the onions to be covered with the juice (I use a 2-cup glass measuring cup).
• Put the rest of the fresh grated garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, juice of 3 limes and juice of 5 oranges and the optional juice of 2 blood oranges over the onions, press down to make sure onions are submerged in the juice.
• Allow the onions to marinate in this mixture for at least 20 minutes (important step).
• Heat 1/4 cup of the lite olive oil in a skillet.
• Quickly and carefully, pour the onions and all the juices into the hot oil and"stir fry" for about 2 to 3 minutes, just to soften the onions.
• Pour the Mojo into a serving dish and serve with the roast on the side.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the orange, lime, and grapefruit juice and whisk together. Wash and pat the pig dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside and out with the salt and pepper and place it in a large roasting pan, belly side up. Place the grapefruit, oranges, limes, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme inside the cavity and skewer it closed. Turn belly side down and place a ball of wood or a rolled up piece of aluminum foil about the size of a lemon in the pigs mouth. Skewer the legs into position by pulling the forelegs forward and bending the hind legs into a crouching position (this will help a large pig fit in a home oven, if it fits already, this is not necessary). Cover the tail and ears with small pieces of foil to prevent them from burning. Place the pig in the oven and baste with the citrus juice mixture. After the pig has roasted for 15 minutes, baste it again with the citrus juice mixture and reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Roast for 20 minutes per pound longer, basting generously every 15 or 20 minutes with the juice mixture and then the pan juices. To test for doneness, prick the thigh with the tip of a sharp knife to see if the juices run clear. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, loosely tented with a large piece of aluminum foil. Distribute the parsley and watercress sprigs loosely around the edges of a large warmed oval platter. Halve the trimmed blood oranges and place them around the edges of the platter, nestled in the greens. Remove the foil from the tail and ears and replace the wood or foil from the mouth with a lemon, lime, or apple. Carve at the table, with confidence.

Steps:

• Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, salt, and black pepper to form a smooth paste. Whisk in the sour orange juice and oregano until well combined. Place the sour orange mixture in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
• Place the lard or olive oil in a separate small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Remove the cover of the saucepan away from your body and only enough to safely pour the lard or olive oil inside in one motion then replace the cover immediately. This should be done carefully because the liquid will bubble and spurt. Leave covered until the popping sound subsides, 3 to 5 minutes. This sauce does not keep well and should be used immediately.

Steps:

• 1. Make Simple Roasted Pork Butt. 2. Make Mojo Criollo. 3. Place pork in tortillas with sliced avocados, cabbage, and lime. 4. Squeeze some lime and eat! Simple Roasted Pork Butt 1. Mix sugar, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. 2. Place pork butt in a baking dish. Rub cure mix into meat on all sides. Let pork butt sit in refrigerator overnight. 3. Scrape excess seasoning from pork butt. Remove pork butt from dish. Rinse dish. 4. Return pork to pan and place in a 300° oven for 10-12 hours. The pork butt is ready when the bone pulls out of the meat easily. 5. Let pork rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Remove excess fat and bones while still very warm. You may want to wear rubber gloves. 6. Shred pork with your hands. Mojo Criollo 1. Peel garlic, smash with side of your knife. Pour salt over garlic and mince till a fine paste 2. Heat vegetable oil until almost smoking 3. Combine garlic, juices, and pepper and a bowl. 4. Drizzle juice into hot oil whisking vigorously. Mojito 1. Muddle together mint leaves and sugar. 2. Squeeze limes into mixture. 3. Add rum and ice. Shake well. Pour into rocks glass. Top with club soda. 4. Garnish with wedge and mint sprig.

Steps:

• Add all ingredients to a small jar, cover and shake for 2 minutes.
• Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• Use as a marinade for meats and poultry.