Cuban-Style Pork Butt

wdan

New Years' Eve party was a smash thanks in part to the Lechon Asado (pork butt) and Mojo sauce accompaniment. The Mojo gave it a flavor way different than regular pulled pork, and if you're looking for something new and different, this should qualify.[p]Marinate butt 24 hrs in:
12 cloves garlic
1 Tbl Kosher salt
2 tsp grnd Cumin
2 tsp dried Oregano
1 Tbl Olive Oil
1 C. Orange Juice
1/2 C. fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 C. fresh Lime Juice
Blend until it looks like Italian salad dressing. Stab the butt all over about 2" apart and then pour on the marinade. You should be doing all this inside a 2 gallon zip-lock bag. Let sit overnight, turning as often as you can remember.[p]Smoke like any other butt, but, I used peach wood instead of hickory or pecan...not sure it made that much of a difference, though.
After you've wrapped it, put it in a cooler and then finally pulled
it like usual, put it in the fridge and make the Mojo.[p]Mojo:
12 cloves Garlic
2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp grnd Cumin
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp grnd Black Pepper
1 C. Orange Juice
1/2 C. fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 C. fresh Lime Juice[p]Blend all this till salad dressing consistency.[p]In a suace pan, heat
1 C. Olive Oil[p]Remove from heat
Pour in juice and garlic mixture and cover quickly.
When sputtering subsides, remove cover and bring to slow boil on stovetop. Remove and let come to room temp. [p]Add:
1/4 C. fresh Cilantro (chopped)[p]
This stuff separates faster than oil and vinegar dressing. So, I put mine in a rinsed out mustard jar so that it could be shaken frequently. Even then, the Cilantro bits tended to plug up the top sometimes.[p]Try it...I think you'll like it! I'll post the special sandwich accompaniments I served separately.[p]Special thanks to Fishlessman for info and to RRP for his p/p reconstituting method using Coca Cola...It truly works!!!

Bob V

Looks very good, but I've got a question. The "mojo criollo" I see in the stores around here (NC - Goya brand) is used for a marinade. It is *very* salty out of the bottle. Your mojo is used as a sauce, kinda like BBQ sauce.[p]Any comparison/contrast in using the mojo as a marinade vs a sauce?[p]Bob

wdan

Bob V,
Many of the recipes I found actually do use the same mojo for both the marinade as well as the add-on sauce. The recipes I used and posted are also very much the same with the exception of the extra oil used in the sauce. I chose this one partially because I didn't want to add anymore fat to the meat...in the end, I'm not sure it really made a difference though.[p]Incidentally, I've seen "mojo" as well as "mojo criollo" used for virtually identical recipes. Criollo simply means, "Creole." All of them call for some salt. I kind of took it easy with that ingredient. Based on your experience with the store-bought version, I think I'm glad I did.