Mojo Cubano Brine Recipes

MOJO CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the mojo marinade: Trim the pork shoulder, removing any excess fat, and tie. Make the mojo marinade by combining the citrus juices and zest, oregano, cilantro, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the garlic and the cumin in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Place the tied roast into a resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for 30 to 40 minutes at room temperature. Once marinated, remove from the bag and wipe away any excess liquid. Reserve the marinade.
• For the pork roast: Preheat a 6-quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil to the pressure cooker pot and turn to high heat. Sear the roast on all sides. Then add the chicken stock, bay leaves, onions and the reserved marinade. Replace the lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the roast is tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the roast, transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Slice thinly.
• For the Cuban sandwiches: Using a serrated knife, halve the Cuban loaves. Begin building the sandwiches. First, spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard onto the bread. Add 5 pickle slices, about 3 ounces of ham and a few slices of roasted pork. Top with 2 slices of the cheese. Finish with the top half of the Cuban loaf. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
• To serve: Heat a flat-top griddle pan to medium heat with the olive oil. Place the sandwiches on to the griddle pan and place a weighted cast-iron pan on top to press. 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 and serve immediately.

MOJO TURKEY

Steps:

• Rinse turkey well in cold water and pat very dry with paper towels.
• Make the marinade: Combine garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mash the mixture together with the back of a kitchen spoon to make a kind of paste. Stir sour orange juice (or orange and lime juices) and oil into the paste and whisk to combine. Add oregano leaves and mix again. Reserve 1/2 cup of marinade and put aside.
• Put turkey in a roasting pan that can fit in the refrigerator and cover with remaining marinade, making sure to get a lot of it into the turkey's open cavity. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least a few hours. Baste a few times with marinade.
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 450 degrees. Remove turkey from marinade and place on a clean cutting board. Discard marinade and clean roasting pan well. Return turkey to roasting pan, tuck the tips of the wings under the bird and shower it with salt and pepper. Place orange, lime and onion quarters in the turkey's cavity, then truss its legs together with cotton string. Roast turkey, uncovered, in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees. Baste turkey with pan juices, and add remaining marinade to the pan. Continue roasting turkey, basting every 30 minutes and tenting it with foil if the skin is turning too dark, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours more. Transfer to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

MOJO GRILLING MARINADE

Steps:

• Pulse the garlic and onion in a blender until very finely chopped. Pour in orange juice, lime juice; season with cumin, oregano, lemon-pepper, black pepper, salt, cilantro, and hot pepper sauce. Blend until thoroughly incorporated. Pour in the olive oil, and blend until smooth.

MOJO SAUCE MARINADE

Steps:

• Start by taking apart the garlic head into cloves and remove the papery skin. Next, place the garlic cloves and white onion into a food processor or blender and blend into a finely chopped mixture.
• Then, pour the garlic and white onion mixture into a mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix everything well with a whisk or spoon and let the marinade sit for 45 minutes before using or storing inside the refrigerator.

TRADITIONAL CUBAN RECIPE: CUBAN MOJO (CUBAN MARINADE)

Steps:

• Mash garlic, salt and peppercorns, using a mortar and pestle or use food processor.
• Stir in juice.
• Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes or longer at room temperature.
• *If making it without the oil - stop at this point and this makes a perfect marinade for seasoning, chicken, fish, pork &/or beef.
• Continue with preparing the mojo with oil - after you have stirred in juice add onion & oregano.
• Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes or longer at room temperature.
• In a saucepan heat olive oil to medium hot & then remove from heat.
• Whisk oil in garlic-juice mixture, until well blended.
• Stores for at least a week in the refrigerator.

MOJO CUBANO BRINE

Steps:

• Thaw turkey in refrigerator for 3 days.
• Remove neck and giblets from cavity.
• Place the bird in a x-large cooking bag.
• Using your hands, thoroughly rub the marinade into the bird and fill the cavity.
• Secure cooking bag with twist tie.
• Allow bird to marinate in the refrigerator for at least one day in advance of cooking.
• Reserve the remaining half of the marinade.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F.
• Remove the bird from the marinade, reserving the marinade.
• Place the bird on a rack on a roasting pan.
• Fill the cavity with the limes, oranges, onion and cilantro& thyme sprigs.
• Put it in the hot oven.
• Caramelize the exterior of the bird, leaving the interior undone.
• Pour the used marinade over the bird and reduce the oven heat to 300, Roast real slowly for up to 3 hours or until interior reaches 160 degrees.
• Remove from oven and cover with foil until ready to carve.
• Don't let the meat get cold.
• Slice in 1/4 inch medallions, drizzled with reserved marinade.

CUBAN MELT

Steps:

• For the pork brine: Whisk together orange juice, vinegar, whisky, salt, sugar, garlic, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, bay leaves and 3 1/2 cups water. Add pork to brine and add water to cover if necessary. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
• For the chile honey pork glaze: Cook down honey, lime juice and chile in a saucepot until mixture is thick.
• For the mojo pork: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine pork, cilantro, mint, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, pepper, coriander, cumin, clove, salt, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic and bay leaves together in a large roasting pan with the pork skin-side up. Cover tightly with foil and roast 3 1/2 hours. Remove foil and cook until skin starts to crisp up, another 30 minutes.
• Turn oven to 450 degrees F.
• Remove pork carefully from braising liquid. Strain braising liquid and set aside for mojo mustard. Pull pork off the bone into large chunks, discarding excess fat. Place pork on a sheet pan and toss in chile honey glaze. Add a little more glaze on top and roast until it starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
• For the mojo mustard: Whisk together the yellow mustard, herbs, garlic salt, honey and garlic oil in a bowl.
• Whisk together 2 ounces of this mixture with 2 ounces mojo braising liquid (save the rest for another use).
• For the Cubano melt: Place 2 1/2 ounces mojo pork in a foil pouch and place on a hot griddle weighed down with a hot cast-iron press on top to reheat. Remove from foil.
• Butter bread. Layer 2 pieces Swiss cheese one side of the bread, followed by ham and the heated mojo pork. Add a heavy squeeze mojo mustard, 2 Pickles, 2 more pieces Swiss cheese and top piece of buttered bread.
• Griddle on a flat top or griddle on medium-high heat with a heated cast-iron press on top until cheese is melted ooey gooey, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Slice on a bias. Enjoy!
• Heat 1 gallon vinegar in a pot with the toasted spices, garlic, salt, sugar and peppercorns. Whisk until dissolved. Combine add the remaining 3 gallons vinegar and the dill. Layer the cucumbers with the brine so herbs, garlic and spices evenly get distributed. Brine, refrigerated, for 2 days.

CUBAN MOJO

Steps:

• Place garlic, peppercorns, and salt in a large mortar and grind with a pestle to form a paste. Stir in sour orange and pineapple juice. Add oregano, cumin, and bay leaves; stir to combine. Let stand at least 1 hour before using.