This Crock Pot Mojo Pork is slow-cooked in a homemade mojo marinade with fresh citrus, garlic, cumin, and oregano for juicy, fall-apart Cuban-inspired pulled pork.
As a Tampa girl, I’ve always loved Cuban Mojo Pork. It’s packed with bright citrus flavor, plenty of garlic, and tender, juicy pork that practically falls apart with a fork. While I’m always happy to support a local Cuban restaurant and order mojo pork out, it’s so easy to make in the slow cooker.
This Slow Cooker Mojo Pork cooks low and slow in a homemade mojo marinade made with fresh orange, lime, and lemon juice, garlic, and spices. The last time I tested this recipe, we had family staying with us, and everyone kept commenting on how amazing the house smelled while the pork cooked all day.
I love serving this Cuban mojo pork with Instant Pot rice and a simple batch of black beans for dinner. But the leftovers might be my favorite part. They’re perfect for making my Cuban sandwich quesadillas during football season, or if you’d rather make mojo pork in the oven, I’ve got an oven-roasted version you’ll love, too.
Ingredients for Mojo Pork
I want to be clear I’m not claiming this is an authentic Cuban mojo pork recipe. But as a Tampa native who grew up enjoying some really incredible Cuban food, I know what makes mojo pork so memorable.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pork shoulder (Boston butt): I usually use a boneless pork shoulder for convenience, but a bone-in pork shoulder works just as well. As it cooks, the fat and connective tissue break down for tender, juicy shredded pork.
- Fresh orange, lime, and lemon juice: The foundation of a homemade mojo marinade. Fresh citrus adds bright flavor and helps tenderize the pork.
- Garlic: A must for mojo pork. Don’t be shy here! Measure with your heart ❤️
- Olive oil: Helps bring the marinade together and distribute all that citrusy flavor.
- Cumin and dried oregano: Simple pantry spices that give this mojo pork its signature savory flavor and balance all the bright citrus.
- Yellow onion: Cooks down with the pork and adds a subtle sweetness.
- Bay leaves: adds extra flavor as the pork cooks low and slow.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: To enhance all the flavors.
How to Make Slow Cooker Mojo Pork
This Slow Cooker Mojo Pork couldn’t be easier to make. Just whisk together the homemade mojo marinade, pour it over the pork shoulder, and let your crockpot take it from there. There’s no need to marinate the pork ahead of time- the marinade slowly cook into the meat over 8-10 hours, creating juicy, flavorful pork that’s easy to shred.
How to Store and Reheat Mojo Pork
The leftovers might be my favorite part of this recipe. Use leftover mojo pork for rice bowls, sandwiches, quesadillas, or easy lunches throughout the week.
- Store: Refrigerate leftover mojo pork in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I like to store it with a little of the cooking liquid to keep it moist.
- Freeze: Freeze cooled pork and some of the cooking juices in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Warm in a skillet with a splash of the reserved cooking liquid, or microwave individual portions until heated through.
Tender Mojo Pork made in your Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb boneless pork butt, trimmed of excess fat - also called pork shoulder
- 3-4 cloves garlic, whole - optional
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - or avocado oil
- 3/4 cup orange juice - I like fresh squeezed but store bought is okay here too
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 white or yellow onion, cut into chunks
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Place pork shoulder in the slow cooker, fat side up. Trim any excess fat.
- Cut deep slits into the pork shoulder and stuff the whole, peeled cloves directly into the meat. This is optional as there is more (minced) garlic in the mojo marinade
- In a mixing bowl, whisk to combine the olive oil, orange, lime and lemon juice, minced garlic, and spices. Pour over pork in the crockpot. Add onion, and top with 1-2 bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours, until fork tender and will shred easily. Once done, discard bay leaves.
- Using two forks, shred pork shoulder. From here you can serve as-is with slow cooked onions and the juice from the crockpot or crisp in the broiler.
- To crisp up: add shredded pork to a baking sheet with a ladle or two of the flavorful juice from the slow cooker. Broil on high for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
- a 3-4lb pork shoulder should yield 10-12 servings. One serving is 4-ounces of mojo pork; nutrition info does not include sides
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them help support this website. Please see the disclaimer here.
Leave a Reply