Okay, so I missed a big recipe last week. I justified it by posting a little recipe that I served as a side but here's the real review/recipe for the main dish.
This weeks recipe was a big ol' hunk of pork. A pork shoulder to be exact. These are normally found in bottom portion of the meat section near the pork (usually by the ribs). If you can't find find shoulder, look for pork butt, they both come from the same area of the pig which is nowhere near its hind quarters. These guys are big; it's hard to find anything under 6 pounds so you'd better be feeding about 6 people or counting on leftovers. On a side note, the leftovers were just as good as the night it was made.The word “mojo” in the title is probably not the one you're thinking about. It's not the “you're messing with my mojo” kind, it's the sauce kind though they are both pronounced the same. It's a term that apparently originated in the Canary Islands that comes from the portuguese work for sauce, molho (mol-yo). You can thank me when that random fact pops up on Jeopardy.
This dish cooks in the oven for a few hours but the pork doesn't cook long enough to fall apart. You basically carve the pork off the bone. It was great this way but I would choose pulled pork or carnitas over a cut of pork any day. I believe this recipe would be insanely better if placed in a slow cooker for 8 hours (but that's just me). When it's done, shred it, put it in a corn tortilla, pour a little of the sauce over it with some onion and cilantro and you, my friend, are in theoretical taco heaven. I'll probably revisit this recipe and give this a try.
The main flavor, besides pork, is citrus. It's not overly tart or sweet like I thought it might be. I actually thought it balanced very well once it was cooked. The pork came out with a few caramelized spots from the sugars in the juice but it never tasted burnt. Caramelization is rarely a bad thing. It, more often than not, adds another flavor layer to the dish. The sauce adds even more complexity to the dish. At first bite you may not be sure if you want to keep using it but, trust me, it takes a couple bites to really appreciate. After bite number 3, you won't feel the same way about it.
When cooking the meat it's very important that you have a thermometer to check the temperature of the meat to ensure it's cooked all the way through. It's important for two big reasons: 1) it's a big chunk of meat that you bought to eat, not waste and, 2) WORMS! Okay, so you might not get worms (I said might) but you can get some nasty food poisoning that will ruin the next day or so for you. Better not to risk this one. Get a thermometer.
Okay, about the recipe...it wasn't super clear on a few things so I had to kind of assume what Bobby actually meant in certain places. I'll do my best to throw in some guidance where I had to think for myself. ENJOY!
Mojo Marinated Pork
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups fresh orange juice, divided
- 1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice, divided
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 lime, zested
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh oregano, divided
- 12 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 bone-in pork shoulder (about 4 to 6-pounds), trimmed of excess fat
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Mojo Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
TIP: It's not recommended to use store bought orange juice from concentrate. You'll end up with some funky stuff in the pan as it reduces. It's better to go with the real stuff and juice your own. Store bought lime juice, however, isn't a problem (no pulp)
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.
TIP: Don't put any marinade over the pork until the last 30 minutes as instructed. If you put it on any sooner, it will burn the sugar in the juices rather than caramelize it which could ruin the dish. It's best to just wait.
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.
Mojo Dipping Sauce:
8 cloves garlic
1 serrano chile, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
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.
NOTE: A mortar and pestle is a super-handy kitchen tool and they are relatively cheap to buy. I use mine quite a bit and it also allows you to experiment with different spice combinations that require freshly ground ingredients.
Copyright 1999 Bobby Flay. All Rights Reserved.
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