Slow Cooked Cuban Pork

We spent the winter working on this recipe and I couldn't get it right until this spring!I'm so excited so share it with you! The lunar new year always brings a few tangerines into our lives and we eat very little fruit so they sit around for a long time. This year I decided to use them in our cooking to dilute the sugar rush a little bit. This is a simple dish that just needs the right amount of cooking time to make it fall apart delicious, with a citrusy tang  Slow cooking is the key so give it all day to cook. Take the time to marinade this dish overnight if you want to flavors to really pop.

The mojo is both the marinade and the base for the sauce.

Ingredients

For the Mojo:

5 medium cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves

¼ cup cilantro leaves

1/2 cup fresh juice from 1 to 2 oranges or tangerine

1/4 cup (60ml) fresh juice from 3 to 4 limes (see note above)

sea  salt

For the Pork and to Finish:

1  3 to 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder roast (I love bone in, but they have been hard to find)

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves

3 tablespoons  finely chopped fresh oregano leaves

Directions

For the Mojo:

1. Combine garlic, cumin, pepper, oregano, orange juice and lime juice and blend in a small food processor or blender. Blend well.  Season to taste with salt. Transfer half of mojo to a sealed container and reserve in the refrigerator.

2. Add pork to remaining mojo and turn to coat.  Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight before cooking

For the Pork and to Finish:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 225°F.

2. Place the marinaded pork in a covered baking dish or pan and cook @ the low temperature for 4or 5 hours.

3. Increase oven temperature to 325°F  until pork shows almost no resistance when a metal skewer or knife is inserted into it and the surface is crackly and brown, 2 to 3 hours longer.

4. Remove pork from oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Add reserved mojo to pork drippings, along with fresh chopped mint and oregano. Whisk together and season to taste with salt.

6. Serve pork by slicing or shredding. Pour mint mojo over the whole thing or serve it on the side. Great with black beans, cauliflower rice and plantains on the side. Left overs are delicious for lunch!