Cuban Flame: Cuban Grilling with Barbaro Mojo

Mojo Criollo Basics: The Cuban Marinade Behind Barbaro Mojo

Mojo criollo is the sour orange and garlic marinade of Cuban cooking, the thing that goes on lechón, yuca, and pork. It is not spicy. Mojo came to Cuba from the Canary Islands and became the flavor at the center of the cuisine, and it is the base of every Barbaro Mojo sauce.

Quick Mojo Criollo Recipe

Makes about 1 1/2 cups, 10 minutes. The long version, with the lechón method and the sour orange substitutions, is the mojo marinade guide on barbaromojo.com; if you cannot find naranja agria, read what sour orange is and what replaces it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sour orange juice (or 2/3 cup orange juice plus 1/3 cup lime juice)
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Method

1. Mash the garlic with the salt into a paste, then stir in the oregano and cumin.
2. Warm the olive oil in a small pan until it shimmers, pour it over the garlic paste, and let it sizzle for a few seconds.
3. Stir in the sour orange juice (and the onion, if using). Cool completely before it touches raw meat.
4. Use as a marinade (overnight for pork, up to 12 hours for chicken, 30 minutes for shrimp) or warm it gently as a sauce for yuca and tostones.

Adding Heat

Traditional mojo has no chile. To add some without changing the recipe, put Barbaro Mojo on the table instead of in the pot: Jalabáo™ (3 of 10) for a mild garlicky lift, El Havanero™ (9) for real habanero heat. If you want it in the marinade, a tablespoon of Piñazo™ (6, pineapple and Carolina Reaper) or Best Day Ever™ (8, mango and habanero) works on pork and chicken. Matanza™ (10) belongs on the side, in small amounts.

What Mojo Goes On

Lechón asado and pork shoulder (overnight), roast chicken, boiled yuca (warm mojo poured over), tostones, and grilled fish. For the ropa vieja, the beef is braised in sofrito rather than marinated in mojo; the sauce comes at the table.