My mojo workin

I suspect one would say "Viva los lagartos!" but my Spanglish ain't too bueno. What's the whole mojo thing about, anyhow? All I know about is whether or not it's workin'

Picnic ham is from the front of the pig, not ham at all, and so is usually tougher with less overall usable meat.

Sounds great, i2.That is about the only time we cook fresh hams and they are dandy.

I'm usually too lazy to go to the latino markets for sour oranges,so we use equal parts fresh limes and valencia oranges.

Some black beans and rice, with good Cuban bread to sop with,some twice fried plantains, and you only need a Cuba libre for paradise.

Cuba libre! That's what I was forgetting. Let me go prepare.

Tjr, mojo is a great Cuban sauce based on sour orange juice and tons of garlic, with cumin just for the fun of it. Very distinctive, and very good. You can buy it pre-fab at the grocery store if you want to try it. (Pronouced mo-ho, right?)

Tom, I picked the little sour oranges out at the farm. Takes 20 to make a teacup, so I added orange and lime juice to fill it out. The wild oranges add a bizarre, exotic bouquet. Caramba.

As I remember,tjr is up in Louisville.I have kids there and spent a lot of time.

His markets don't have a lot of mojo sauces,so we may have to post some full recipes-if wanted.

Told the bride it was time for Cuban pork and she said," Oh boy,time for a trip to Key West and El Siboney". Get over it,maybe for Christmas.

Okay, besides the great access to Seafood, now it's Oranges...

Sounds Great I2, interested to hear your success. You ever figure out how we can get photos, this would be a good one. Cuban food is starting to hit the rest of the country (secret is out).

Good Luck...Gators

i2, I'd love to try that mojo, can you get me your recipe? caracasbbq@yahoo.com

Mike, si, como no. I will post what I have shortly. (Unless SmokinOkie tells me that would be a copyright violation.?)

Smokin: The fresh ham came out great. I was surprised. Maybe the citrus marinade for 36 hours? Very moist, but very distinct from Boston butt. Makes for sliceable meat, leaner than butt. Everybody happy. Even made some yucca. The cashier at Publix asked me what it was. I said, it's your store!

I2,
I grew up in Tampa and was exposed to cuban cuisine and spanish cuisine...I had the best of both worlds!

Sour oranges are easy to find...a lot of trees that freeze and come back (abandoned groves are the best sources) usually produce sour oranges.

You can also talk to the growers and see if they will let you take the wood from citrus trees that have been trimmed and cut. Man, citrus wood is quite good for smoking...subtle flavor with a hint of mesquite. Perfect for whole hog.

PrestonD

Gettin' to be a few more Hispanic grocers here, altho most are Mexican-oriented more than Caribbean, and tend to be more delis than ingredients.

So Preston, sour oranges are not a specific variety, but just oranges from bad trees?

quote:

So Preston, sour oranges are not a specific variety, but just oranges from bad trees?

Hey, good question. I think the answer is "both." What Preston refers to are "wild" oranges. But, I think in Central America I have had sour oranges that were big, and perhaps cultivated. Here in Florida, the wild oranges are from freeze-tolerant root stock to which sweet oranges were grafted. Thing is, the root stock citrus produces viable seeds, and now you can find these spiny wild orange trees everywhere.

That's enough for now, don't you think?

Another take on the sour oranges,or naranja agria,is that they are Seville oranges.The small oranges have a darker flesh than naval oranges.

The Hispanic markets sell it in 8 oz. bottles.

I have found that when I mix in cumin,garlic,scallions,oregano , thyme,and maybe some achiote oil that a mix of fresh lime and orange juice is difficult to differentiate from bitter orange.

Most of our regular supermarkets sell a mojo by the liter,but freshly prepared makes a world of difference.

Hi all,
So how about a recipe using the orange and lime juice? I've used the bottle stuff but haven't made any fresh.

Yo, DoctorBBQ, will look up recipe at home. I'm refering to Steve Raichlin's big BBQ book. You might have it on your shelf. Good enough mojo recipe there. I did two 8lb picnics yesterday. Really good. (So was the sangria) It's cooked "low and slow" but with the citrus/garlic marinade and sauce, it is its own kind of BBQ. Fidel must be proud...or suspicious. More later.

drbbq,I will post the mojo recipe that I use over in the recipe section,so smokin' doesn't have to move it for me.

Maybe i2 will post Steve Raichlen's ,also.

You know the techniques you like to cook various pork cuts,so this will just be the sauce.

The Cubans like to pierce the large cuts deeply and marinate up to 72 hrs., in the refigerator.

You also have the advantage of being able to cook at 325�,so you can crisp the skin or make cracklin strips.

The Cubans don't use a heavy smoke or very hot spice for this.

Another great use for moho and leftover brisket is Vaca Frita.

Shred the leftover brisket with the grain,douse liberally with the moho and refrigerate over night.

Sueeze out the excess and fry in vegetable oil till slightly crispy[6 to 8 mins],add some thin sliced onion slices and fry another 5 mins.

As we all know,you have to pay attention and not burn the garlic.You can always strain the mojo when making this.

You can add a little beef broth or sauce and serve over rice.

Whatever happened to this recipe? I'd like to try it but I can't find it in the recipes.

Howdy,drbbq.

Go down to the forum favorites recipes,6 th post down-MOJO,10/15/02.

It has mine and Steve Raichlen's.

Hope things are clearing up on the vending.

If things get really slow,you are just out the road from Ybor City.

They have probably the best Spanish in the country,as well as the top end of Cuban.

Ribdog can probably steer you to the family run places that are good.

For the forum challenged

Here's a direct link:

Mojo

Smokin'

Thanks guys, I didn't know about that section. I will try a combination of them soon and report back.

Yup, hard to miss on that first page

No really it is, especially if you have a small monitor.

ONE of the improvements I've suggested for the new forum is a different navigation method.

Most people don't know they can go into the archives and post there either.

Be happy to add any recipes DR...just join on in.

Smokin'