Citrusy, savory, and fall-apart tender, this Mojo Cuban Pork brings all the bold, zesty flavor of traditional Cuban cooking—minus the backyard fire pit. It’s marinated in a garlicky, sour-orange mojo, then slow-cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
Perfect for meal prep or feeding a hungry crowd, this 11-Point dish pairs beautifully with simple sides like veggies or cauliflower rice. Want more WW-friendly dinners like this? Check out our other Weight Watchers dinner ideas!
Recipe Overview
- Serving Size: Approximately 300 g (about 1 heaping cup of shredded pork with sauce)
- Number of Servings: 6
- Time to Cook: 6 hours
- 11 WW Points Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)
Ingredients in Pork Tenderloin with Mojo Cuban Pork
For the marinade:
- 2 tablespoons oil (30 ml)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (30 ml)
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 cup sour orange juice (240 ml)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves (2 g)
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves (2 g)
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar (60 ml)
- 1 tablespoon salt (15 g)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (1 g)
For the pork:
- 3.3 lbs pork shoulder (1.5 kg), excess fat trimmed but not all
For the mojo sauce:
- ½ cup strained cooking juices (120 ml)
- ½ cup regular unsweetened orange juice (120 ml)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (3 g)
Instructions for making Pork Tenderloin with Mojo Cuban Pork
- In a blender or food processor, combine the oil, lime juice, garlic cloves, sour orange juice, oregano, thyme, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth to create the marinade.
- Place the pork shoulder in a large bowl or container, and pour the marinade over it, making sure it’s fully coated. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
- The next day, transfer the pork along with all the marinade into the slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 8–10 hours or on high for 5–6 hours, until the pork is tender and falls apart easily.
- Once cooked, transfer the pork to a dish and shred with a fork.
- Strain ½ cup (120 ml) of the cooking juices and pour it into a small saucepan. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of unsweetened orange juice and 1 teaspoon (3 g) of cornstarch. Stir well and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Serve the pork with the sauce drizzled over the top. If desired, garnish with peeled orange slices added just before serving.
Tips and Tricks Section for Making Mojo Cuban Pork
This recipe may look simple—just marinate, cook, and shred—but getting it right takes a few smart moves, especially if you’re trimming fat to make it Weight Watchers–friendly. Dry pork is the most common pitfall, but with these tips, you’ll avoid that and end up with flavorful, juicy results every time:
- Marinate overnight. Tightly cover the pork with plastic wrap and let it soak in the mojo overnight. When it’s time to cook, don’t discard the marinade—pour it all into the pot. It infuses the meat with flavor and helps keep it moist.
- Cook it covered. Whether you’re using a slow cooker or oven, keep the pork tightly covered with foil or a lid during the cooking process. That trapped steam is the secret to tender, fall-apart meat.
- Save the juices. After cooking, strain the leftover liquid and simmer it with ½ cup of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. In just a few minutes, you’ll have a glossy, citrusy sauce to drizzle over the pork.
- Rethink the orange slices. A lot of recipes show beautiful slices of orange cooked on top of the pork—but if you’re using sour oranges, that can turn bitter. If you want to add them, do it at the very end, peel them first, or skip them entirely.
Related Recipes
Mojo Cuban Pork
A bold, zesty, and juicy pork main made with few, simple ingredients.
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 2 tablespoons oil, 30 ml
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, 30 ml
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 cup sour orange juice, 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves, 2 g
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves, 2 g
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar, 60 ml
- 1 tablespoon salt, 15 g
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 g
For the pork:
- 3.3 lbs pork shoulder, 1.5 kg, excess fat trimmed but not all
For the mojo sauce:
- ½ cup strained cooking juices, 120 ml
- ½ cup regular unsweetened orange juice, 120 ml
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 3 g
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine the oil, lime juice, garlic cloves, sour orange juice, oregano, thyme, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth to create the marinade.
- Place the pork shoulder in a large bowl or container, and pour the marinade over it, making sure it’s fully coated. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
- The next day, transfer the pork along with all the marinade into the slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 8–10 hours or on high for 5–6 hours, until the pork is tender and falls apart easily.
- Once cooked, transfer the pork to a dish and shred with a fork.
- Strain ½ cup (120 ml) of the cooking juices and pour it into a small saucepan. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of unsweetened orange juice and 1 teaspoon (3 g) of cornstarch. Stir well and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Serve the pork with the sauce drizzled over the top. If desired, garnish with peeled orange slices added just before serving.
Notes
11 WW points per serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 336gCalories: 446kcalCarbohydrates: 7.9gProtein: 49gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 6.5gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1354mgPotassium: 991mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 5.3gCalcium: 50mgIron: 3.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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