Cuban Heat: How Hot Is Cuban Hot Sauce?

Mojo Criollo 101: The Cuban Marinade Behind Barbaro Mojo

What Is Mojo Criollo?

Mojo criollo is the Cuban marinade of sour orange (naranja agria), garlic, oregano, and cumin, with olive oil and salt. No paprika, no chile: it is not spicy. It came to Cuba from the Canary Islands and became the flavor at the center of the cuisine, on lechón, yuca, and pork. Barbaro Mojo uses it as the base of every sauce, then adds jalapeño, habanero, or Carolina Reaper for heat.

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.

Traditional vs. Modern Uses

Classic mojo seasons pork for the caja china roast and gets poured warm over boiled yuca. The modern move is to keep the marinade traditional and add the heat at the table: Jalabáo™ (3 of 10) on eggs and tostones, Piñazo™ (6) on fish and ceviche, El Havanero™ (9) on the lechón itself. A tablespoon of Best Day Ever™ (8) stirred into the marinade works on chicken.

Make It Your Own

Start with the 4-pack to find your number, and pair any of them with the Chifles Tostones Tasting Kit for the snack that goes with mojo.