MOJO MARINATED GRILLED PORK plus MOJO PORK SANDWICH

 

In the summer I just crave healthy, lean foods.  It may be because of the heat.  It may be because I’m not hiding behind the layers of clothing that I wear in winter that my subconscious is reminding me that fatty foods make for a fatty Kari!

In any case...

Pork is a lean protein.  Somewhere along the way pork was labeled bad and fatty; I suspect that it’s because pulled pork and pork belly are all the rage in the culinary world at this time.  There are cuts of pork such as pork tenderloin or loin chops, that are just as lean as chicken.

Mojo marinade (pronounced moho) is a bright citrus marinade that takes to grilling really well. 

Mojo marinades vary depending upon which region of the world you live in.  Because I live in South Florida, I am influenced by the Latin versions which uses sour orange.  Since sour orange isn’t readily available in most parts of the continent, I used a combination of navel oranges and lemons to achieve a similar flavor.

Y’all know that I’m kinda lazy, so I cut a larger piece of pork in two and marinated it.  I grilled half the first night, to enjoy for dinner; and a couple of days later I grilled the remaining half to make yummy sammies…one recipe, two dinners!

Here’s what you do. 

Start by removing any silver skin from the pork.

Season all sides of the pork with seasoning salt, garlic powder and pepper.

I cut this long piece of pork in half so that it would fit into two ziploc bags.

Let it hang out while the marinade is prepared.



Slice the aromatics; onion, orange, lemon and flat leaf parsley.

  

In a small bowl mix together some orange juice, worcestershire sauce, honey, and a few dashes of tobassco.

Add half of the aromatics to the bottom of two ziploc bags, place the pork on that, then add the remaining aromatics.

Break two bay leaves in half and add two halves to each bag.

Pour the half of the marinade in each bag and zip the bags up, squeezing out any excess air.

It's not totally necessary but I like to press the bag to break up the little juice pods of the citrus.

Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, over night is even better.

Remove the marinated pork from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking.
Take it out of the marinade and blot off the excess marinade.

 Start the grill on high heat, when the grill is hot add the pork and turn the flame down to medium-low.  Cook for 10 minutes on the first side, and about 8 minutes on the second side; until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees.

Pour the marinade into a sauce pan.  Bring the marinade to a boil, and then turn the heat down to medium-low and cook it for 20 minutes.

Remove the cooked pork, cover it with foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Strain the cooked marinade into a bowl and discard the solids.

Pour a little of the marinade over the pork slices and serve the remaining marinade on the side.

I only cooked half of the pork and served it with some lovely grilled corn and a crisp salad.
 

 I grilled the other half of the Mojo Marinated Pork a couple of days later and made a really yummy sammie!

Start by making the Spicy Red Cabbage Slaw.

 

In a medium bowl add shredded cabbage, really finely sliced onion, and thinnly sliced jalapenos which are de-seeded.

In a small bowl mix together some mayo, dijon mustard, freshly squeezed lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, ground cumin and ground coriander.



Pour the dressing over the shredded veggie and toss to mix.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

To make the pork sandwich you will need: Mojo Marinated Grilled Pork, Spicy Red Cabbage Slaw, sliced avocado and some Naan bread (though pita bread of your favorited roll will be just as great).

I served this with more sweet summer corn (cuz I just can't get enough of it) as well as sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

MOJO MARINATED GRILLED PORK

Serves 6

3             lbs.         Boneless lean pork, such as pork tenderloin, or country pork

¼            tsp.        Granulated garlic

1             Tbsp.     Seasoning salt

1             tsp.        Pepper

1                            Large onion, sliced

1                            Lemon, sliced

1                            Orange, sliced

1             cup         Flat leaf parsley, roughly   chopped

¾            cup         Orange juice

2             Tbsp.     Honey

1 ½         Tbsp.     Worcestershire sauce

2                            Bay leaves

                              Hot sauce, few dashes

1.      Remove the silver skin from the pork with a sharp knife; if necessary cut the pork in two so that it will fit into 2 gallon sized Ziploc storage bags.  Season all sides of the pork with the granulated garlic, seasoning salt, and pepper.

2.      Divide the remaining ingredients between 2 gallon sized Ziploc storage bags.  Add the pork to the bags doing your best to have the marinade on all sides of the pork.  Squeeze the excess air out of the bags.  Give the bags a little squeeze to break the juice pods of the fresh citrus.  Refrigerate for at least two hours, overnight is even better.

3.      Remove the marinated pork from the refrigerator 15 minutes before you’re ready to grill.  Remove the pork from the marinade and blot the pork with a paper towel.  Get your grill good and hot, add the pork to the grill and turn the grill down to medium-low.  Cook for 10 minutes on the first side and about 8 minutes on the second side, until an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees.  Remove the grilled pork to a platter and cover with foil to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.4.      Meanwhile, add the marinade to a sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes.  Pour the cooked marinade through a strainer into a bowl.  Discard the solids and serve the marinade over the cooked pork.

Note: You may also use this marinade for pork chops or chicken.

 

MOJO PORK SANDWICH

Serves 4

1 ½         lbs.         Grilled Mojo pork, sliced thin

4             pieces    Naan bread, cut into halves or quarters

                              Spicy Red cabbage slaw, recipe follows.
1                            Avocado, sliced

1.       Lay a little slaw on the bottom of a piece of Naan bread, top it with a few slices of pork, a few slices of avocado and finally another piece of Naan bread on top.

Note: This also makes great pita bread stuffing or just use your favorite rolls. 
 

SPICY RED CABBAGE SLAW

¼            head      Red cabbage, shredded

¼                           Medium onion, sliced really thin

1                            Jalapeno, finely diced

¼            cup         Mayonnaise

1             tsp.        Dijon mustard

½                           Lemon, juiced

2             Tbsp.     Honey

½            Tbsp.     Apple cider vinegar

1/8         tsp.        Ground cumin

1/8         tsp.        Ground coriander

 

1.      Add the cabbage, onion and jalapeno together in a medium bowl.

2.      In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, cumin and coriander.

3.      Mix the dressing into the shredded cabbage mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

 

This recipe was shared at:

 

BEEF & CHICKEN FAJITAS FOR A CROWD

 

Home is my sanctuary, my refuge, my safe place and I’ve always been blessed to have really great neighbors that help to make it that.

Billy is on the road on average 4 months of the year (not all at one time) so my neighbors tend to watch out for me and make sure I’m okay.  I am truly grateful for that.

So when my neighbors Mark and his teenage grandson Kailer needed a hand, the least I could do was to make them dinner.  I told them that I would make anything that they wanted; and Kailer requested Fajitas. 

 Even though I said yes, I wasn’t quite sure how they would turn out.  The fajitas have to get from my cook top to their house and then will probably sit in the oven for a while until Mark and Kailer were ready to eat.  What makes fajitas so good is that they come out sizzling hot with crisp veggies and nicely browned but still juicy strips of meat.  Could I achieve that?  Because I am prideful in nature (yes I have issues, God is STILL working on me) I only wanted to serve them amazing food…the anxiety!   Aaargh!

When the time came to make the fajitas I threw up my prayer “Lord, please don’t let me fail”. (Apparently I have the whole fear of failure issue as well; I am revealing waaay more about myself then I ever intended).  The trick is to cook everything really quickly over really high heat, this allows the veggies to stay crispy and the meat juicy while it’s kept warm in the oven.

After the fact I was greeted with a big ol’ smile and Kailer emphatically told me that they were the best fajitas he’s ever had; well if that didn’t make my day!

Here’s what you do.

For the marinade you will need Sour Orange juice, the juice of 2 limes, olive oil, sugar, seasoned salt, garlic powder, Chinese five spice, and pepper.  Sour orange juice is found in the aisle with the Latin foods.

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a measuring cup, the spout makes it easy to pour.

To marinade the steak and chicken put each into separate bags, pour about 1/2 cup of marinade into each bag.  Be sure and squeeze the air out of the bags before zipping them up.  Marinade in the refrigerator for at least one hour, turning the bag.  The steak can be marinated overnight, but I prefer to only do the chicken for a couple of hours in an acid based marinade.  Of course it's your chicken so do as you please.

Pre heat the oven to 225 degrees.

Divide the tortillas into two stacks, wrap each stack in foil and put them in the oven to warm.

Slice up the peppers and onions.

 

Slice the steak into thin strips against the grain.  I used top sirloin because it's tasty and affordable, but skirt steak would be terrific as well.

I sliced the steak and chicken after marinating so that the marinade wouldn't break down the meat too much.  Keep the raw meat on separate dishes.  Discard the used marinade.

Now turn the exhaust fan to high.

The key to fajitas is to cook everything over super high heat, super fast.

If you have a large griddle you could cook all the veggies at once, and then all the meat at once; but since I don't this is the method that I used.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over high heat.  Coat the bottom of the skillet with a little canola or grape seed oil.  Add the onions to the hot skillet and season with a little salt, pepper and Mexican oregano.

Cook until the onions have just softened and are a nice golden color, 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove them to a sheet pan.

Get the skillet good and hot again and repeat with the green bell peppers.  See how the peppers have a little brown color, but are mostly still bright green and have a crisp texture; this takes only about 2 minutes.

Do the same with the red bell peppers.  Put the pan in the warm oven while you cook the meat. 

Add half the chicken to the hot skillet, season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  You can see that the chicken cooks super fast, I just add that chicken to the skillet and all ready the edges are opaque.  Brown the chicken on both sides, then remove the cooked chicken to a sheet pan, do not put it on the same dish as the raw chicken.  Brown the remaining chicken. 

Then add ALL of the cooked chicken to the skillet and pour half of the reserved marinade over the chicken.  Cook until the marinade reduces and coats the chicken.  Remove that to a sheet pan.

Repeat with the steak; cooking half at a time.  The steak will take only about a minute to cook.

You can keep the meat warm in the oven for a bit if needed.

Arrange the meat and veggies in an attractive manner on a platter.  I like to keep each thing in separate piles so that guests can take what they like; but it's quite okay to mix the veggies and meat together.  Serve with warm flour tortillas, grated cheese, salsa, and sour cream.  I also like to make up some rice and beans just to cover all the bases.

BEEF & CHICKEN FAJITAS FOR A CROWD

Serves 8

FOR THE FAJITAS

1 1/4         lb.           Beef steak; top sirloin, or skirt steak

1 1/4         lb.           Chicken breast, boneless skinless

                             Sour Orange Marinade (recipe follows)

24                          Flour tortillas, taco size

                             Canola or grape seed oil

1 ½                        Large onions, sliced

2                            Green bell peppers, sliced lengthwise

2                            Red bell peppers, sliced lengthwise

1              tsp.         Oregano, preferably Mexican

                             Salt and pepper

2              cups        Mexican Blend cheese (grated cheddar or jack cheese can be substituted)

2              cups        Salsa

2              cups        Sour cream

 

  1.       Place the whole steak (you may have to cut it in half to fit) in a zipper bag and pour ½ cup of the marinade over the top.  Zip up the bag and marinade in the refrigerator for one to overnight, turning the bag every so often.  In a separate bag do the same with the chicken, though I prefer to only marinade the chicken for a couple of hours, do whatever you’re comfortable with.  Keep the remaining marinade refrigerated.

  2.       When the meat has marinated; slice the steak against the grain into thin strips.  Slice the chicken into thin strips.  Keep the raw meat in separated dishes; discard the used marinade.

  3.       Have a couple of sheet pans ready to go and heat the oven just to warm.

  4.       Divide the tortillas into two stacks and wrap each stack in foil.  Place in the oven.

  5.       Each item will cook in batches and be kept warm in the oven, in order to not overcook them; veggies will not be cooked all the way through.

  6.       Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over high heat.  (You will want to turn the exhaust fan on) Coat the bottom of the pan with just a little oil; add the onions with a pinch of salt, pepper and ¼ tsp. of oregano.  Cook, stirring just until the onions are soft 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove to a sheet pan.

  7.       Add a bit more oil to the bottom of the skillet along with the green bell peppers, a pinch of salt and half of the remaining oregano.  Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, just to get a little color and to remove the rawness from the peppers they should still be crisp.  Remove to the same sheet pan as the onions

  8.       Repeat with the red bell peppers.  When they are done, put the pan of veggies into the oven to keep warm.

  9.       Again, coat the bottom of the hot skillet in oil, add half of the chicken; season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Brown both sides of the chicken for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the cooked chicken to a sheet and repeat with the other half of the chicken.  When that the chicken has cooked add ALL the cooked chicken back to the skillet and add half of the reserved marinade; stirring for a couple of minutes until the marinade reduces and it coats the chicken.  Remove to a sheet pan, and keep warm in the oven.

  10.   Wipe the skillet down and heat it once again on high heat, add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet and add half the beef.  Repeat the same process with the beef as with the chicken; however the beef will cook for only 1 minute on each side, depending on how well done you like your steak.

  11.   Arrange all the cooked meat and vegetables in an attractive on a platter. 

  12.   Serve with warmed flour tortillas, grated cheese, salsa and sour cream.

 

FOR THE SOUR ORANGE MARINADE

1              cup         Sour orange juice (found in the Latin food aisle)

2                            limes, juice of

1/3           cup         Olive oil

1 ½           tsp.        Sugar

1              tsp.         Seasoned salt

¼             tsp.        Chinese five spice powder

½             tsp.        Garlic powder

¼             tsp.        Black pepper

  1.  Combine all the ingredients in a large measuring cup.

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