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Smoked Mojo Pulled Pork is a Cuban-inspired pork butt recipe marinated overnight in a homemade citrus-garlic mojo sauce and smoked low and slow on a pellet grill or smoker. Get the full recipe, step-by-step instructions, and pro tips for delicious pulled pork with a hint of Latin citrus flavor.
If you think you’ve mastered pulled pork, then you may be ready to change up the flavors and start experimenting. Smoked Mojo Pulled Pork takes everything you love about a classic low-and-slow pork butt and levels it up with a bold, citrus-forward Cuban mojo marinade. The result? Pulled pork that’s still smoky and tender, but bursting with garlic, citrus, and herb flavor you’ve never gotten from a traditional BBQ rub.
This isn’t your average pork butt recipe. Instead of a dry rub and barbecue sauce, we’re marinating a whole bone-in pork butt overnight in a homemade mojo marinade made with orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, and fresh mint – then smoking it low and slow until it’s fall-apart tender.
If you want to switch things up from your normal barbecue-style smoked pork butt, give this mojo smoked pork a try!
What Is Mojo Marinade?
Mojo (pronounced “mo-ho”) is a classic Cuban citrus-garlic sauce used as both a marinade and a finishing sauce. Traditional mojo is made with sour oranges – a variety that’s tart and more acidic than navel oranges. Since sour oranges can be tough to find at most grocery stores, this recipe replicates that tartness by combining navel orange juice with fresh lime and lemon juice.
The combination of citrus, garlic, cumin, oregano, and fresh mint is what gives mojo its signature bright, bold flavor. It’s a completely different flavor profile than anything you’d get with a traditional BBQ rub, and it works incredibly well with the richness of a smoked pork butt.
What Makes This Smoked Mojo Pulled Pork Recipe Unique?
Scored and Poked Pork Butt
Before marinating, the pork butt is scored across the fat cap and poked with a filet knife throughout the meat. This isn’t just for show – it gives the marinade more surface area and entry points to penetrate deep into the pork, especially around the bone. The result is flavor throughout the entire cut, not just the outer crust.
Reserved Mojo Added in Stages
The marinade is split into two portions before any oil is added. A quarter cup is reserved to pour over the pork at the wrap stage (around 160°F internal temp), and another quarter cup is saved to mix into the shredded pork at the very end.
This layered approach keeps the citrus flavor bright and fresh at every stage of the cook – the smoke doesn’t cook it off entirely, and the final addition gives the pulled pork a pop of fresh citrus and garlic right before serving.
Smoked, Not Roasted
Traditional mojo pork (lechón asado) is roasted. This recipe takes it to the smoker, adding a layer of smoke flavor that complements the citrus-garlic marinade without overpowering it. Coarse black pepper is used lightly in the seasoning specifically because it helps pick up smoke notes during the cook.
How to Make Smoked Mojo Pulled Pork
Step 1: Score and Prep the Pork Butt
Start with a skin-off, bone-in pork butt. Score the fat cap across the top with a sharp knife, then use a filet knife to poke holes throughout the meat, especially around the bone. This gives the marinade more surface area to penetrate deep into the meat. Don’t worry about scoring to any specific depth, just focus on creating as many entry points as possible.
Step 2: Season the Pork
Before adding the marinade, season the entire pork butt generously with kosher salt. This is a big piece of meat and it can handle it. Add coarse black pepper as well, going a little lighter than you might on a traditional pork butt. The coarse pepper helps to pick up extra smoke flavor on the grill.
Step 3: Make the Mojo Marinade
In a medium bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, cumin, onion powder, zest, and fresh mint. Mix well.
Before adding the olive oil, remove about ½ cup of the marinade and transfer it to a separate container – this is your reserved mojo for later. Now add the ¼ cup of olive oil to the main marinade bowl and stir to combine.
Step 4: Marinate Overnight
Place the seasoned pork butt into a vacuum seal bag or large zip-top bag. Pour the marinade (with olive oil) over the pork. If using a vacuum sealer, seal the bag and refrigerate overnight. If using a zip-top bag, press out as much air as possible before sealing. Before you go to bed, flip the bag over so the marinade redistributes evenly.
Step 5: Set Up the Smoker
Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 250°F. Remove the pork butt from the marinade and place it directly on the grates. Discard any leftover marinade from the bag.
Step 6: Smoke to 160°F
Smoke the pork butt at 250°F until the internal temperature is about 160°F. Watch the color and bark development closely so that the sugars from the citrus juice don’t burn. When the exterior is nicely caramelized and the color looks right, it’s time to wrap (about the 155-160°F mark).
Step 7: Wrap with Reserved Mojo
Pull the pork butt off the smoker. Lay out several overlapping sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the pork butt in the center, then pour about ¼ cup of your reserved mojo marinade (without the olive oil) over the top. Wrap the foil very tightly – multiple layers, no gaps. Return the wrapped pork butt to the smoker.
Step 8: Finish to Probe Tender
Continue cooking at 275°F until the pork butt is probe tender, typically around 200–205°F internal temperature. “Probe tender” means a thermometer probe slides into the thickest part of the meat with little to no resistance, like pushing into warm butter.
Step 9: Rest
Remove the wrapped pork butt from the smoker and let it rest until the internal temperature drops to around 155°F. Do not rush this step. The rest period allows the juices to redistribute and makes the pork significantly easier to shred.
Step 10: Shred and Finish
Unwrap the pork butt carefully – there will be a lot of liquid inside the foil. Collect this au jus and set it aside. Shred the pork, then mix in the remaining reserved mojo marinade (about ¼ cup). Add some of the au jus from the foil back in to your preferred consistency.
The pork should be a little warmer when you do this – the heat helps the citrus and garlic from the fresh mojo absorb into the meat better. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
Watch the bark, not just the temperature. When deciding when to wrap, the visual cue matters as much as the temperature reading. If the exterior is looking dark and caramelized and the probe is showing somewhere around 155–165°F, trust your eyes. A few degrees in either direction won’t make or break the cook.
Use the au jus wisely. The liquid inside the foil after the cook is incredibly flavorful — it’s a combination of rendered pork fat, pork juices, and mojo. Mix some back into the shredded pork for moisture and flavor, but don’t add so much that it becomes greasy. The reserved mojo (without extra oil) keeps the flavor bright and balanced.
Overnight is the minimum marinade time. Four hours works in a pinch, but overnight marinating produces noticeably more flavor penetration — especially combined with the vacuum seal.
Frequently Asked Questions
That’s the normal situation for most people. This recipe was specifically developed without sour oranges, using a combination of navel orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice to replicate that tart, acidic flavor. Don’t worry about tracking down sour oranges unless you have a specialty market nearby.
The mint is part of authentic mojo flavor and it’s worth including. If you absolutely can’t find it, leave it out rather than substituting dried mint (which has a much weaker, different flavor). The recipe will still be great
Plan for at least one day of marinating (overnight minimum), plus roughly 8–12 hours of cook time depending on the size of your pork butt, smoker efficiency, and how long you spend in the stall. Factor in 1–2 hours of resting time before shredding.
Smoked Mojo Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 8-9 lb bone-in pork butt
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper
- 1 cup orange juice, about 4 navel oranges
- Juice from 4 limes
- ½ cup lemon juice, about 2 large lemons
- 8-10 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3-4 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 orange and 1 lime
- ¼ cup olive oil, added separately — see instructions
Instructions
- Score the fat cap on the pork butt and use a filet knife to poke holes throughout the meat to help the marinade penetrate. Season all sides generously with kosher salt and coarse black pepper.
- Combine the orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, cumin, onion powder, mint leaves, and zest in a medium bowl. Mix well. Remove ½ cup of the marinade and transfer to a separate container — this is your reserved mojo to be used when the pork is done cooking, and you don't want to add the oil to it. Add the ¼ cup of olive oil to the main marinade bowl and stir to combine.
- Place the pork butt in a vacuum seal bag or large zip-top bag. Pour the marinade (with olive oil) over the pork and seal. Refrigerate overnight, flipping once before bed so the marinade redistributes evenly.
- After marinating, remove the pork butt from the bag and discard the used marinade. Preheat your smoker to 250°F. Place the pork butt directly on the grates.
- Smoke at 250°F until the bark is well developed and the internal temperature reaches approximately 160°F.
- Remove from the smoker. Place the pork butt on several overlapping sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Pour about ¼ cup of the reserved mojo marinade over the top. Wrap very tightly. Return to the smoker.
- Continue cooking at 275°F until the pork butt is probe tender, approximately 200–205°F internal temperature.
- Remove from the smoker and rest until the internal temperature drops to around 155°F. Do not rush this step.
- Unwrap the pork butt carefully and collect the au jus from the foil. Shred the meat and mix in the remaining reserved mojo marinade (approximately ¼ cup). Add some of the au jus back in for moisture, adjusting to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use the au jus wisely. The liquid inside the foil after the cook is incredibly flavorful — it’s a combination of rendered pork fat, pork juices, and mojo. Mix some back into the shredded pork for moisture and flavor, but don’t add so much that it becomes greasy. The reserved mojo (without extra oil) keeps the flavor bright and balanced.
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