Mtn requested the recipes.. but hopefully others will give it a go also.

I love cuban food-- love the fresh fruity flavors mixed with the spicy and pungent chiles and herbs! My friends/family love when I carve out a day to make this particular meal because it means they will get a great meal, plenty of cocktails and leftovers! There are versions that take less time but I like to do mine low and slow overnight on the Big Green Egg. I use the recipe below but I do alter the cooking time and temperature as noted -- and as I said, i like to use the BGE or indirect heat on the charcoal grill (though I have been known to move it from the grill to the oven for the last few hours).

The meat & marinade

I use Roy Choi's recipe for Mojo Pork Shoulder.. it marinates in a sour orange/lime/cilantro/garlic overnight and then cooks for a lonnnng to break down the connective tissue of the pork shoulder. I follow his recipe but I don't follow his cooking instructions. Choi cooks it to 160 deg to slice for sandwiches. I cook to 190 or 200 deg so that it can be pulled (vs sliced). I have done it both in the oven and on the Big Green Egg. If I cook it on the BGE, I start it late at night and allow it to cook until late morning-- generally a full 11-12 hr, depending on size and how well I maintain the cooking temperature. This really adds to the wood grilled flavor-- something I like but I get that not all do (and not all want to tend a fire and a slab of meat for 12 hr).

Variation - Whole Chicken

I have not made whole Mojo Roasted Chicken but i would like to-- the cooking time is much less and i actually think the flavors will work just as well with chicken-- if not better. I don't have a recipe to recommend but there are plenty of them out there. I am tempted to throw one on the grill this weekend. If I do, i will report back.

The dipping sauce:

Here, I go withBobby Flay's Mojo Dipping Sauce.. I LOVE this very simple spicy and high-flavor sauce. I would bathe in it. I would put it on anything. It IS spicy but not so much that you lose the other flavors. Best tip: don't skip or skimp on the salt-- it helps bring the flavors together.

Sides..

I don't usually use recipes for the sides but I am sharing links to recipes that use the same ingredients/proportions.

• Tostones - twice fried green plantains. Do make sure to use green plantains if you want them to be savory (my fav). As they ripen they get sweeter. I chose this recipe because her tips are right on the mark.
• Cuban Black Beans - the key ingredients are onions, cilantro and vinegar. I linked to a recipe using dried beans but she shares a link to the quick method using canned beans-- I almost always take this shortcut myself.
• Alice Waters' or similar no mayo Coleslaw - you really need a vinegar or citrus based slaw-- the meal is too rich for a mayo-based coleslaw. I always make slaw for the sandwich eaters but a veggie salad would work just as well.
• Grilled Pineapple - served as a side or as a dessert

Sandwich fixings ...

I prefer my pulled pork without bread/roll.. but 3/4 of my guests go for the roll

• Good rolls
• Pickle slices/chips - no recipe. I find that the best pickles for this meal are fresh and briney with a touch of sweetness. Not a sweet pickle-- but a little more sweetness than your standard dill or garlic pickle.
• Mustard - my sister makes homemade brown mustards so one or two flavors are always on the table.
• Mojo Sauce (above) - I don't serve mayo. 1/2 my family won't eat it and it really isn't necessary. The meat is rich enough. If I did serve it, I'd make it a spicy mayo by adding some chiles or hot sauce.
• Slaw (as described above)

This makes quite a bit of meat so I always save it for a gathering-- usually my bff and her 3 hungry men.. or my 3 siblings and their families. It freezes well.. but I prefer it fresh or the next day (soaked in the mojo dipping sauce).