Serve this smoked pork platter for a fun, Cuban-inspired "grazing" meal featuring pineapple, mojo sauce, plantains, and avocado!
My mind's on creative dinner parties. And with the popularity of charcuterie boards, I'm trying out different ways of serving guests with platters of food, displaying a visually appealing spread through a mix of meat, fresh produce, and herbs.
With succulent smoked pork and easy fresh produce, this platter is a summer barbecue must-make!
TLDR: Top tips for this recipe
START EARLY: Make the spice rub and rub the pork in the mixture the night before smoking. This just helps the salt permeate the skin, which means more tender pork!
MAX FALVOR: Don't skip the mojo sauce - between the dry rub and the simple mojo sauce, this smoked pork is FULL of flavor!
GET CREATIVE: As written, I've included plantains, avocado, and pineapple as sides for this smoked mojo pork. But don't limit yourself - include other veggies and sides to round out the platter!
Jump to:
Ingredients
PORK SHOULDER: You'll need about 7lbs of pork shoulder for this recipe, although a different size only affects the smoke time. Try to grab a relatively lean pork shoulder.
DRY RUB: A blend of salt, pepper, brown/coconut sugar, paprika, garlic, onion, ground mustard, oregano, and chipotle powder make up the dry rub for the pork shoulder.
ORANGE JUICE: The base for mojo sauce is orange juice! Ideally, use fresh-squeezed orange juice. If you're using bottled orange juice, try to grab one with no added ingredients.
GARLIC: Lots of garlic adds flavor to the mojo sauce. Garlic lovers are going to LOVE mojo sauce!
PLANTAIN: I've made no secret that I love plantains - I have a whole category of plantain recipes on Chelsea Joy Eats! Use yellow-green plantains for this recipe for a Cuban-inspired side.
AVOCADO: Ripe avocados add a creamy option for this platter, and goes so well with the mojo sauce!
PINEAPPLE: Another Cuban-inspired addition, pineapple is easy enough to cut up and add to this platter, and pairs wonderfully with plantain and avocado.
How to make smoked pork with mojo sauce
- Prepare rub and rub pork shoulder - Combine all the dry rub ingredients and rub it all over the pork shoulder, being sure to get in all the nooks and crannies. Wrap it all up and refrigerate overnight.
- Smoke pork shoulder - Set a pellet grill to 225 to 250 degrees F and place the pork shoulder directly on the grill. Smoke for about 10 hours, until internal temperature of the pork shoulder reaches 195-205 degrees F. Rest the pork shoulder for 5 minutes until slicing.
- Make the mojo sauce - While the pork is smoking, prepare the mojo sauce by combining all the ingredients.
- Prepare sides - Pan-fry the plantains, slice the pineapple, slice avocado, and prepare any other sides you want to add!
- Assemble platter or prepare plates - If you're serving as a platter, add all the accoutrements to a serving platter. Or prepare individual servings. Up to you!
How to smoke on a gas grill
When I originally wrote this recipe, I was smoking on a gas grill. Yes, it's possible! Here's how to do it if you also want that wonderfully smoked flavor.
First, you need some wood chips. I used hickory wood, but maple or apple would work well for pork, too.
Soak the wood chips for at least 30 minutes before smoking.
If you've got no other supplies, you can make an aluminum foil packet for your wood chips. Add the soaked wood chips, seal the packet by folding or crimping the sides, and poke some holes in the top of the packet.
If you're getting kinda serious about smoking, consider getting a smoker box. It's essentially a step up from the foil packet method!
Remove the grates on one side of the grill and plate the packet or smoker box on that side of the grill. Turn on the wood chip side of the grill only, heating between low-medium to roughly 250 degrees F.
Add the pork to the unheated side of the grill, using a tray to catch any drippings. Maintain roughly 250 to 275 degrees F, cooking for about 10 hours - being careful not to open the grill and release the smoke/heat until you're ready to check on the internal temperature of the pork. Once the internal temperature reaches 195-205 degrees, you're good to go!
How to serve the smoked pork platter
Let's admit it - part of what makes charcuterie boards fun is that they're visually appealing. This smoked pork platter is no different.
Sure, you can totally skip this step and instead choose to serve each portion of this platter seperately. But if you want to kick it up a notch and lay everything out on one large beautiful platter, I've got all my best tips for you in my charcuterie board post.
The gist of it:
- Start with larger items - here, the pork and likely the bowl of mojo sauce.
- Don't put too much of one item in one spot (the pork is an exception here!)
- Fill in empty spaces with fresh herbs or other garnishes. Pickles or olives might be a good "extra" for this platter.
FAQs
The pork shoulder is done smoking when an instant-read thermometer reads 195 to 205 degrees F! We're not quite cooking the pork shoulder to "shreddable" consistency, but it should still be tender when slicing and serving.
Rice, cucumbers, and salsa verde come to mind as additional sides for this smoked mojo pork.
More smoked recipes to save for grilling season
Love busting out the smoker? Me, too. I've got several gluten free recipes worth trying, from Reverse Sear Smoked Prime Rib to Grilled Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs.
Did you make this smoked mojo pork? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.
Print📖 Recipe
Smoked Pork Platter with Mojo Sauce and Pineapple
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Marinating Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Total Time: 22 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 14 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Smoked
- Cuisine: Cuban
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This smoked pork platter takes a bit of prep, but it's 100% worth it! Serve with pineapple, avocado, fried plantains, and mojo sauce, adjusting the amount of sides up or down depending on how many people you're serving.
Ingredients
For the smoked pork shoulder:
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh black pepper
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar (optional)
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
- 7 pound pork shoulder roast
For the mojo sauce:
- ⅔ cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped oregano
For the rest of the platter:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow-green plantains
- 1 pineapple
- 2 avocados
- Fresh oregano and/or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- The night prior to smoking, combine salt, black pepper, brown/coconut sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, oregano, and chipotle powder in a medium-sized bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork shoulder, being sure to reach every nook and cranny. Wrap the pork shoulder in plastic wrap and return to the fridge overnight.
- Set the smoker or pellet grill temperature to 250 degrees F (or closest to). Unwrap the pork shoulder and place directly on the grill grates (or in an aluminum foil pan, uncovered, if you're worried about drippings). Cook for at least 10 hours, maintaining the temperature around 250 degrees F. Resist the urge to open the cover and check on the pork until the 8-9 hour mark! Check the internal temperature of the pork with an instant-read thermometer. Once the internal temperature reaches 195-205 degrees, it's done. Turn off the grill and let the pork shoulder rest for at least 10 minutes. Slice or shred the pork.
- When the pork is close to done, prepare the mojo sauce and the rest of the platter. In a medium bowl, combine orange juice, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and oregano. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Peel and slice the plantains. Add them to the skillet, cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and season with salt.
- Core and slice the pineapple. Halve an avocado, remove the pit, and slice the avocado. Squeeze on some lime juice to prevent early browning.
- Serve everything on a platter, arranging the plantains, pineapple slices, and avocado slices around the smoked park and a bowl of mojo sauce.
Notes
Smoking on a gas grill? See the post above for tips.
Amelia Miller says
Thanks for the recipe. I love smoked pork. I will definitely try. Looks very tasty.