Cuban Mojo Beef Pot Roast with Yuca Mash

September 8, 2026

If you love Cuban food, you already know that mojo is one of the easiest ways to turn a simple dish into something incredibly flavorful and memorable. This Cuban-style pot roast takes a tender chuck roast, slow-cooks it in citrusy garlic mojo and beef broth and serves it over creamy yuca mash with sweet fried plantains on the side.

The result is a comforting Cuban-inspired dinner with tender, shredded beef, garlicky citrus flavor, buttery yuca and just the right amount of sweetness from the plantains.

Think of it as a Cuban twist on classic pot roast.

What Is Cuban Mojo?

Cuban mojo, often called mojo criollo, is a flavorful sauce traditionally made with sour orange, garlic,onion, oil, and seasonings. It is commonly used as a marinade or sauce for meats, yuca, and other Cuban dishes.

Traditional mojo gets much of its signature flavor from the combination of garlic and citrus. Since sour oranges can be difficult to find, recipes often use a combination of citrus juices to recreate that signature bright, tangy flavor.

For this recipe, I’m using Mucho Mojo, a ready-to-use Cuban-style mojo made with real ingredients including garlic, onions, citrus, EVOO and seasonings. That’s it! It means I can get all of that flavor into the pot without having to prep a long list of ingredients first.

Ingredients

For the Cuban Mojo Beef

1 chuck roast (1.5 lbs feeds 2-3 people)
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
A little oil for searing
Beef broth to cover meat about half way
¾ cup Cuban mojo
Additional mojo for serving, optional

For the Yuca Mash

Frozen yuca (5 frozen pieces feeds 2 people)
Salt to taste
Butter (1-3 tablespoons of butter depending on how creamy you want it)
Black pepper to taste

For Serving

Fried sweet plantains
Fresh Cuban mojo

How to Make Cuban Mojo Beef Pot Roast

1. Season and sear the chuck roast

Start by seasoning your chuck roast generously with salt and black pepper. Rub a little oil over both sides.

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and sear the roast for about 3 minutes per side, or until you get a nice brown crust.

A good sear is the first layer of flavor. I like to think of it as the long johns of cooking meat—you might not see it in the finished dish, but it's doing important work underneath everything else.

2. Add the beef broth and mojo

Once the roast has some beautiful color, add enough beef broth to come about halfway up the sides of the meat.

Then add ¾ cup of Cuban mojo.

One of the things I love about using a prepared mojo is that I don't need to add a bunch of chopped onions, garlic, citrus juice, and seasonings to the pot. The mojo already brings those flavors together.

If you want to make your bottle of mojo stretch a little further, you can use ½ cup during cooking and save some to drizzle over the finished beef.

That extra splash of mojo right before serving is one of my favorite parts.

3. Slow-cook until tender

Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cover the pot.

Cook for about 3 hours, or until the chuck roast is tender enough to easily pull apart with a fork.

At this point, your kitchen should smell absolutely incredible.

One note: Because this recipe uses citrus-based mojo, I recommend using a stainless-steel or other non-reactive pot rather than cast iron for the long cooking time.

4. Make the yuca mash

About an hour before the beef is finished, start your yuca.

I use frozen yuca because it is convenient and works beautifully for this recipe.

Add the yuca to a pot of salted water and boil for about 30 minutes, or until it is completely fork tender.

Once cooked, remove the fibrous core from the center of each piece. The core becomes much easier to remove after the yuca has cooked.

Add the cooked yuca to a bowl with about a tablespoon of butter, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Mash everything together with a fork.

For an extra-creamy yuca mash, simply add a little more butter until you reach your preferred consistency.

5. Shred the mojo beef

Once the chuck roast is tender, transfer it to a bowl and shred it with a fork.

Remove any large pieces of excess fat, then return the shredded beef to the pot with all of those flavorful cooking juices.

Letting the shredded beef sit in the mojo-infused juices helps it soak up even more of that garlic and citrus flavor.

While the beef is resting in its juices, fry up your plantains.

6. Assemble your Cuban-style pot roast

Now comes the best part.

Start with a generous serving of buttery yuca mash. Add the shredded mojo beef on top, then finish with a spoonful of fresh Cuban mojo for an extra pop of citrus and garlic.

Serve with sweet fried plantains on the side.

The combination is everything: tender savory beef, bright garlicky mojo, creamy yuca, and sweet caramelized plantains.

What to Serve With Cuban Mojo Beef

This Cuban-style pot roast is hearty enough to serve as a complete meal, but there are plenty of Cuban side dishes that would pair beautifully with it.

Try serving it with:

Fried sweet plantains (maduros)
White rice
Black beans
Yuca con mojo
Cuban avocado salad
Simple green salad

Can I Make This Cuban Mojo Beef Ahead of Time?

Absolutely. In fact, dishes like this are often even better after the flavors have had more time to come together. We love making extra for leftovers!

You can make the beef ahead of time, refrigerate it in its cooking juices, and gently reheat it when you're ready to serve.

If you're preparing this for a gathering, this is a particularly good option because the beef can be made ahead while you prepare the yuca and plantains closer to serving time.

Can I Use Frozen Yuca?

Yes! Frozen yuca is a great shortcut for this recipe.

Fresh yuca works too, but frozen yuca is convenient, easy to keep on hand, and eliminates some of the prep work.

The most important thing is to cook the yuca until it is completely fork tender before mashing it.

Don't forget to remove the tough fibrous core after cooking.

A Cuban Twist on Classic Pot Roast

What I love most about this recipe is that it doesn't try to reinvent Cuban food—it simply uses familiar Cuban flavors in a slightly different way.

We're taking the comforting idea of a slow-cooked pot roast and giving it a Cuban mojo makeover.

Instead of the traditional carrots, potatoes, and gravy you might expect from an American pot roast, we're pairing tender shredded beef with garlicky citrus mojo, buttery yuca mash, and sweet plantains.

And that final spoonful of mojo over the beef?

Don't skip it.

It's the bright, fresh flavor that brings the whole dish together.