Roasted Leg Of Pork Recipes

CUBAN ROASTED PORK LEG: PERNIL

Steps:

• Place the garlic cloves on a cutting board. Slice the cloves in half lengthwise and then smash with the side of a chef's knife. Sprinkle the salt over the garlic and chop and smear the garlic against the cutting board until it makes a paste. (This can also be done using a mortar pestle; smash the garlic halves before placing them in the mortar.) Add the oregano, chop it into the garlic paste and mix together. Put the garlic paste in a large bowl. Add the Adobo, Mojo, the orange and lime juices. Mix well to combine.
• Place the pork in a roasting pan and using a sharp knife, score the surface of the meat in a crosshatch pattern. Pour the marinade over the pork, being sure it gets into the incisions and penetrates the meat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day in the refrigerator, covered and turning it once or twice.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Uncover the pork and allow the meat to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
• Roast the pork for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue to roast until the meat is falling apart and an instant-read thermometer reaches 160 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the pork. Baste with the marinade every 30 minutes. Total roasting time will be approximately 5 to 5 1/2 hours.
• Remove from oven and let it stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes, covered loosely with a foil, before cutting it in slices.
• Note: This recipe for adobo is a staple seasoning for many of my Latin recipes. You can make a large batch, store it in an airtight container and use it as a flavor enhancer in your favorite dishes.
• Combine all measured ingredients in a small glass jar with an airtight lid and shake to blend. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.

ROASTED PORK LOIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil.
• Place pork loin into oven, turning and basting with pan liquids. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Remove roast to a platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with pan juices.

LEG OF PORK WITH CRACKLINGS

Steps:

• Mix minced garlic, lemon zest and juice, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and the oil in a medium bowl.
• Using a sharp knife, make parallel cuts all over pork leg, cutting through skin and fat (but not meat), spacing cuts 1/2 inch apart. Using a paring knife, cut ten 1/2-inch slits into meat (between parallel cuts). Stuff each slit with a halved garlic clove.
• Pat garlic mixture all over pork, pushing paste between each parallel line and covering pork. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large plastic bag set in a pan (such as a turkey roasting bag), leaving top open to let skin dry. Refrigerate overnight (or up to 2 days).
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Position rack in lower third of oven. Remove pork from bag, and place in a large roasting pan, skin side up. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature. Season again with salt and pepper, and pour wine in pan. Roast for 45 minutes, reduce heat to 350, and continue roasting until thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 3 hours. (Check temperature every 15 minutes during final hour of roasting.) Let rest at least 1 hour before serving.

ROASTED LEG OF WILD BOAR

Steps:

• 1. Rub the leg of wild boar all over with the salt and the pepper. Place it in a shallow dish, cover it loosely, and refrigerate it for 36 hours.
• 2. Bring the wine, the herbs and spices, and the vegetables to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain, reserving the bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns and cloves, and discarding the vegetables.
• Whisk in the vinegar.
• 3. Quickly rinse the salt and pepper from the boar to remove most but not all of it. Pat meat dry and place it in a shallow dish. Pour the cooled marinade over it, return it to the refrigerator, loosely covered, and let it marinate for 36 hours, turning it at least four times.
• 4. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• 5. Remove the leg of wild boar from the marinade and pat it dry. Make 20 tiny slits in it all over, and insert a clove into each slit. Transfer the boar to a baking dish, and pour one-fourth of the marinade over it. Roast in the center of the oven until the boar is very golden on the outside, and when you cut into it it is a very faint pink, but not in the least red, which will take about 2 hours. Check it occasionally to be sure the marinade hasn't completely evaporated, and pour the additional marinade over the roast, one-fourth at a time.
• 6. When the boar is roasted remove it from the oven, and set it on a platter in warm spot, loosely covered, to sit for at least 20 minutes so the juices have a chance to retreat back into the meat. To prepare the sauce, transfer the cooking juice and any browned bits from the bottom of the baking dish to a medium sized saucepan. Whisk in the chicken or veal stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce by about one-fourth, then stir in the red current jelly. Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce is smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• 7. Before slicing the boar remove as many of the cloves as possible. Thinly slice the wild boar and arrange it on a platter. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley leaves. Either pour the sauce over the meat, or serve it on the side.
• *Leg of wild boar is available for mail order from:
• Broken Arrow Ranch
• P.O. Box 530
• Ingram, TX 78025
• (800) 962-4263

ROASTED LEG OF PORK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 430 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Combine olive oil, sage, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a small bowl.
• Rinse pork leg and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub seasoned olive oil onto the pork leg.
• Slice onion and separate layers into rings. Place onion rings and garlic halves in the bottom of a roaster. Place pork on top of onions and garlic.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 355 degrees F (180 degrees C) and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 1 hour 20 minutes more.
• Remove from the oven and slice and serve.