One 5- to 6-pound leg or
-shoulder of pork
6 ea Cloves garlic
1 ts Dried oregano
1 tb Salt
1/2 ts Ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
-to taste
1/2 c Seville (sour) orange juice
-or 1/4 cup sweet orange
-juice
combined with 1/8 cup each fresh lime and lemon juice 1/2 cup dry
sherry 2 large onions, thickly sliced 1. The night before serving,
remove any excess fat from the leg of pork and pierce the meat all
over with the tip of a knife. In a mortar, combine the garlic,
oregano, salt, and cumin, and mash into a paste. Place the pork in a
nonreactive pan and rub it well with the paste, sprinkle liberally
with pepper, add the orange juice, sherry, and onions, cover with
plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, turning the meat several
times. 2. About 4 1/2 hours before serving, preheat the oven to 350
degrees. Remove the meat from the marinade, pat it dry, and reserve
the marinade. Place the pork in an aluminum-foil-lined roasting pan.
Roast 1 hour, turning the roast to brown on all sides. Insert a meat
thermometer, making sure it doesn’t touch bone. Lower the oven
temperature to 325 degrees, pour the reserved marinade over it, cover
loosely with aluminum foil, and cook another 3 hours or so, turning
the meat once and basting frequently with pan juices, until the meat
reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees. Remove the foil
during the last 30 minutes of roasting, adding sherry if the meat
becomes dry. 3. When it is done, remove the leg of pork to a serving
platter and allow it to stand, covered with the foil, 15 minutes
before carving. Serve with Mojo Criollo (Creole Garlic Sauce). Makes
8 servings PIERNA DE PUERCO ASADA Roast Leg of Pork Creole
Yields
8 Servings