Pernil: roasted pork leg

Votes: 1

Time: 6 hours 45 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 10

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories 1099, total fat 67 G., saturated fats 23 G., proteins 106 G., carbohydrates 12 G., fiber 2 G., cholesterol 334 mg, sodium 1532 mg, sugar 5 G.

Pernil is a baked pork ham from Latin American cuisine, typically prepared for Christmas and other major holidays. In this recipe, the ham is marinated in a highly spiced marinade with citrus juice and a generous amount of garlic, then baked for several hours until the meat is tender and falls apart. Pernil is typically served with rice, but any vegetable side dish will do.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Meat

12 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp coarse salt
6 fresh sprigs oregano, leaves only
0.5 cup adobo seasoning
1 cup store-bought mojo sauce
2 cups of orange juice
Juice of 4 limes
1 pork leg on the bone weighing 6.5–7.5 kg.

Adobo seasoning

1 tbsp lemon pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder or flakes
1 tbsp. l. dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp annatto powder
0.5 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp. salt

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: pork ham, Orange juice, lime juice, oregano, lemon pepper, Annatto, garlic powder, cumin

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Place the garlic cloves on a cutting board. Cut them in half lengthwise, then crush them with the blade of a chef's knife. Sprinkle with salt. Crush and rub the garlic on the cutting board until it forms a paste. You can also do this with a mortar and pestle (crush the garlic halves before placing them in the mortar).
Add the oregano, rub it into the garlic paste, and stir. Place the garlic paste in a large bowl. Add the adobo, mojo, orange, and lime juice. Mix well.

Place the pork in a baking dish and make horizontal slashes across the surface of the meat with a sharp knife. Pour the marinade over the pork, making sure it gets into the slashes and coats the meat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to the next day, turning once or twice.
Preheat oven to 230°C. Uncover the pork and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting.
Roast the pork for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue roasting until the meat begins to fall off the bone and the internal temperature of the ham at the thickest point reaches 160°F (71°C). Baste with the marinade every 30 minutes. The total roasting time is approximately 5 to 5.5 hours.
Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, loosely covered with foil. Then slice.
Adobo seasoning:
Yield: about 0.5 cups

Combine all measured ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid and shake. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks. This adobo seasoning is used in many Latin American recipes. You can make a large batch, store it in a tightly sealed container, and use it as a flavor enhancer in your favorite dishes.