Peruvian Pierna de Cerdo al Horno Recipe

For my taste, one of the meats that tastes the best baked is Pork (Pork, Cochino, Marrano), if we need a satisfying dish for a family or friends lunch, a Baked Pork Leg It is a good option to show off to everyone. Let’s go with the recipe!

How to Prepare Pierna de Cerdo al Horno

Preparing a delicious and juicy Baked Pork Leg is easy, as you will see by following the Peruvian-style recipe that we have managed to share with you. It will take a little time but the result is amazing.

🔪 Prep Time	1 hour
🍲 Cook Time	3 hours 10 minutes
⏲️ Total Time	4 hours 10 minutes
🍽️ Servings	50 servings
🔥 Calories	200 calories

Ingredients

• 1 leg of Pork from 9 to 10 kilos
• 4 table oranges
• 2 large green lemons
• 1 cup black beer
• 4 tablespoons ground garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup ground yellow pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Salt to taste
• Oil amount needed

Method

1. First we are going to prepare the leg, wash it well under running water, rubbing the skin and removing any remaining bone stuck to the meat. Drain and dry completely.
2. With a sharp knife and very carefully, peel the skin off the meat and push down until you reach about 4 centimeters from the end of the leg.
3. The meat should be exposed but without breaking the skin, cut only enough to start pushing it. Then make some deep holes in the meat.
4. Arrange the leg in the dish and rub it with a little salt, both the meat and the skin.
5. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons, mix it with the dark beer and bathe the leg. Cover the fountain with aluminum foil and let it rest for about 3 hours.
6. Meanwhile, we prepare a seasoning paste with the garlic, oregano, cumin, chili, pepper, a little salt (calculate that we already put salt on the meat) and oil in the necessary amount. There should be enough to smear the entire leg.
7. After 3 hours of rest, remove all the juice from the source and reserve it in a container in the refrigerator.
8. Now we are going to season the leg, first rub the dressing all over the meat, placing a little more in the cuts you made previously, then cover the meat with the skin, here you use the chopsticks to secure the skin so that the meat is again covered, season with the rest of the dressing all the skin.
9. Cover the source again with aluminum foil and let it macerate in the refrigerator overnight or at least 10 hours.
10. After this time, remove the leg from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours before putting it in the oven, do the same with the orange and lemon juice that we reserved the day before.
11. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to medium heat (175°C) for about 10 minutes.
12. While the oven is heating, check the leg in the pan, make sure the bone side is on the bottom and the fat is on the top. Make shallow cuts in the top skin, forming a grid pattern.
13. Finally, pour the orange and lemon juice, the sprigs of rosemary and half a cup of water into the pan, cover with aluminum foil, dry the excess water from the outside of the pan and place it in the oven.
14. You are going to bake the leg with the source covered for about 2 hours, after that time you remove the aluminum foil, bathe the leg with the juice from the source and let it bake for 1/2 more hour.
15. After 1/2 hour, you bathe the leg again with the juice from the source and test the cooking.
16. To test the doneness, use a stick or long knife, pierce the meat all the way down and if when you take it out, it still bleeds, it means it needs to cook, otherwise, let it cook for another 1/4 hour. Repeat the process every 15 minutes until the knife comes out clean. In this part you must be very careful with time or the leg will be dry. For a leg of 10 kilos, 3 to 3 ½ hours of cooking should be enough.
17. Once the meat is ready, let it rest for at least 1/2 hour, then pass it to a serving dish, if you like, present it whole or cut into slices.
18. While the leg rests, prepare a sauce to bathe the meat, pour the remaining cooking juices into a medium saucepan, with a little hot water remove the fat stuck to the pan and pour it into the saucepan, place it on the burner mid fire.
19. Dissolve a little flour with water (2 to 3 tablespoons depending on the amount of juice) and add it little by little, stirring constantly to mix well and bring it to a boil, rectify the seasoning if necessary. Let it boil for 1 minute, turn off the heat and let it rest for a couple of minutes before emptying it into a jar or gravy boat.

Three Super Tips to prepare the Baked Pork Leg

Tips and tricks

• To serve, place the meat platter on the table, the sauce, containers with white rice, baked potatoes, bread rolls, salsa criolla and a couple of chili sauces.
• If you buy frozen meat, you should let it thaw naturally at room temperature, that is, do not microwave or run water.
• To preserve the juices of the meat, it is important to preheat the oven long enough, so when the meat enters it will be sealed with the shock of heat.

Additional information

In Peru, the pig is called Chancho in Spanish and “Cuchi” in Quechua , which means “pig or smelly” because that was the first impression of our ancestors when they saw these animals, which soon changed when they tasted their taste.

The origin of the Baked Pork Leg in Peru is not documented, what we do know is that since the Spanish brought Pork to our country in the 16th century, it has become one of the most consumed meats and a protagonist in various typical dishes from our gastronomic menu, such as the exquisite and famous Greaves , the Pachamanca or a delicious Carapulcra .