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Roasted Pork Leg, Marinated with Tamarind Pitorro

⏱ 20 h 50 min in total🔪 60 min prep🍳 7 h 35 min cooking🧊 12 h 15 min resting🍽 20 servingsMediumPuerto Rico
Roasted Pork Leg, Marinated with Tamarind Pitorro

A pork leg to share among many: the orange and tamarind pitorro marinade is injected so it reaches the inside of the meat. It is prepared the day before and finished with a shiny layer of honey, mustard, and beer.

Ingredients

Measurements
🍽 20 servings
  • 1 bone-in, skin-on pork leg, about 10 kg
  • 250 ml of tamarind pitorro (or whiskey or cognac, with a different final flavor)
  • 250 ml of strained orange juice
  • 750 ml of water for the brine
  • 100 g of salt for the brine
  • 1 handful of rosemary or thyme for the brine
  • 1 handful of oregano for the brine
  • 4 large garlic cloves for the brine
  • 2 bay leaves for the brine
  • 1 large tablespoon of sweet paprika for the brine
  • 1 large tablespoon of sugar for the brine
  • 1 medium tablespoon of spicy crushed red pepper for the brine
  • 5 tablespoons of mustard for the glaze
  • 5 tablespoons of honey for the glaze
  • 1 can of beer, divided between the glaze and the roasting pan
  • 1 handful of oregano for the glaze
  • 1 medium tablespoon of sweet paprika for the glaze
  • 1 medium tablespoon of smoked garlic seasoning (or 2 minced garlic cloves) for the glaze

Method

  1. 1

    Start the day before. Place the water and all the brine ingredients in a saucepan, with the 4 garlic cloves crushed and cut in half. Boil for 5 minutes, strain well, and let cool.

  2. 2

    Place the pork leg in a sturdy roasting pan. Score the skin with diagonal cuts spaced about two fingers apart and cross them to form diamonds. Cut only the skin until reaching the fat layer, without touching the meat.

  3. 3

    With a kitchen injector, distribute the brine throughout different points and depths. Insert the needle between the cuts and inject while withdrawing it. Turn it over and repeat; during this same preparation, you can re-inject the liquid that falls into the roasting pan.

  4. 4

    Also inject the strained orange juice and the pitorro. Cover and refrigerate overnight; calculate about 12 hours of marinating.

  5. 5

    The next day, preheat the oven to 120 °C. Roast the pork leg with the skin facing up for about 7 hours. This is a reference for a 10 kg piece: the doneness depends on the size and the oven.

  6. 6

    Prepare the glaze by mixing the mustard, honey, and half a can of beer. Add the oregano, paprika, and the smoked garlic seasoning or the 2 minced garlic cloves.

  7. 7

    Carefully remove the roasting pan, brush the pork leg with the glaze, and pour the remaining beer into the bottom. Increase the oven temperature to 200 °C.

  8. 8

    Roast for 30 minutes more. Halfway through that time, baste the skin with the pan juices. Check with a thermometer that the center of the meat reaches approximately 75 °C, without touching the bone; prolong the cooking if necessary.

  9. 9

    Upon removing it, brush with its juices and let rest for 15 minutes. Brush again before serving.

  10. 10

    Slice and pass them through the cooking juices so they arrive moist at the table. Serve on a plate or in sandwiches.