This roast pork leg is an easy way to enjoy pork and impress your guests if you make it for a nice dinner. The actual prep time takes only a few minutes, and it is so well seasoned that the leftovers can be used for other dishes likes Pork pibil, pozole, pork in salsa verde, and even tamales.
An easy and delicious way to make a roasted pork leg
The marinade is inspired by a dish made in the Yucatan Peninsula, called “sucking pig” or “lechón”. Just a few ingredients combined with the slow roasting transform this recipe into a finger-licking meal.
The recipe for the marinade has had some influence from the Caribbean, but in Yucatan, they like to roast the meat in a Mayan Pib, a type of earth oven. It consists of a wood fire lit inside an earth pit with stones. Once the wood has turned into coals, the rocks retain the heat that will cook the meat, which is wrapped in banana leaves and placed in a metal container.
The pit is then covered with more leaves and then buried until the meat is tender and packed with flavor. This, of course, gives the meat a wonderful smoky flavor, but roasting it in your regular oven will also render a concentration of flavors. I like to make this roast when we have guests for dinner, as it is easy to prepare, and everyone loves it. We usually serve it with mashed potatoes and a salad.
How to make Roasted Pork Leg
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat your oven to 350F. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Pat the roast dry using paper towels. With a paring knife, score the skin or fat to make a diamond-shaped pattern.
- Season the roast liberally with salt, making sure it’s salted all over.
- Place garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, whole black pepper, orange juice and vinegar in a blender. Process until it has a very smooth texture. Set aside.
- Turn the roast on the meat side, and with the pairing knife make some incisions about ½ inch deep, about 1 inch apart from each other.
- Place roast in the roasting pan, pour the marinade over it, and cover with aluminum foil. If using a baking bag, place roast with the marinade inside the bag that has been previously treated with a little flour, with the incisions that the manufacturer indicates in the package.
- Put the roast in your preheated oven, and baste with the marinade, as well as the cooking juices that will be released into the pan during the roasting time. If possible, turn the roast once. Roast 15 minutes per pound, or until the meat thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the meat, reads 165 degrees.
- Remove the roast from the oven; let it rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a gravy bowl or sauce bowl; season with salt if needed.
Serve shaved or in thick slices, like in the picture.
Provecho!
Mely,
I hope you make it...If you do, please come back to let me know your experience.
More recipes:
Mexican Pork Carnitas Torta
Pork in Tomato Sauce
Roasted Pork Leg Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 lbs Pork leg or shoulder, room temperature.
- Salt to season
- 12 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion optional*
- 1 Tbsp. Mexican Oregano
- 2 Tsps. Cumin
- 1 Tsp. whole black pepper
- 1 ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup white vinegar
- You will also need aluminum foil or an Oven Roasting Bag, the one that is Turkey Size. Banana leaves will absolutely give the roast some added flavor but not everyone has access to them.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- Pat the roast dry using paper towels. With a paring knife, score the skin or fat to make a diamond-shaped pattern. (Make sure not to cut the underlying meat)
- Season the roast liberally with salt, making sure it’s salted all over.
- Place garlic, onion (if using), oregano, cumin, whole black pepper, orange juice and vinegar in a blender. Process until it has a very smooth texture. Set aside.
- Turn the roast on the meat side (the one that has no skin on), and with the pairing knife make some incisions about ½ inch deep, about 1 inch apart from each other.
- Place roast in the roasting pan, pour the marinade over it, and cover with aluminum foil. If using a baking bag, place roast with the marinade inside the bag that has been previously treated with a little flour, with the incisions that the manufacturer indicates in the package.
- Put the roast in your preheated oven, and baste with the marinade, as well as the cooking juices that will be released into the pan during the roasting time. If possible, turn the roast once. Roast 15 minutes per pound, or until the meat thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the meat, reads 165 degrees.
- Remove the roast from the oven; let it rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a gravy bowl or sauce bowl; season with salt if needed.
Serve shaved or in thick slices
Notes
- Traditionally, onion is not used in this marinade; if you skip the onion your meat will still taste wonderful. (Some people find the onion flavor too strong)
- Cooking times will vary from oven to oven, and depend on the size of your roast. Also, if you want fall-off-the-bone tender meat, it will require a longer cooking period. For better results use a Meat Thermometer.
- Using an Oven roasting Bag will render moist & tender meat.
Tamara
I made this recipe yesterday. Very tasty and easy. Thank you.
Mathew
Hi Mely,
Is there a version for BBQ coal fired. Is the roasting back the best way to keep the leg moist. I note in your other Mexican leg of port you use an injection would that be a good idea for this recipe? Is this leg of pork for both version with skin on or off?
Mathew
Roasting bag.
Mely Martínez
Hello Mathew,
I'm pretty sure it can be roasted in a BBQ in a slow fire for several hours. Although, I'm not sure how long will it take to roast.
Yes, you can use the same method of using a syringe to add moisture to the meat.
You can make it with or without the skin.
Enjoy!
José Miguel
Hello Meli:
I'm about to make this recipe for the very fist time. I wanted to know your opinion on marinating the pork before puting it to the oven. Do you think the acids would start cooking the meat? Would you recomend doing it? If so, how long do you suggest marinating it?
Saludos desde Guatemala.
Mely Martínez
Hello José,
You can marinate it overnight in the fridge, it will taste better and even tenderize the meat.
Saludos, let me know how do you like it!
deb...
Trying it today...but not sure what the Ysp. Mexican is?
Mely Martínez
Hello Deb,
It is Mexican Oregano.
Jasmine
Hi Mely so I made this for Xmas and it ended up dry. I wanted to brown the top and left or in the oven too long. Ours doesn't have a broiler. Anyway i have a ton of leftovers and I'm wondering if there's any way to rescue them. Pozole? Next time I'll brown it before i bake it
mmartinez
Hello Jasmine,
Sorry to hear about your roasted pork leg being dry. At home, we had been cooking this recipe for 35 years now. It is always a hit and we had the leftover juices as a gravy to serve at the dinner table. Make sure your oven is heating at the right temperature, some ovens decalibrate over the years and need to be adjusted by a professional technician. Maybe, that could be one of the reasons it turned out dry. You can buy an oven thermometer just to check if it is working fine.
You do not need to have a broiler to give that dark golden roast to the pork. Other things you can do, is to keep basting the pork during cooking time to keep it moist.
Have a happy holiday!
Jasmine
Hi Mely I'm making this tonight for Christmas. Just wondering if you're supposed to roast it in the marinade or not. It made quite a bit!
mmartinez
Hello Jasmine,
yes, you add the marinade to the baking pan and baste the meat with it at least every half hour. The liquid will be reduced with the heat of the oven. Unless, you made too much, consider adding it to the pan little by little.
elaine stenzel
any suggestions on what you serve this with.torlillas .refried beans and veggies.
mmartinez
Hello Elaine,
I mentioned above that we usually serve this dish with mashed potatoes and a salad. You can also serve with creamy pasta, recipe here in the blog and a salad like the christmas apple salad. Happy cooking!
dellob
I'm going to make this soon..Sounds so yummy..Happy New Year