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You are here: Home » Christmas & New Year's » Roasted Pork Leg Recipe

Roasted Pork Leg Recipe

Published December 30, 2015 Last modified August 15, 2019 by Mely Martínez 7 Comments

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This pork roast 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

Roasted Pork Leg Recipe | Mexican Recipes
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

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS Roasted Pork Leg Recipe | step by step instructions with photos of the process.

DIRECTIONS:
Roasted pork leg recipe | easy and with excellent results

  • 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.

Roasted pork leg recipe | easy and with excellent results to impress your guests.

Serve shaved or in thick slices, like in the picture.

ROASTED PORK LEG RECIPE

Roasted Pork Leg Recipe - This pork roast 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...
4.5 from 2 votes
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Course: Pork
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 20
Calories: 317kcal
Author: Mely Martínez - Mexico in my Kitchen

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 a baking bag. 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 a fall-off-the-bone tender meat, it will require a longer cooking period. For better results use a Meat Thermometer. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 833mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 10.2mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3.2mg
    Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @mexicoinmykitchen and hashtag me #mexicoinmykitchen!
    Recipe in spanish https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/mexican-roasted-pork-leg-recipe/

    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

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    Filed Under: Christmas & New Year's, Pork Tagged With: Christmas, Pierna al horno, Pierna al horno Navideña, Pork, Roasted Pork Leg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. dellob

      January 1, 2016 at 1:17 pm

      5 stars
      I'm going to make this soon..Sounds so yummy..Happy New Year

      Reply
    2. elaine stenzel

      January 1, 2016 at 7:47 pm

      any suggestions on what you serve this with.torlillas .refried beans and veggies.

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        January 2, 2016 at 7:14 pm

        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!

        Reply
    3. Jasmine

      December 24, 2018 at 3:03 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        December 24, 2018 at 4:24 pm

        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.

        Reply
    4. Jasmine

      December 26, 2018 at 12:55 pm

      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

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        December 26, 2018 at 1:46 pm

        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!

        Reply

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    Mexico in my kitchen | Mely Martinez

    Hi, I’m Mely Martinez, a former Mexican school teacher, home cook, and food blogger. I moved to the United States about ten years ago, after living in Mexico my whole life. Now I love to share home-style recipes for authentic Mexican food.

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