Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Lechon asado

If you can't go to the trouble of a full backyard pig roast on Noche Buena, you can go for this easier alternative that can be cooked in an oven, a 10lb  suckling pig.


10 lb whole suckling pig
3 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (6-8 medium limes)
12 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
4 bay leaves



Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands, hold pig by head and submerge as much of body as possible in water for 1 minute. Remove, reverse pig and, holding tail end, submerge head and as much of body as possible, 1 minute. Place in a snug-fitting, non-reactive pan and pour orange and lime juice over and inside pig.

In a food processor combine garlic, onion and salt. Add oregano and olive oil and process to a paste. Smear inside and out of pig with garlic paste and scatter with bay leaves. Tightly cover pig with plastic wrap and marinate, refrigerated, 48 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 200 degree. Transfer pig to a large roasting pan. Pull hind legs forward toward head and prop it up so its back is up and it is sitting on its hind legs. Open mouth a stuff with crumpled aluminum foil. Roast pig 12 to 13 hours, basting with marinade every hour. A meat thermometer inserted in thickest part will register 190 degrees. To brown and crisp skin, turn heat up to 350 degrees for last 1/2 hour of cooking. Let sit, loosely covered with foil, 1/2 hour before carving.

Yield: 8 servings.
 

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