Christmas is coming and in Costa Rica this holiday is celebrated with a pork leg in the table that is prepared to enjoy it with family and friends in this important date.
If you never cooked a pork leg before, we offer you this simple recipe, ideal to surprise and pleased your beloved ones.
Ingredients
- 6 kg pork leg without the bone
- 1 garlic bulb
- 2 cups of orange juice
- 2 cups of pop soda
- 4 table spoons of mustard
- 1 table spoon of salt
- ¼ tea spoon of oregano
- ¼ tea spoon of rosemary
- Pepper to taste
Preparation
Pinch the pork leg with a knife to get a deeper seasoning. Blend all the ingredients and place the leg in a bowl. Cover all the meat with the seasoning juice, cover the bowl with plastic and put in the freezer for 3 days, preferably. During this time, turn over the leg at least 2 times per day to get a uniform flavor in all the meat.
After the 3 days, take the bowl out of the refrigerator and let it in room temperature for an hour to get a better baking. Place the pork leg with all the seasoning juice in a bowl that can be used in the oven and cover it with aluminum foil.
Put the bowl in the oven to 175°C for 4 hours approximately. During this time, stir some seasoning juice on the pork leg regularly to get a juicer and browned meat. Before you take it out the oven, wait about 10 minutes.
This recipe is for 18 or 20 portions. You can serve it with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Some extra tips
- When you are going to buy the pork leg, avoid the meat with much fat around and look for a color between gray and pink in it.
- Do not use a higher temperature to cook it or a longer time because the meat can get dry and hard.
- To avoid a dry meat, cover it well with the aluminum foil during the baking time.
- Before you chop the meat, let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes to wait for the juices to distribute all over the pork leg.
