Another fun Local Life in Downtown Overland Park! It was a celebration of pork at The Culinary Center of Kansas City. Chef Sergio worked a whole roast pig into a number of dishes that we gave as samples and sold as small plates in the CCKC kitchen, including Smoked Pork Belly with Red Wine Demiglace, Pork Leg Braised in Adobo Sauce (see recipe below), Roasted Pork Loin with Apple Whiskey Sauce and Roasted Pork Leg with Roasted Pork Gravy. Yum!
If you’re ready to go ‘hog wild’ in your own kitchen, try this out at home!
Pork Leg Braised in Adobo Sauce
Pork and Marinade
- Pork leg, approx 10 lbs with skin removed
- 10 garlic cloves
- 1/2 white onion
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1Â 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
Adobo Sauce
- 8 Ancho Peppers, cleaned & deveined
- 6 Pasilla Peppers, cleaned & deveined
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 3 tablespoons shortening
For marinade, roast garlic and onion in skillet on medium heat. Then in blender, add the garlic and onion mixture with bay leaves, oregano, black pepper, cumin, juice, vinegar and salt. Blend into thick, smooth sauce. Cut incisions in pork leg and place in large baking pan. Cover with marinade, smoothing it into the slices in the pork. Marinade in refrigerator for 6-8 hours (or even overnight), turning the meat once in that time.
Prepare the adobo sauce by tasting the peppers in a pan or grill over medium heat. Don’t overcook – it’ll go quick. Then place the peppers in a small saucepan and cover with water. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until soft. Let cool, then drain the peppers and add to blender with orange juice, vinegar, salt and water. Purée until smooth.
Bring pan with pork leg to room temperature while preheating oven to 350ºF.
Melt shortening and spread with pastry brush over the meat, covering completely. Then brush half of the Adobo sauce over the pork leg. Cover with foil and place pan in oven.
Turn meat after 1 hour, basting with juices in pan. Turn and baste again after another hour. Figure on 1 hour of baking time for every 2 lbs of meat – so approximately 5 hours for a 10 lb leg of pork. Turn and baste every hour. Keep foil right after each turning and basting, in order to keep meat moist and tender. If meat starts getting dry, brush on more of the adobo sauce.
When meat can be easily pulled with a fork, uncover pan and turn up oven temperature to 450ºF, roasting another 8-10 minutes to brown the meat. Remove pan and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.