Orange and piloncillo adobo pork roast (Pierna de cerdo en adobo de naranja y piloncillo)

Eat this tender, slow-roasted pork with tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, nachos, on top of rice, or use it as a topping for pizza!

Credit: Pati Jinich

• serves

  10

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5:20 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 8 guajillo chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 175 g (6 oz) piloncillo (see Note) 
• 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice 
• ¼ white onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 8 whole cloves, stems discarded
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp whole allspice
• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
• 3 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt
• 1 4.5 kg (10 lb) pork picnic shoulder (bone in, with skin and fat on)
• 2 dried bay leaves

Instructions

1. To make the adobo sauce, on a preheated comal set over medium-low heat, toast the guajillos for about a minute per side. Place them in a medium saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until chillies plump up and rehydrate. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, place the piloncillo and pour a cup of water over it. Set it over low heat, cover and let it simmer 6 to 8 minutes until the piloncillo has completely dissolved into the water creating a syrup. Set aside. 
3. In the jar of a blender, add the chillies along with 2 cups of their cooking liquid, orange juice, piloncillo syrup, onion, garlic, stemmed whole cloves, oregano, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, black peppercorns and salt. Puree until completely smooth. 
4. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F) and place a rack in the lowest part of the oven.
5. With a very sharp knife, score through the skin and fat of the pork shoulder, but not into the meat, in a diamond pattern. Place in a large Dutch oven or braiser, with the skin side up. Cover with the adobo sauce, making sure there is sauce under the meat as well. Toss in the bay leaves.
6. Roast in the oven uncovered for 1 hour. Then remove from the oven, flip the pork skin side down, and cover with a lid. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C (350℉), return the pork to the oven, and cook for 2 more hours. Remove from the oven, flip the pork again so it’s back to skin side up. Cover with the lid and return it to the oven for another 2 hours. 
7. At this point, the meat should be falling from the bone if you insert a fork or take a piece with a pair of tongs. If not, place back in the oven for another half hour. Remove from the oven, uncover, and let cool slightly.
8. Once cool enough to handle, remove the pork from the braiser and place on a large chopping board. Leave the adobo sauce in the braiser. Discard the bay leaves. 
9. Using a meat fork and a sharp knife, thinly slice the meat, which should be falling apart. Discard the bone. Place all the meat back in the adobo sauce left in the braiser. Toss to coat. Serve with tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, nachos, on top of rice, or use it as a topping for pizza!

Note

• Piloncillo is an unrefined brown sugar popular in Mexican cooking; the same kind of sugar is also known as panela. Sold in hard blocks or cones, piloncillo is usually shaved or broken up before use. You can use brown sugar or rapadura sugar instead.

Recipe courtesy Pati Jinich.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.