cuban or puerto rican roast pork

[spazita]

OK, this is a shot in the dark, but I'm hoping someone in Chowtown can help me out. About 8-9 years ago i found a recipe for a pork roast in one or the pricier cooking magazine, I think it was Saveur, Cook's Illustrated or one like that. Anyhow, it called for a bone-in cut of pork, preferably a pork shoulder. It also had to have the rind on (think smoked picnic cut but not smoked), As far as I can remember, the rind was removed in one piece, leaving as much of the fat cap as possible. A mixture of garlic, wine vinegar, lime juice( i think) was poured over the fat and the rind replaced. This was repeated every half hour or so. I can't remember the rest, I know there were more steps and I think I had to baste the rind every so often to soften it, but can't for the life of me remember, and of course I lost the recipe!! It turned out to be the BEST roast pork I have ever had!! I live in an apartment building and people from all floors were asking what the delicious smell was. So, if anyone out there can help me with this recipe, I would be very grateful! Thanks!

Taz

[Marge]

If you search for pernil you'll find a lot of good recipes and tips...also, you might want to try posting this on the home cooking board.

[Alfred G]

Check out this link on Cooks Illustrated. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recip...

[Alfred G]

Just realized you have to be a member to access Cooks Illustrated. Here's the recipe:

Letting the cooked roast rest for a full hour will yield noticeably more tender meat. This roast has a crispy skin that should be served along with the meat. Top the meat with Mojo Sauce (see related recipe). Traditional accompaniments include black beans, rice, and fried plantains.
INGREDIENTS

Pork and Brine

1 bone-in, skin-on pork picnic shoulder (7 to 8 pounds)
3 cups sugar
2 cups table salt
2 medium heads garlic , unpeeled cloves separated and crushed
4 cups orange juice

Garlic-Citrus Paste

12 medium cloves garlic , peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
6 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. TO BRINE THE PORK: With sharp paring knife, cut 1-inch-deep slits (about 1 inch long) all over roast, spaced about 2 inches apart. Dissolve sugar and salt in 6 quarts cold water in stockpot or large bucket. Stir in garlic and orange juice. Submerge pork in brine and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
2. TO APPLY THE GARLIC-CITRUS PASTE: Process garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper in food processor until they reach consistency of coarse paste, about ten 1-second pulses. With machine running, add orange juice, vinegar, and oil through feed tube and process until mixture forms smooth, wet paste, about 20 seconds. Remove pork from brine and rinse under cool running water; pat dry with paper towels. Rub paste all over pork and into slits. Refrigerate pork while oven is preheating to 325 degrees with rack in lower-middle position.
3. TO ROAST THE PORK:2. Place pork with skin side down on wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or in roasting pan with rack. Cook, uncovered, 3 hours. Flip roast skin side up and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 190 degrees, about 3 hours more, lightly tenting roast with foil if skin begins to get too dark.
4. Transfer roast to cutting board and let rest 1 hour. To carve, first remove skin in one large piece. Scrape off and discard top layer of fat, then cut pork away from bone in 3 or 4 large pieces. Slice each piece against grain into 1/4-inch slices. To serve skin, scrape excess fat from underside and cut into strips. Drizzle Mojo Sauce (see related recipe) over pork just before serving.

STEP BY STEP: Picking the Perfect Pork Roast
What's the best cut for Cuban-style pork? We tried them all. Widely available Boston butt (the upper portion of the front leg) was an attractive option thanks to its high fat content. But it comes with no skin attached, and the crisp, flavorful skin is one of the highlights of this dish. Fresh ham (from the rear leg) has skin but is usually too lean. We settled on the picnic shoulder (also called pork shoulder), a flavorful cut from the lower portion of the front leg that almost always comes bone-in--and with a fair share of fat and rind to boot.

[Ferrari328]

I just tried this and the "paste" wasn't thick enough and I did follow the directions so if you have tried this, how did the paste come out?