FEEDS 8 TO 10
A bone-in pork leg yields the same roast pig flavor as a whole pig. This method for cooking pork works great on any cut with its skin still attached. With about a week’s notice, a good butcher can get you a leg with the skin on.
1 bone-in PORK LEG, skin on (14 to 16 pounds)
1 recipe PIG BRINE
3 tablespoons OLIVE OIL
3 tablespoons freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
2 tablespoons ancho CHILE POWDER or other pure chile powder
Put the pork leg in a 5-gallon bucket or a small cooler. Add the brine and refrigerate the pork for 24 hours or at least 8 hours. (If you are using a cooler, there is no need to refrigerate the pork.)
Remove the pork from the brine, rinse it under cool water, and pat it dry.
Arrange an oven rack in the center with no racks above it and preheat the oven to 375°F.
Using a small knife, score the skin and fat with 1-inch-long slits about 1 inch apart all over the surface of the pork; do not cut through the meat. Combine the oil, pepper, and chile powder in a small bowl and mix well. Use your hands to spread the rub over the entire surface of the pork, distributing it evenly.
Put the pork on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan with the shank sticking straight up. (This will expose the most skin to the heat, since you want to crisp up the skin.) Pour 1 cup water into the roasting pan. Roast the pork for 4 to 41/2 hours, basting the leg with the pan juices every hour. (You may not have pan juices until the roast has cooked for about 11/2 hours. Add more water if the drippings are charring.)
When an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the roast registers 150°F, increase the oven temperature to 475°F. Roast the pork for another 45 minutes, until the skin is blistered and crisp but not burned, and the thermometer registers 160°F.
Remove the pork from the oven, tent it loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve sliced, with the Puerco BBQ Sauce on the side.