Hornado

Pujol’s hornado de chancho is a home version of Ecuadorian roast pork made with a whole pork leg. This selected version uses beer, garlic, cumin and a butter-and-ground-achiote coating, with optional potatoes roasted alongside.

The leg is cleaned and placed in a large tray for marinating. Garlic, the selected optional red onion and seasonings are blended with a cup from the listed beer. Lemon juice is sprinkled over the leg, and incisions are filled with that seasoning mixture.

The beer marinade is added, the tray covered and the leg refrigerated for twenty-four to seventy-two hours. The leg moves skin-side up into a roasting form with the marinade, and paper towels dry the skin. Four ounces of butter melt with a tablespoon of ground achiote in a small pot and are poured over the pork, with any remainder reserved for the skin.

The roast starts at 400°F for thirty minutes, then continues at 325°F. If its juices start to dry, additional beer is heated with some of the butter-and-achiote mixture and added to the roasting form; a brush coats the skin. The form is turned occasionally, and foil can cover the pork if it colours too much.

After the first three hours at the lower temperature, the optional potatoes can join the roast if there is room. Roasting continues for another three and a half to four hours. Any covering foil can be removed near the end for crisp skin, and the pork is served with the roasted potatoes and selected accompaniments such as mote, curtido, agrio, avocado, lettuce and ají criollo.