Spanish Pork Braise Recipes

SPANISH ROASTED PORK (PERNIL)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Rub pork shoulder all over with lime.
• Mash garlic into paste in a mortar and pestle or pilon. Transfer to a bowl; mix in salt, 1 tablespoon oil, oregano, black pepper, adobo seasoning, and vinegar.
• Lift skin off the pork to 1-inch from the narrow part of the bone. Make 3/4-inch slits all over the pork with a sharp knife. Stuff seasoned garlic paste into the slits. Pull skin back over to cover the pork.
• Mix remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and sazon seasoning together in a small bowl. Rub over the skin of the pork.
• Transfer pork to a large roasting pan. Pour in beer. Cover with aluminum foil, sealing well.
• Roast in the preheated oven until slightly pink in the center, about 3 hours.
• Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Uncover pork and continue roasting until skin is golden brown and crispy, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before carving.

BRAISED IBERIAN PORK CHEEK WITH PORT WINE AND HONEY

Steps:

• Smash the garlic in a mortar and pestle and add in the thyme, honey, parsley and a tablespoon of water. Continue to smash some more until you achieve a nice paste.
• Pat the pork cheeks completely dry with paper towels and then cover the pork cheeks with the paste and season with kosher salt and pepper. Let them marinate for at least an hour before cooking.
• After allowing them to absorb the flavors for about an hour, quickly dredge the pork cheeks in flour (they shouldn't be coated in flour, just a hint should remain).
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan on a medium high heat.
• Sear the pork cheeks (about 30 seconds per each of its 3-4 sides) until all sides are browned.
• After each cheek is seared, remove from the pan and reserve.
• Dice the onion and red pepper to a small dice.
• Peel the shallots and cut each one in half.
• Cut the carrots into thin round slices.
• Transfer the oil used to sear the meat into a large, heavy pot. Add a little more oil if necessary to completely cover the bottom about 1 cm.
• On a low heat, sauté the onions, peppers, shallots and carrots for 15 minutes.
• When the vegetables are golden, add the pork cheek and the 2 cups of port wine (any port will do, although there are various varieties of port wine and each will leave you with a slightly different dish)
• Add the bay leaf and, over a medium heat, allow everything to reduce 50%, about 15 minutes. Make sure to stir while it is reducing or it will stick.
• Peel the potatoes (if using large potatoes cut them into bite size chunks).
• Peel the apple and dice it to a medium dice.
• Add the beef stock to the pot and cook over a low heat for about 1.5 hours, until the carrilladas are completely tender. Twenty minutes before taking it off the heat add the potatoes and apple to the pot.
• When everything is fork tender, take off the heat and serve.

SPANISH PORK WITH CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Toss the spring onions with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a baking sheet; season with pepper. Broil, turning, until charred, 8 to 10 minutes (5 minutes for scallions).
• Meanwhile, combine the cumin, paprika and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a bowl. Make a deep cut lengthwise down the center of the pork, cutting about halfway through. Open the pork like a book; cut crosswise into 4 pieces and season with the spice mixture.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned on the bottom, 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 minutes. Stir in the reserved tomato juices, chickpeas and roasted peppers. Add the pork browned-side up; cover and simmer until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the pot. Stir the almond butter, vinegar and oregano into the chickpea mixture. Serve with the pork and charred spring onions.

SPANISH PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Mix sazon seasoning, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano together in a small bowl.
• Rinse roast and pat dry. Separate the fat from the meat with a sharp knife, starting at the wide end and going to the narrow end; don't cut it off all the way.
• Season the inside of the fat a little bit. Make very deep slits all over the meat and rub seasoning all over, making sure it goes into the slits. Pull the fat back up and over the meat. Wrap roast with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• When ready to cook, remove roast from refrigerator. Unwrap and place in a deep roasting pan. Let sit for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 30 minutes. During this 30 minutes the roast will reach room temperature (total of 1 hour out of the refrigerator).
• Place roast in the preheated oven and cook for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C); cook roast until meat is tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork, about 6 more hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

SPANISH PORK WITH BEANS

Steps:

• Mix the crushed garlic, 1 tbsp of the oil and 1 tsp smoked paprika together in a shallow dish and turn the pork steaks over in the mix to coat them on both sides. Heat a large non-stick frying pan and fry the pork for about 4 mins on each side to part-cook and brown them, then remove them from the pan.
• Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry the onions, carrots and sliced garlic, stirring frequently for 10 mins until the veg starts to caramelise a little. Pour in the sherry vinegar, allowing it to sizzle in the heat, then add the peppers, bouillon, rosemary, any juices left in the dish from the pork, the cherry tomatoes, tomato purée, remaining 3 tsp paprika and beans.
• Lay the pork steaks on top, then cover the pan and cook for 20 mins until the pork and vegetables are tender. The pork will be cooked and juicy, but not fall apart. Remove the pork from the pan, stir in the parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice, if using.
• If you're following our Healthy Diet Plan, eat two portions of the pork and beans now and chill the rest for another day. Will keep for up to two days. To serve the second night, just reheat in a pan.

SPANISH BRAISED PORK - PRESSURE COOKER

Steps:

• In the pressure cooker, mix pork butt, olive oil, minced onion, garlic powder, and paprika until spices are evenly distributed.
• Add lemon juice, red wine, and enough chicken stock to just cover the meat (you may need more than 2 cups stock).
• Ensure that you have adequate space between the top of the liquid/meat and the top of the pressure cooker. Consult your pressure cooker manual if you're not sure.
• Bring to pressure on high heat, then turn heat down to maintain pressure. Cook 45 minutes, then remove from heat and allow 15 minutes of cool-down before releasing pressure.