Pork Leg Roast Thoughts?

[MySiuMai]

I'm running out the door to water aerobics, but I thought I'd post in hopes of an answer this evening.

My grocer had pork leg roasts on sale today. Hadn't seen one before--and it was a deal.

My snooping on the web indicates that, as I thought, it might be best ground and used in asian dumplings, a la pork shoulder. But then again, other recipes describe rubbing it with oil (though it's already fatty on one side) and slow cooking. The oil (both added and original) bastes the quite lean meat, and the fat turns to cracklings, supposedly. Though it would seem that cracklings would require high heat.....oh well.

I welcome your suggestions. It's about a 3-pounder.

Help!

[WHT]

I would trim any skin and extra fat. Get your oven up to 550 or better. Rub the leg with a mixture of salt pepper and granulated garlic. Place on a rack in a roasting pan in the middle of the oven with a meat thermometer in the thickest point. Place in the oven at temp. For 15 minutes and reduce the temp to 325. Roast at 325 until the internal temp is 170. remove from oven and let stand 15 Minutes before carving.

[Really Nice!]

My grocer had pork leg roasts on sale today. Hadn't seen one before--and it was a deal.

Isn't this ham?

[Bux]

Pork leg is often referred to as fresh ham (or pernil in Puerto Rico). A 3 pounder? That must have been an awfully small pig. I assume this is a slice of hunk of boned meat. Every few years or so, we find an occasion to roast a whole leg which usually runs close to 25 pounds. As I recall, it takes a while to cook. Our pork butcher in Chinatown also sells 2 to 3 pound hunks of leg meat that we might roast. It's kind of lean and care has to be taken not to overcook it and dry it out.

[jmcgrath]

Something that small sounds like it a picnic shoulder, the lower half of the front leg of a pig. That is a very fatty tough cut of meat that requires low temperature long roasting or braising to dissolve the connective tissue. Figure at least an hour and a half a pound at 225 to 250F until it reaches 180 internal for slicing or 200 for shreding. It's even better in a smoker if you have one available.

Jim

[jackal10]

Sounds like its a large hock.

I prefer to go the othre way and braise. Forget crackling, think of all that tender succulant skin and creamy, custardy fat,

Blanch the meat first, twice

In a covered casserole either

a) Put a bed of vegetables (onion, carrot, celery)

Put the pork on top

Add a glass maderia or red wine, a cup of stock (or water) bay leaf, garlic, a few peppercorns

or b)

Add 2Tbs light soy, 2 Tbs Mirin, ginger, spring onion, star anise

Bring to the boil, cover tightly, cook in a gentle oven for 8 hours, or overnight. Check and turn occaisionally. The meat will make a lot of juice.

Good both hot or bone the meat and cool in the defatted liquid as serve cold as a terrine in all that jelly..

[fifi]

I will second jackal's take on this. I have a recipe from a Chinese friend that uses the fresh "picnic" ham. What I get from the Chinese butcher is the shank portion of the ham. The recipe is a braise that starts with light soy sauce, darker mushroom soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, rock sugar, LOTS of sliced ginger as a bed to sit the thing on, and green onions. It is cooked at 275F for about 5 hours and the meat is luscious. You peel back the skin and the fat is "like buttah". The meat is used as you would pulled pork. GREAT recipe. (Is there anything better than pork and pork fat?)

[Suzanne F]

Probably not, but duck and duck fat run a close second. Especially for someone like Macrosan, who does not eat pork.

[col klink]

(Is there anything better than pork and pork fat?)

Don't forget about goose fat. Mmmmm, good. Smoked goose fat is even better.

[MySiuMai]

I went with the Jackal method (since 1 this afternoon), and the house smells luscious. Just checked, and it's already pulling apart nicely. I might get to eat sooner than I had planned.

I'll report back later. And thanks to all who replied. You guys are great.