Puerto Rican-Style Lechón
(courtesy of John Taboas, chef/kitchen supervisor, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe. Serves 35 to 40)
1 raw 35- to 60-pound suckling pig
4 cups fresh oregano leaves
8 cups salt
2 cups ground black pepper
To keep the meat moist, 72 hours before your event, place pig in a large roasting pan and rub 4 cups salt all over pig. Leave on for 24 hours, then rinse. Cover pig with dry adobo rub made of oregano, remaining 4 cups salt, and ground black pepper.
On the morning of the roast, remove pig from pan, skewer, and cook over fire pit. Use a spray bottle filled with salt water to repeatedly spritz on the pig while it spins rotisserie-style for 7 to 8 hours.
If roasting pig in an oven, set it to 350 degrees F. The cook time will depend on the weight of the pig, but around 3 hours. (There is no need to spritz salt water on pig if cooking in oven.) The standard rule of thumb is 1 hour of cooking for every 7 to 10 pounds of meat. The goal is to get crispy, brown skin.
Tip: Taboas recommends serving your lechón with sides such as rice mixed with pigeon peas, maduros (fried sweet plantains), potato or macaroni salad, and a delicious flan. Save the leftovers for sandwiches and arepas. Enjoy!
