Homemade Pork Leg Roast
Printable Recipe (click to expand)
Ingredients
Method
- Score roast and reason generously with coarse salt.
- Mix garlic, lemon, lemon zest, pepper and rosemary together with olive oil whisk until oil has emulsified.
- Rub paste all over pork and make sure to get it inside the scored slits and refrigerate for 12-48 hours.
- Remove roast from fridge and let roast sit at room temperature for about 2 hours before cooking.
- Place roast on roasting rack in roasting pan, add 2 cups of dry white wine to bottom of pan then place in oven that has been pre-heated at 450°F.
- Roast at 450ºF for 20 minutes then lower temperature to 350° and continue to roast for another 1-1.5 hours, or until roast has reached an internal temperature of 145°.
- Remove from oven and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Hey there Honey's and New-Bees!
When Romeo and I purchased a side of pork we were a little overwhelmed and we got a lot of cuts neither of us had even heard of, let alone eaten. One cut in particular that caught our eye was a leg roast (which we had many of). I seriously had no idea what to do with this roast not only because I had no idea what to expect, but I’d never even made a pork roast before! I was a little nervous trying this out since I was pretty sure I was going to be disappointed with the results and end up with a dry, bland pork roast, but I persevered anyway!
After spending hours scouring the internet, I realized that pork leg isn’t the most popular cut (and definitely the most under-rated), but I finally found a pretty simple and straightforward recipe, and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I say most because the recipe calls for fresh oregano, which I didn’t have at the time, so I substituted for fresh rosemary (which I did have). The results were… AMAZING! The roast does take time to prepare, and requires some pre-planning, but was still easy to make and well worth the time!
This was probably the best pork either Romeo or I had ever had and is among our top 5 favorite meals. It’s really a big excitement for us when I make this for dinner, not only because it’s AMAZING but also allows us to make another one of our favorite dishes with the leftovers… Croque-Madame!!! 😜
Step 1 – “Score” and Salt
Leg roasts have a thick layer of fat and skin around them, which is what makes the roast so tender; so in order to maximize the flavor of your marinade you will need to “score” your meat. To score your meat means that you’ll need to cut small, uniform slits on the surface of your roast (through the skin and into in the fat) and will help the excess fat to drain as well as tenderize your roast by allowing the salt and marinade to be more easily absorbed. Pork skin is pretty tough, so if you have the option, ask your butcher to do this for you when you purchase your roast. However, if you don’t have the option of asking your butcher please be extra careful and make sure you use a VERY sharp knife and cut several slits about 1 inch apart and about 1/4 inch deep. Once you’re roast has been scored, salt it generously with coarse salt, and set it aside while you prepare your marinade. Step 2 – Marinade your Meat
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic, pepper, rosemary, and lemon until the oil and lemon have emulsified, then rub the marinade onto your pork, making sure to get in between the scored meat so that the flavor gets absorbed. Place your roast in a large freezer bag and refrigerate for at least 12 hours; up to 48 hours for best results. Step 3 – Roast and Wait!
Once you’re ready to roast your pork, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours. You want to make sure your meat is tempered before roasting it, otherwise it will cook unevenly and you’ll end up with dry meat 😞. Pre-heat your oven to 450ºF, and transfer your roast to a roasting rack in your roasting pan, then pour two cups of DRY white wine while you wait for your oven. A key piece of advice someone gave me about cooking with wine is to use wine that you would drink when cooking, if you won’t drink it then why would you want to infuse the food you’re going to eat with it? That doesn’t mean to go out and buy the most expensive bottle of wine but choose something enjoyable. Back to the roast – once your oven is pre-heated, place your roast in the oven and roast it at 450ºF for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 350ºF and continue to roast for about another 1 – 1.5 hours, until your roast reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF. Keep in mind that the suggested amount of time is a guideline and may vary depending on the size of your roast and oven, so always make sure to check the internal temperature (with a meat thermometer) to know if your roast is ready! Once the pork has reached 145ºF, remove it from the oven and let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. As tempting as it is to cut into it immediately, all the juices would spill out right away, leaving you with a dry roast if you did (take the time to make gravy and prep your sides while you wait). So after you’ve waited 20-30 minutes (and don’t worry it will still be plenty warm), slice thinly and serve! I hope you enjoy and please let me know how your roast turned out!
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Ingredients
Method
- Score roast and reason generously with coarse salt.
- Mix garlic, lemon, lemon zest, pepper and rosemary together with olive oil whisk until oil has emulsified.
- Rub paste all over pork and make sure to get it inside the scored slits and refrigerate for 12-48 hours.
- Remove roast from fridge and let roast sit at room temperature for about 2 hours before cooking.
- Place roast on roasting rack in roasting pan, add 2 cups of dry white wine to bottom of pan then place in oven that has been pre-heated at 450°F.
- Roast at 450ºF for 20 minutes then lower temperature to 350° and continue to roast for another 1-1.5 hours, or until roast has reached an internal temperature of 145°.
- Remove from oven and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Haha this made me think of the time I told my teacher I could bring the turkey for our Thanksgiving meal in class… my mom and I could only find a frozen turkey and had to defrost it in the sink all day and then cook it all night, with alarms every 2 hours to check on it. What a disaster haha but luckily it cooked just in time to bring to school 😉 Looks like your pork leg roast was a success!
I’m not a huge pork eater, I think mainly because it usually ends up dry. This roast looks moist and delicious!
I was pretty nervous making this the first time since I’ve had a lot of dry roasts. Pork leg is an amazing cut and I’ve made this recipe countless times and never once has it turned out dry. Hope you get try this out soon!
Looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. I totally agree with your comment about using wine to cook with that you would actually drink. I’m glad this recipe uses white wine because that’s right up my ally. ❤️
Thanks Jenna! This is such a fantastic recipe and the wine creates such a beautiful aroma, it really makes a HUGE difference using good quality wine. Enjoy the recipe ❤️
We’ve been thinking about getting our meat in bulk from local farmers. Originally, there was just beef and poultry available. But now we have access to pork. As I don’t know too many people who’ve bought a side of pork, I read this post with great interest. I’d love to know more about the different cuts you received! Your roast sounds delicious. I’d definitely use that marinate on pork 🙂
We’ve been buying our meat in bulk from a local farm/butcher here in BC for a couple of years now and I would highly recommend it. Not only is the meat incredible (the pork is really fantastic), but very affordable and we’ve been able to try out a lot of cuts we normally wouldn’t have tried. Hope you like the marinade!
I love pork and I’m always looking for new ways to prepare it. This sounds delicious!
Thanks! This is a really fantastic roast, it’s so juicy and tender. Hope you enjoy!
I’ve never made this cut of meat either but this looks delicious! I’ll have to keep this recipe in case I end up with a pork leg.
Yum! My husband is Cuban so instead of making pork I usually go to my mother in laws home. lol – this does look good though!!
This looks delicious. Oh my !! I want some.