24-Hour Mojo Pernil with Pan Jus

Method

1. Pat the pork completely dry and score the skin in a tight 1 cm criss-cross, cutting through skin and fat but not into the meat. On the meat side, stab holes 3 cm deep and 3 cm apart with the tip of the knife.

   Add in this stepPork shoulder, skin on, in one piece (bone-in if possible) 800 g

2. Blend or pound the garlic, coriander, oregano, cumin, pepper, mojo salt, orange juice, lime juice and olive oil into a loose paste (the mojo). Orange and lime together mimic the Puerto Rican sour orange (naranja agria).

   Add in this stepGarlic cloves 8Fresh coriander (cilantro), stems included 10 gDried oregano 1½ tspGround cumin ½ tspCoarsely ground black pepper ¾ tspCoarse salt (for the mojo) 1¾ tspOrange, juiced 1Lime, juiced 1Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp

3. Rub the mojo into the holes and all over the meat, then wipe any off the skin. Mix the skin salt with the baking powder and rub a thin, even layer over the skin. Set the pork skin side up on a rack and refrigerate uncovered for 24 h; the drier and more leathery the skin gets, the crisper it will be. Take it out 1 hour before roasting.

   Add in this stepCoarse salt (for the skin) ¾ tspBaking powder (for the skin) ½ tsp

4. Preheat the oven to 150 °C (oven). Lay the onion rings in a 25×20 cm roasting dish, set the pork on top skin side up and pour some of the stock into the bottom, keeping the skin dry. Roast uncovered for 2 h 20 min, topping up with a little water if the pan dries out. Move on when the thickest part reads 90 to 95 °C and a fork slides in without resistance.

   Add in this stepOnions, in 1.5 cm rings 150 gChicken stock 150 ml

   oven

5. Turn the oven up to 240 °C (oven) and roast for 15 min, until the skin puffs, blisters and sounds hollow when tapped. Watch constantly in the last 5 minutes and pull it out as soon as it starts to blacken.

   oven

6. Move the pork to a board and rest it for 20 min. Meanwhile, tip the onions and pan juices into a small saucepan, skim off the fat, add the rest of the stock with any sticky bits scraped from the dish and reduce over medium heat for 6 min. Crush the onions with a spatula, strain into a smooth jus and season to taste.

   Add in this stepChicken stock 100 ml

   medium heat

7. Break the crackling into large shards, pull the meat into chunky pieces and serve with the hot pan jus.