I found a 22lb. hog leg on sale after Thanksgiving and decided to try to roast it. I was feeling adventurous so I didn’t use a recipe and I really liked the result. The meat is very lean and has a taste and texture like pork loin. It has more flavor after it is reheated in the marinade.
Here is what I did …
INGREDIENTS:
- 22 pound hog leg
- One half cup of salt
- 1 Tbsp cloves
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 T brown sugar
- 4 cups unsweetened applesauce.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Grind the cloves and red pepper flakes.
- Put the applesauce, sugar, salt and spices in a sauce pan.
- Simmer to combine
- Make slices through the skin about 1″ deep and about 1.5 inches apart.
- Pour the marinade into the slices.
- Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 30 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Ladle the dripped sauce back over the meat.
- Reduce heat to 250 degrees and cook, uncovered until the meat reaches 160 degrees internal temp (about 4.5 more hours).
- Remove the toasted skin from the outside of the leg.
- Place the skin and drippings in a sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes to make the sauce.
- Discard the skin and strain the mixture to remove any large chunks.
- Use a gravy selarator to remove the grease or put the mixture in a container in the freezer for an hour to solidify the grease so you can discard it.
- Slice the meat away from the bone by cutting 4 long cuts parallel to the bone.
- Slice the quarters into 1/4″ thick slices.
- Separate the meat into manageable meal portions and pour the sauce over the meat before sealing and freezing or refrigerating .
I thawed/reheated the meat in the sous vide at 160 degrees.
