Contenidos
How to marinate a pernil
In my house neither muchacho (asado) nor pernil was made; both meals were quite expensive for the family budget, and on the other hand, my mom doesn’t like pork (she gets blisters in her mouth and arms) so it was out of the question.
This baked pork leg is, like many Venezuelan recipes, long and slow cooking, being the first time I prepare it, I was worried if it would be dry (like many I have eaten) but it has been so juicy, and with the perfect seasoning, that this will be my pork leg recipe from now on, I don’t need more!
My recommendation is to make it a couple of days before consuming it, since this way it will have the time required for the marinade, cooking and resting of the meat before cutting it, besides, it always tastes better a few days later, since the flavors are concentrated.
In the middle of the task it occurred to me that I could puncture it as it is done with the square boy, then almost blindly I began to prick the meat (an act that gave me some «thing» and I think that’s why it does not have much, haha) and I put carrot sticks, olives stuffed with paprika and capers, this step is optional and is not in the original recipe, but I like the result especially to the eye.
Baked pork legs
Rubén Darío Rojas, specialized journalist and professor of Venezuelan cuisine, quotes Miro Popic as saying that pork arrived in Venezuela with the conquistadors. For them, consuming it was a form of rebellion against the Jews.
The cochino was not a food that was part of the daily diet, but had a special preparation that was reserved for festivities such as Christmas. This is the origin of the link between the pernil (pork leg) and Christmas.
For more than two centuries, both countries have vied for the origin of the addictive French fries, a crunchy delicacy that today celebrates its international day. A curious fact: in Latin America, more than a quarter of diners enjoy them with ice cream.
Venezuelan rum is the most awarded rum in the world and the Denomination of Controlled Origin certifies its high quality. Today, International Rum Day, we review the strict requirements that make our distillate so famous.
Venezuelan christmas dish
Pernil is one of the quintessential Venezuelan Christmas dishes. It is made with the hind end of the pig, baked for several hours over low heat. The result? A tender meat, very juicy and full of flavor, due to the amount of ingredients involved in its preparation.
One of the most outstanding and renowned Venezuelan chefs, Sumito Estévez, shares his way of preparing this succulent dish. To make it, there are several steps that must be followed in order to succeed. First, you have to plan well, since it has 18 ingredients, all of them easily available. We are talking about a recipe that could take up to two days.
Pernil receta
Viniendo de un entorno chino, he de reconocer que nuestras cenas navideñas tenían un menú bastante diferente: pollo, pescado, verduras, arroz, sopa, cerdo asado chino… Sin embargo, estos cuatro platos me han calado tan hondo, que sólo recuerdo no haberlos tomado en dos ocasiones.
La primera vez que intenté prepararlo, me decanté por un lomo de cerdo; por dos razones principalmente: era más pequeño y fácil de manejar y los muslos de cerdo estaban agotados. Sí, es así de popular prepararlo durante las fiestas.
Cuidé ese lomo de cerdo como si fuera un recién nacido y leí la receta una y otra vez para asegurarme de que no se perdía ningún paso. Y mereció la pena. El resultado fue un asado tan bonito con sabores increíbles, jugoso por dentro y caramelizado por fuera.
Fue la primera vez que llevé algo para una cena navideña. En casa de mis padres, la cocina es territorio de mamá, así que mientras viví allí nunca intenté preparar mucho. Mamá es una cocinera tan estupenda y se enorgullece tanto de sus platos, que incluso después de mudarme no consideré apropiado llevar nada de comida.
