Mexican Christmas Roast Pork

This traditional Mexican recipe for roast leg of pork is a festive Christmas centerpiece that's a beautiful alternative to ham or turkey. Enjoy at Christmas or for any special occasion!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 hr
• Total Time: 5 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 329 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons lard
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 12 pounds boneless pork leg
• 2 cups hard apple cider, divided
• 15 pitted prunes, sliced
• 1 ½ (20 ounce) cans pineapple rings, juice drained and reserved

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Pierce pork with a sharp knife, making several slits all over the top of the leg; place into a large bowl.

Step 2

Combine 1 cup cider, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender; blend until smooth. Pour over pork. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator, 6 hours to overnight.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove pork leg from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Step 4

Transfer pork leg to a roasting pan, reserving juices that have collected in the bowl. Mix pineapple juice into the bowl; pour over the pork. Insert almonds and prunes into the slits on top and in the center of the pork. Inject some of the remaining cider into the pork using a baster. Pour any remaining cider on top. Rub lard over the top of the pork and cover with pineapple slices. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), 5 to 6 hours. Remove foil and bake until browned, about 30 minutes more. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let sit for 10 minutes before carving.