Hornado
Roast pork with crackling
Hornado: slow-roast garlic and cumin pork with crackling, Riobamba market style
At the Sunday markets of Riobamba and Quito's La Ofelia, whole roast pigs glisten on the stalls and vendors carve hornado, garlic-and-cumin pork with crackling, onto plates with potato cakes, mote and a sour onion sauce called agrio. This home version uses a bone-in pork shoulder, roasted low and slow until the meat pulls apart, then blasted for crisp skin. Marinate it overnight in the fridge. The usual mistake is pulling the pork as soon as it is cooked through: it is safe once the thickest part reaches 63 °C and has rested for 3 minutes, but it only becomes tender enough to pull at about 85–90 °C. Serve with llapingachos, mote and avocado. Chef's tip: dry the skin and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight; dry skin is what crackles.
- Total time
- 300 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pork
- 5 ½ lb bone-in pork shoulder, skin onskin scored
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground achiote (annatto)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ¾ cup orange juiceor sour orange juice
- 1 white onionroughly chopped
- 1 tsp flaky saltfor the skin
For the agrio
- 1 red onionvery finely chopped
- 1 tomatofinely diced
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp panela or brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- 1 fresh chilli (optional)finely chopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Blend 10 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground achiote (annatto), 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, ¾ cup orange juice and 1 white onion to a smooth paste.
5 minStep 2: Pat 5 ½ lb bone-in pork shoulder, skin on dry. Rub the paste all over the meat side and into the cuts, keeping it off the skin as much as possible. Put it skin up on a tray, cover the meat side loosely, leave the skin uncovered, and marinate in the fridge for 12–24 hours.
10 minStep 3: Take the pork out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Wipe the skin dry and rub with 1 tsp flaky salt.
Step 4: Put the pork in a roasting tin with 200 ml water and roast for about 3½ hours, adding a splash more water if the tin dries out, until the meat is very tender and a probe in the thickest part reads 85–194°F.
210 minStep 5: Turn the oven up to 450°F (400°F fan) and roast for 20–30 minutes more, until the skin has puffed into bubbly crackling. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn.
30 minStep 6: Rest the pork for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, skim the fat from the roasting juices and mix 4 tbsp of the juices with 1 red onion, 1 tomato, 3 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tsp panela or brown sugar, 2 tbsp fresh coriander and 1 fresh chilli to make the agrio.
20 minStep 7: Break off the crackling, pull the meat into chunks and serve with the agrio spooned over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hornado take?
- About 300 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 270 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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