Ecuadorian Hornado (Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder)

Hornado is the star of Ecuador’s highland markets, where whole roast pigs are carved to order. At home, a bone-in pork shoulder gives you the same result: an overnight marinade of garlic, cumin, achiote, orange juice and beer, then hours in the oven until the meat is fall-apart tender and the skin is crackling. Serve it with llapingachos or boiled potatoes, mote (hominy), avocado and a tangy agrio sauce.

• Servings: 8
• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Marinate: overnight (8 to 24 hours)
• Cook time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the pork

• 1 bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder (picnic roast), 7 to 8 lb (3.2 to 3.6 kg)
• 1 whole head of garlic, peeled
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons achiote (annatto) powder
• 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup (240 ml) orange juice
• 1 bottle (12 oz / 355 ml) beer, or chicha if you have it
• 3 tablespoons melted lard or oil

For the agrio sauce

• 1 red onion and 1 tomato, finely diced
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) light beer or chicha
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar and the juice of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoon sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Score the skin. With a sharp knife, score the skin in a diamond pattern without cutting into the meat. Poke deep holes all over the meaty side.
2. Make the marinade. Blend the garlic, onion, cumin, achiote, salt, pepper, orange juice and half the beer into a smooth paste.
3. Marinate. Rub the marinade all over the pork, pushing it into the holes. Place skin-side up in a roasting pan, cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Slow roast. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pour the rest of the beer into the pan, cover tightly with foil and roast 3 1/2 hours, basting every hour with the pan juices.
5. Crisp the skin. Uncover, pat the skin dry, brush with the lard and raise the oven to 425°F (220°C). Roast 45 to 60 minutes more, until the skin is blistered and crisp and the meat pulls apart easily.
6. Make the agrio. Mix all the sauce ingredients and let them sit at least 20 minutes.
7. Serve. Rest the pork 20 minutes, then pull or slice. Drizzle with the pan juices and serve with agrio, llapingachos or potatoes, mote and avocado.

Tips

• Keep the skin dry before the final high-heat roast, or it won’t crackle.
• Check doneness: the meat should reach at least 195°F (90°C) inside to be truly tender.
• Leftovers make amazing sandwiches (sánduche de hornado) with agrio on a soft roll.

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