Cocoa And Spice Slow Roasted Pork With Onions Food

SLOW-ROASTED SPICED PORK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Test your oven with an oven thermometer to be sure it's accurate!
• Score the fat on the pork diagonally with a sharp knife in a crosshatch pattern. With a small paring knife, make a dozen 1/2-inch-deep cuts in the top and sides of the pork to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat.
• Place the garlic, onion, jalapeno, and oregano in a food processor and process until the ingredients are finely chopped. Add the cumin, chile powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and process for 30 seconds to make a paste. Add the vinegar and olive oil and process to incorporate. Rub the mixture all over the pork, including the sides and the bottom, and place the pork in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Pour 2 cups of the wine into the pan and cover the whole roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 2 1/2 hours, remove the foil, and roast for another 4 to 4 1/2 hours, until the meat is very, very tender when tested with a carving fork. Every 2 hours, add another cup of wine to keep some liquid in the pan.
• Remove the pan from the oven, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and allow the meat to rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Slice, sprinkle with salt, and serve with lime wedges on the side.

COCOA PORK

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, add the cocoa, sugar, orange zest, black pepper, and clove. Combine well to form a rub. Coat the pork with oil and sprinkle with the salt. Smear the cocoa rub all over the pork shoulder. Add the onion quarters and pork to a large dish and pour orange juice and red wine vinegar over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle. Let pork sit a room temperature while oven heats up, at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove pork from marinade and dry well. Put the pork in a clean, dry roasting pan, and roast until the skin is browned, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven to 325 degrees F, scatter onions from the marinade around the pork and roast until the internal temperature registers 155 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 to 2 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil. Allow the roast to rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving.
• Slice between the meat and cracklings and lift the crackling off in 1 piece. Cut the crackling into pieces, so they're easier to eat. Carve meat downward and against the grain and arrange on a platter. Spoon pan juices and onions over the meat and serve.

SEARED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH COCOA SPICE RUB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, toast white peppercorns and coriander seeds until they begin to pop. Remove from heat and grind to fine powder in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Mix the ground pepper and coriander with remaining spices, cocoa and salt.
• Trim the pork tenderloins of fat and silver skin. Rub with a generous amount of the cocoa spice rub. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Sear each tenderloin on all sides until a rich brown color, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove tenderloins from heat and finish in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.
• Let the tenderloins rest out of the oven for at least 10 minutes before carving.
• Extra cocoa spice rub will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

SPICED SLOW-ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Mix all the ingredients (except the pork) in a small bowl, then rub all over the meat, getting in between the cuts in the skin.
• Lift the pork onto a wire rack in a roasting tin and place in the oven to sizzle for 30 mins. Reduce oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and roast for a further 3 hrs. If the crackling needs a final blast to get it crisp, turn oven back up to 230C/210C fan/gas 8 for about 30 mins more.
• Remove the tin from the oven, cover loosely with a tent of foil and rest for at least 20 mins or up to 40 mins before carving.

SLOW-ROAST FIVE-SPICE PORK BELLY & GRAVY

Steps:

• Mix together the five-spice powder, soy, honey, rice wine, vinegar, ginger, garlic and chilli. If you have time, pour the mixture into a shallow dish and sit the pork in the dish skin-side up, so only the meaty side is in the marinade and the skin stays dry. Salt the skin lightly and chill overnight if you have time, or for up to 24 hrs. (If you don't have time to marinate the pork, skip this and move straight to step two.)
• Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/ gas 2. Pour the marinade (the excess if you've chilled the pork overnight) into a roasting tin. Sit the pork on top, skin-side up - it should fit snugly in the tin. Roast for 2 hrs. Remove from the oven, then lift the pork onto a board. Pour the fat from the tin into a bowl, then pour the juices through a sieve into a small pan. Wipe down the tin. The pork can be prepared up to this stage two days ahead and kept chilled.
• Turn the oven up to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Put the pork back in the tin, skin-side up, and brush the skin with the oil. Roast for 30-35 mins, basting with the reserved fat once or twice, until the skin has blistered and crackled. If the skin hasn't crackled after 35 mins, slide the pork under a hot grill, but watch carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. Lift the pork onto a board and leave to rest for a few minutes.
• While the pork is still in the oven, add the stock to the pan with the roasting juices and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes, adding more soy or vinegar to taste, if you like. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp water to create a smooth paste. Stir this into the sauce and simmer until thickened. Keep warm on the lowest heat. Carve the pork into thick slices and serve with veg and the gravy, or cut into squares and top with spring onions, chillies and coriander, with the gravy alongside for dunking.