Pernil de Cerdo al Horno

Ingredients

• A 5 to 6 pound pork leg (hind or front), enough to serve eight or more of your adults
• olive oil (preferably) or your favorite cooking oil
• vinegar
• Ground oregano
• anisette
• garlic, either fresh or bottled. Avoid using garlic salt
• black pepper
• salt
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon of ground garlic
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Most Pork legs today are frozen. If you are lucky enough to get a fresh Pork leg, great! Otherwise, let it thaw in the refrigerator. To speed up the thawing process by removing the Pork leg from the refrigerator may spoil the meat.
2. To baste the Pork leg, blend the following ingredients together:
   • 2 tablespoons of vinegar;
   • 2 tablespoons of salt;
   • one tablespoon of ground garlic (avoid garlic salt: if you do use it, reduce regular salt to less than one tablespoon);
   • ground black pepper to taste (¼ teaspoon for finicky diners, one teaspoon for those with a taste for hotter dishes) . . . or baste different sides of the Pork with different concentrations of pepper.
3. The same holds true for Ground oregano (one teaspoon for finicky tastes, up to two tablespoons to really let the taste out.
4. For a special taste treat, add a few drops of anisette and blend everything together.
5. You need a thin, sharp knife to pierce the leg all the way to the center bone. Try to make your incisions so that the knife runs a couple of inches along the side of the bone by moving your wrist so that the initial slit remains no larger than the size of the knife. Repeat the incisions carefully all along the Pork leg. A five to six pound Pork leg requires some twenty incisions.
6. Now you need a way to get the basting all the way inside the Pork leg through each incision. Any of the basting tools on the market will do the trick. Or you can get the same results by using a long-handled spoon. Insert the handle end first if the spoon is wider than the incision slit. There should be enough basting paste left over to cover the whole skin and some under-the-skin slits.
7. FOR BEST RESULTS, allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. This will truly enhance the flavor. To avoid the lingering smell in the refrigerator, set up a cup with a tablespoon of baking soda on a refrigerator shelf unless you have any of the commercial products sold for this purpose.
8. Bake your Pork leg at 350°F. A good rule of thumb is 35 minutes per pound. Set some means of collecting the juices that will ooze from the leg as it cooks and re-baste the Pork leg with the juices about twice throughout the process, shifting positions of the leg at each basting.
9. For a crispier crust, set to Broil for the last ten minutes or so.
10. Pernil al horno makes a hearty meal. A good serving choice might be stewed round potatoes, lightly salted, and garden vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing.
11. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
12. Put the dry roasted chiles in a pan, cover with water and simmer very slowly for 30 to 40 minutes to allow them to dehydrate. Cool.
13. Blacken tomatoes under broiler for 4 or 5 minutes.
14. Put chiles, tomatoes, and the remaining ingredients in food processor and puree. Add a little liquid if needed. Use the chile water IF it's not bitter. Put the dry roasted chiles in a pan, cover with water and simmer very slowly for 30 to 40 minutes to allow them to dehydrate. Cool.
15. Blacken tomatoes under broiler for 4 or 5 minutes.
16. Put chiles, tomatoes, and the remaining ingredients in food processor and puree. Add a little liquid if needed.
17. Use the chile water IF it's not bitter.