This recipe, taught to me many years ago by Isabel Hoyos Gomez, is standard Central Mexican “company” fare. I especially like to make this in the winter, when small trucks drive around the neighborhood selling juicy oranges from Martinez de la Torre, Veracruz, at the height of their season.
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds pork loin, preferably from the rib end
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crumbled
- salt to taste
- 3 oranges
Preparation:
Make 1-inch deep incisions all over the meat. Place the garlic slices into the incisions, rub the meat with the oregano, salt, and juice of 1 orange and let it rest for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Place the meat in the roasting pan with the juice of the 2 remaining oranges and zest of one of the oranges.
Cover and bake for one hour, turn over, baste and cook, covered, until an instant read meat thermometer reads 150º. Remove cover and brown meat until it reaches155º. Keep covered and let the meat stand for 10 minutes, during which time the internal temperature will rise to 160º, the recommended temperature for safely cooked yet tender pork. Slice the meat and drizzle with the pan juices. Serves 8-10.
