# How to cooking a HUGE Pork Leg  Help!



## kiteking (Dec 24, 2003)

My Danish Mother-in-Law has traditionally cooked a Pork Leg Roast with Crackling on Christmas Eve, along with Red Cabbage with Currants, Chestnut "Stuffing" and Rice Pudding for Dessert.  I volunteered this year.  I just got back from the butcher where she kindly ordered the Pork for me.  It is HUGE, weighing in at  19 pounds.  I usually use a high heat method for my roasts, but I am unsure how to go about this monster.  Any suggestions?


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## BubbaGourmet (Dec 24, 2003)

Kiteking;
   If you visit this site often (and why wouldn't you?) you will see me again and again try to get people to invest in a probe thermometer. This wonderful device can be had, believe it or not, from any Lowe's or Home Depot. So that would be my first suggestion to you. Get a probe thermometer and remove the guesswork form cooking that fresh ham.
  The other thing I would recommend is to change your approach to roasting. First preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Let it preheat for 30 minutes and ignore the little light. Place your ham in ON A RACK in a roasting pan and let it go until the internal temp reaches about 160. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven to 500 degrees and put the ham back in for EXACTLY 20 minutes. This will give you that nice, crispy exterior we love so much.


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## kiteking (Dec 24, 2003)

*225!!*

Wow that is going to be really hard for me to do!  225?  Even if it is raw and not cured?  I have an instant read thermometer, what do you think the approx length of time for the 19 pounder?  How long before cooking should I take it out of the fridge?

Cheers, best of the season


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## BubbaGourmet (Dec 24, 2003)

Roughly (very roughly) you can figure about 30 minutes per pound REGARDLESS of temp that it is cooked at. High temp roasting will get you from cold to warm in a hurry, but then slows down. Low temp roasting starts you slow but speeds up as you go. So your 19 lb. ham will take about 9 1/2 hours DEPENDING ON MANY VARIABLES! Again that is why I say get a probe thermometer.


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## kitchenelf (Dec 27, 2003)

I have to ask kiteking - how did it turnout?  THAT WAS A HUGE HUNK OF BARNYARD ANIMAL!!!!  Slow is how I would have recommended too.


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## kiteking (Dec 27, 2003)

*Couldn't do what I was told!*

I ended up cooking the (room temperature) beast at 325 for 5 1/2 hours.  I was a bit worried when the temp was only 100 (Used an instant read thermometer) with 2 hours to go but it rocketed up quickly towards the end of the cooking. When it reached temp I took it out, cranked the oven up to 500 and put it back in for 10 minutes to puff the crackling up.  (I found that little gem from a 1990 Gourmet Magazine) It was a great success.  I also did a white wine reduction for my deglaze (Decadent or what?).  Thanks for the help. How about a Tourtiere recipe using left over pork roast?


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## kitchenelf (Dec 28, 2003)

*Tourtiere*

Glad it turned out.  There are so many versions to this that you might want to do a search to suit your taste but here's one for you.  A lot of the recipes don't have mushrooms so you can pretty much change according to taste.

Tourtiere

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds ground pork
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
3 onions finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, pepper and dried savory
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Pastry for 9-inch double crust pie (see recipe)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon water 

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat cook the pork until no longer pink and then drain. Stir in stock, onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs and parsley. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Transfer mixture to a covered bowl and refrigerate until chilled or overnight. 

Spoon filling into prepared pie shell. Moisten rim of pie shell with water. Cover with top pastry pressing edges to seal then trim and flute pastry edge for that professional touch!

Combine egg with about 1 TBS of water. Brush over pastry. Cut steam vents in top. Bake in a 375*F (190*C) oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. 

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Note: You can freeze this before baking.  Thaw in refrigerator for 6 hours. Bake for 1 1/4 hours shielding edge with foil if necessary.


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## kyles (Dec 28, 2003)

Well done kiteking, sounds a daunting piece of pig to do battle with, wouldn't have liked to run into that creature in a dark alley   

Your recipe sound lovely kitchen elf, not one I've heard of here. Think I'll buy some ground pork today just so I can try it...with my new found pastry making skills!


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