Roast Leg of Pork
For the rub:
10-15 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 Tbs dried sage
2 Tbs dried rosemary
3 Tbs salt
2 Tbs freshly ground pepper
A 15-20 lb whole leg of pork, with or without
the bone, with or without the skin
Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl. If you
remove the skin, trim away the excess fat. If you leave the skin
on, puncture it all over - literally hundreds of times - with the tip
of a knife or skewer and then make gashes through the skin in
a criss-cross manner with a sharp knife. Rub the spice mixture
over any exposed meat, including in the gashes, but not on the
skin. If you had the bone removed, rub the mixture over the meat
on the inside.
Place the roast skin side (or fat side) up in a
roasting pan and bake in a preheated 450F oven for 20
minutes. Lower the heat to 325F cook for about 3 hours
before you begin checking the temperature with an instant-read
thermometer. Do not baste the roast. Remove the roast from the
oven when the temperature in the thickest part of the leg reaches
145F - the temperature will continue to rise after you remove
it.
Total cooking time will probably be about 4 1/2 hours. Cover
the roast loosely with foil and let rest for at least 45 minutes, or
up to 1 1/2 hours. To serve, remove the skin if you cooked it and
cut into small pieces. Carve the roast into thick slices and serve
with pan gravy if desired.
Serves 12 to 18.