Cochito Horneado Chiapaneco

Ingredients

• 1.6 kg pork shoulder on the bone, skin on
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 5 dried ancho chillies
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 8 allspice berries
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 small handful flat-leaf parsley
• 220 ml white vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 300 g coarse sea salt, for the tray
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 white cabbage or 1 lettuce, finely shredded
• 24 corn tortillas, to serve

Before you cook

• Stem and seed the ancho chillies.
• Score the pork skin in a diamond pattern, cutting through the fat but not into the meat.
• Rub the fine salt all over the pork and down into the cuts.
• Toss the sliced red onion with 100 ml of the vinegar, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of the oregano, then leave it to soften.
• Shred the cabbage finely.

Steps

1. Toast the ancho chillies in a dry pan over medium heat for 30 seconds a side, until they soften and smell of raisins.
2. Cover the chillies with boiling water and soak them for 20 minutes.
3. Toast the allspice, peppercorns and cumin in the same pan for 40 seconds, until fragrant.
4. Drain the chillies and blend them with the garlic, toasted spices, remaining oregano, thyme, parsley, the remaining 120 ml vinegar and the oil into a thick, spreadable adobo.
5. Heat the oven to 150C fan.
6. Spread the coarse sea salt in an even bed across a deep roasting tin.
7. Lay two bay leaves on the salt and set the pork on top, skin side down.
8. Cover the tin tightly with foil and roast for 2 hours.
9. Take off the foil, turn the pork skin side up and brush half the adobo over the meat.
10. Tuck the last bay leaf alongside and pour 200 ml water into the corner of the tin.
11. Roast uncovered for 45 minutes, basting with the pan juices every 15 minutes.
12. Raise the oven to 200C fan and roast for a final 15 minutes, until the skin is blistered and lacquered.
13. Lift the pork onto a board and rest it for 20 minutes.
14. Whisk the remaining adobo into the pan juices and warm it through on the hob to make the recado.
15. Pull the pork into rough chunks with two forks, leaving a piece of crisp skin on each one.
16. Serve with the warm recado spooned over, shredded cabbage, pickled onion and hot tortillas.