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Roasted Pork Leg – Hornado de Chancho

This is my recipe for whole roasted pork leg, also known as hornado de pierna de chancho in Ecuador. This roasted pork leg is prepared by marinating the pork in a sauce of beer (and orange juice/cider), garlic, achiote (annatto), and spices. It is then slow roasted with butter and spices. 

Ecuadorian hornado pork with agrio sauce, hominy, and more

En Español

Hornado is a traditional roasted pork dish in Ecuador and is usually sold at food stands in local markets. Most of these places will roast the whole pig in a large outdoor clay oven.  The traditional method uses a typical drink made from fermented corn called chicha instead of beer, and also uses lard instead of butter. The flavor of chicha is similar to a dry apple cider, so I’ve started using a mix of beer, cider and orange juice for the marinating liquid.

Ecuadorian roasted pork leg recipe

I usually make pork hornado a few times a year, especially for Christmas/New Year. Sometimes I do the whole big 20+ lb pork leg, and more often I use a smaller size pork shoulder or pork butt.  I’ve adapted that recipe for smaller cuts/less marinating/quicker cooking. If you are planning to do the whole leg, you are more likely to find them at a butcher’s shop than at a regular supermarket. I also find them at our local Asian supermarket – and both will order them for you with a week’s notice if needed – especially recommended during the holidays.

Ecuadorian hornado or roasted pork leg with beer and achiote

Ecuadorian hornado can be found at most markets during the entire year, but it’s more traditional to prepare it a home for special occasions or holidays. It is impossible to serve this roasted pork dish by itself. The side dishes are a very important part (and this is true for many Ecuadorian dishes). I can’t imagine eating hornado without tasting the mote (hominy) or curtido or avocado in the same bite.

Hornado de chancho or Ecuadorian roasted pork leg recipe

There are a lot of options for side dishes, and these will vary from one region to another, or from one restaurant to another. The sides also depend on each person’s personal preferences (and the ingredients and time you have available). Since the pork is roasted in beer and butter, it will leave lot of juices in roasting pan. I love to add whole potatoes during the last hours, they turn out delicious and very tender since they cook in the pork sauce.

Roasted pork leg with llapingachos, curtido, and mote corn

This recipe is time-consuming as the pork leg needs to marinate for two-three days. This is the optimal way of preparing it so that all the flavors sink in to the meat, however it is possible to marinate for only a day or a couple of hours. I have another recipe for a quicker version of hornado that can be made with a smaller sized piece of meat and in less time.




Ecuadorian roasted pork leg recipe

Hornado de chancho – Roasted Pork Leg

Whole roasted pork leg or hornado de pierna de chancho, prepared by marinating the pork in a sauce of beer, garlic and spices. Slow roasted with butter and spices.
4.72 from 242 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Andean, Ecuadorian, Latin American, South American
Keyword: Ecuadorian hornado, Roasted pork leg
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Marinating time: 2 days
Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 20 aproximately, depending on serving size and side dishes served

Ingredients

  • ~20 pound pork leg with the bone in
  • Juice of 3 limes
  • 40 garlic cloves about 3 whole heads of garlic – crushed or whole if blending the marinade
  • 1/2 small red onion or shallot – optional
  • 3 tablespoons of ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of ground pepperIngredient Links
  • Optional: 1-2 tablespoons of dry or fresh herbs: oregano, parsley, cilantro, etc
  • 8 cups of beer for marinating + more for baking if the juices dry up can also use corn chicha or a mix of 6 cups beer/apple cider and 2 cups of orange juice for a sweeter tangy variation
  • 4-8 ounces 1-2 sticks of butter or lard
  • 2-3 tablespoons ground achiote or annatto powder replace with 1 tablespoon of paprika powder if you can’t find achiote
  • 8-10 medium sized potatoes peeled and cut in half – optional (small fingerling or baby potatoes are also a good option)

Side dish options (choose your favorites):

Instructions

  • Make sure the pork leg is clean and place it in a large non-reactive roasting pan (make sure it will fit in the fridge as well as the oven). You can also use a large turkey marinating bag to marinate it in.
  • Rub or drizzle the lime juice all over the pork leg,
  • To prepare the “aliño” marinade you can mix the crushed garlic, ground cumin, salt and pepper directly in a bowl. If you want the extra rich red color, you can also add a tablespoon of achiote or annato powder to the mix. An easier option is to blend the whole garlic cloves with the onion/shallot, the spices, and a cup of beer.
  • For extra flavor in the meat itself, make several deep incisions on the meaty parts of pork leg and begin stuffing the incisions with the “aliño” or blended marinade mix. You can also score or cut into the skin, either simple vertical or horizontal lines or a cross hatch patter, if you want it to have that look, or if you prefer you can keep the skin completely intact – either option will work for this roasted pork hornado.
  • Pour the liquids (mix of beer, cider, and/or orange juice) over the pork leg.
  • Let the pork leg marinate and rest for 24-72 hours in the fridge. You can turn the leg around as need (or use the marinating bag to help concentrate the marinade all around the leg).
  • Pre-heat oven to 400F (200C).
  • In the meantime, in a small saucepan, melt a stick of butter on low heat, stir in the 1 tablespoon of the ground achiote and mix well. You can also add a bit of salt if desired (or if using unsalted butter).
  • If using a marinating bag, remove the pork from the bag and place it in – skin side up – a large roasting pan, with the marinating juices. Use paper towels to dry off the skin side up and any part of the skin that isn’t in the liquid.
  • Drizzle and brush the melted achiote butter mix all over the dry pork skin. Keep any remaining butter mix to use to baste the pork skin during baking – and melt the additional stick of butter with achiote as needed.
  • Bake the pork leg – skin side up and uncovered – at 400 F (200C) for about 30 minutes.
  • Lower the oven temperature to 325F and bake for 3 hours. If the pan juices start to dry up, heat additional beer until warm with a bit of the achiote butter and add it to the pan. You can also brush and baste the pork skin directly with the achiote butter mix every hour or as needed. Rotate the baking pan as needed to keep the pork cooking evenly. If the skin starts to brown too much then cover it with foil -without pressing the foil directly on the pork skin.
  • If you have space in the roasting pan and want to cook the potatoes with the pork leg, add them at this time. If the potatoes are large or medium, it’s best to cut them in half to make the sure they will be fully cooked. Another option is to use fingerling or baby potatoes, they take up less space and will cook better.
  • Continue baking the pork leg at 325F for another ~3.5 to 4 hours. The internal temperature of the pork leg should be 145F minimum – and it generally takes 15-20 minutes per pound of pork. If you covered the pork leg with foil remove it during the last 20-30 minutes to allow the skin to get crispy. You can also sprinkle some cold water on the skin and then put the oven on broil for the last 5 minutes (optional).
  • Serve with your choice of side dishes including the potatoes baked with the pork leg, mote or hominy corn, agrio sauce, curtido de cebolla y tomate, avocado slices, lettuce, and aji hot sauce. Other popular side dishes for hornado include rice, boiled yuca or cassava, habas or fava beans, and llapingacho potato patties – you can even make the llapiganchos using the potaoes that were baked with the pork leg.
Roasted pork leg

Suggested side dishes for hornado roasted pork:

Mote frito en salsa de hornado / Hominy sautéed in roasted pork gravy sauce

Curtido de cebolla y tomate / Pickled red onion and tomato salad

Platanos maduros fritos / Fried plantains

Aji criollo / Fresh spicy salsa

Agrio sauce

Llapingachos / Stuffed potato patties

Rice

Yuca

Avocado slices

Lettuce

Step by step preparation photos for Ecuadorian Roasted Pork Leg – Hornado de Chancho

Marinate the pork with garlic cumin mix, if making incisions into the skin, then also fill them with the marinade. You can also leave the skin intact if preferred.
Marinating the pork leg in a bag
Dry the skin with paper towels before baking
Drizzle and rub the achiote (annatto) butter mix over the pork skin
How to make Ecuadorian hornado or roasted pork leg with beer and achiote
Roasting a whole pork leg
You can add potatoes during the last hours and let them cook the pork sauce
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21 Comments

  1. 20 Pounds?

    Maybe it can get scaled down to a pork shoulder of 6 to 8 pounds…
    My biggest problem is the skin… in Gye, they make the skin extra crispy by removing it at some point either before or during cooking and it’s served on top of the “sanduche”

    Thanks for this recipe.

    Hi Xavier – I’ve added a recipe for a smaller piece of pork: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2012/11/08/ecuadorian-hornado-or-slow-roasted-pork/. For the pork skin, it can be done while cooking or at end put in under the broiler (with or without removing it from the meat – though I find that removing it is easier)

  2. HI
    I’VE BEEN MAKING “HORNADO” THE WAY I THOUGHT IT WAS… BUT AFTER READING THIS RECETA, I JUST CAN’T GET OVER ON HOW WRONG I WAS…LOL… SO MUCH WORK THAT GOES INTO MAKING THIS DISH, NO WONDER IT TASTES SO WONDERFUL WHEN YOU EAT IT IN ECUADOR…I’LL MAKE IT THIS WAY NEXT TIME..ONE MORE THING.. I WAS WONDERING IF MAYBE YOU COULD GET YOUR HANDS ON THE RECIPE FOR ALLUYAS… AND ALSO QUESADILLAS, NOT THE MEXICAN KIND… THE KIND THAT YOU EAT WITH ICE CREAM IN QUITO.. THEY ARE SOME KIND OF PASTRY… THANK YOU!… LOVE THE WEBSITE!

  3. Que perfeito!! Meu marido é equatoriano, mais somente sabe comer. Nada de receitas.Neste fim do ano vou fazer o Hornado. Depois conto.
    Feliz 2010!!!!!!

  4. Muchas gracias por la receta, una exelente receta.

    Los Ecuatorianos en el exterior necesitamos estas paginas para poder mantener vivas nuestras costumbres.

    Abrasos

  5. i am so happy i found your web site. my husband is from ecuador and i am facinated with the way his mother cooks. all of these traditional recipies i have seen on her dinner table. iv often had questions about dishes and found the lauguage a challenge to understand the names in english.i hope you always keep this sight as it is amazing and you explain in such detail. god bless.

  6. Hi, Laylita.
    Thank you for all those wonderfull recipes. I just wonder how do you make the pork juice for the pork sandwich ( sanduche de chancho ). I just love that in Guayaquil.

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