Lomo de Orza Manchego

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Mortar and pestle
• •Non-reactive marinating dish or 2-litre food-safe bag
• •Heavy 24cm casserole or deep frying pan
• •Instant-read kitchen thermometer
• •Fine metal sieve
• •Two 1-litre heatproof jars or one snug 2-litre glazed earthenware orza

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the adobo

   Crush the garlic with the salt to a rough paste. Mix in the oregano, pimentón and black pepper, then add the torn bay leaves, wine, vinegar and water. Rub the adobo over every surface of the four loin pieces and place them in a snug non-reactive dish or food-safe bag.

   Use all 18g of salt. Pésalo, no lo adivines, weigh it, don't guess. That is 1.5 percent of the meat's weight, enough to season the thick pieces without making them taste cured.
2. 2

   Marinate overnight

   Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning the pieces once halfway through so the adobo reaches them evenly. Do not leave the loin longer than 24 hours; the vinegar eventually makes the outside soft while the centre remains unchanged.

3. 3

   Dry the loin

   Lift the pork from the adobo and discard the liquid. Scrape away the bay and any large pieces of garlic, leaving the thin red seasoning on the meat. Pat every piece very dry with kitchen paper and leave it on a clean plate for 15 minutes while the cooking fat warms. Wet pork makes the oil spit and carries unwanted water into the orza.

4. 4

   Cook in quiet oil

   Pour the olive oil into a 24cm heavy casserole and heat it to 115°C. If using lard, melt it slowly and bring it to the same temperature. Add two loin pieces and keep the fat between 105 and 115°C. It should tremble and bubble gently, never fry hard. Turn the pieces every 5 minutes and cook until the thickest centre reaches 65°C, about 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer them to a clean tray and repeat with the remaining pork.

   Use a thermometer. Pimentón colours the outside before the middle is ready, so appearance cannot tell you when a thick piece of loin is cooked.

   Do not chase a dark crust. The low temperature is what keeps this lean cut tender enough to eat cold the next day.
5. 5

   Clean the cooking oil

   Strain the warm cooking fat through a fine metal sieve into a clean pan, leaving the browned seasoning and any watery juices behind. Return it to 120°C for about 5 minutes, until the small bubbles caused by moisture have almost stopped. This gives you clean fat for covering the pork, but it does not make the finished dish safe for pantry storage.

6. 6

   Pack the orza

   Divide the pork between two clean, completely dry 1-litre heatproof jars or place it in one snug glazed earthenware orza. Pour over the warm strained fat until the meat is covered by at least 1cm. If 900ml will not cover it, the vessel is too wide; move the pork to a narrower container rather than leaving a piece exposed.

7. 7

   Cool and refrigerate

   Cover the containers loosely and cool them for no more than 30 minutes, then refrigerate. Tighten the lids once everything is cold. Rest the loin beneath the fat for 24 hours before serving, and keep it at 4°C or colder. Eat it within four days of cooking or freeze it in smaller oil-covered portions.

   Olive oil may turn cloudy and lard will set firm and white in the refrigerator. Both are normal. Neither means the meat can be stored at room temperature.
8. 8

   Slice and serve

   Remove only the piece you intend to eat, using a clean fork, and let it stand for 30 minutes so the fat loosens. Slice across the grain about 5mm thick and spoon a little of the seasoned oil over it. Serve at room temperature, or warm the slices very gently in a frying pan with one spoonful of their oil.

Chef Tips

• •Buy centre-cut pork loin with a fine outer cap of fat if you can. Avoid tenderloin, which is smaller and dries before it has time to take on the adobo, and avoid pork labelled as enhanced or injected with brine.
• •If sweet pimentón is unavailable, use 5g good sweet paprika mixed with 1g smoked paprika. The aroma will be less rounded and will fade sooner, but the balance remains right. Do not use a chilli seasoning blend.
• •Rendered pork lard is the sensible budget choice when olive oil is dear. It gives the loin a fuller flavour and a white, firm coating when cold; olive oil stays fruitier and loosens more quickly at room temperature.
• •The covering fat protects the pork from drying out, not from every food-safety risk. Keep it refrigerated, use it within four days of cooking, and never store this home version in a cupboard or cellar.
• •For a full Manchego meal, serve the slices with pisto manchego, boiled potatoes or plain candeal bread. A young Valdepeñas red cuts through the seasoned oil without bullying the pork.

Advance Preparation

• •Put the pork in its adobo 12 to 24 hours before cooking. One overnight rest is enough; longer than a day makes the vinegar soften the surface too far.
• •Cook and pack the loin at least 24 hours before serving. That resting day is when the garlic, oregano and pimentón settle into the meat.
• •For storage beyond four days, freeze individual loin pieces with enough seasoned fat to coat them for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and eat within 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)