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Sanduíche de pernil (São Paulo roast pork roll)

Sanduíche de pernil: garlicky slow-roast pork leg sliced into a crusty roll with tomato vinaigrette

This is pork in its most loved São Paulo form: a leg marinated in garlic, lime and paprika, roasted until it falls into slices, and stuffed into a crusty pão francês. It is what fans eat outside the Pacaembu and Morumbi stadiums before a match, and the all-night bar on the Viaduto Nove de Julho has fed it to taxi drivers and night owls for decades. The meat is juicy and tangy, cut with a fresh tomato and onion vinaigrette. Chef's tip: slice the pork thin and drop it back into the roasting juices before filling the rolls; it should drip a little.
Total time
240 min
Difficulty
hard
Serves
10
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Ingredients

Serves10

For the pork

For the vinaigrette

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (5)

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Method

0/7 done
  1. Step 1: Blend 8 garlic cloves, 1 onion, 4 tbsp lime juice, 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp ground black pepper and 2 tsp salt to a paste.

    5 min
  2. Step 2: Score 4 ⅜ lb boneless pork leg, skin removed all over, rub in the paste and tuck in 2 bay leaves. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight (12–24 hours), never at room temperature.

    15 min
  3. Step 3: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Put the pork in a roasting tin with 200 ml water, cover tightly with foil and roast for 3 hours, basting every hour, until very tender. It must reach at least 145°F in the centre; for slices this soft it will be well above that.

    180 min
  4. Step 4: Uncover, raise the oven to 400°F and roast for 20 minutes more, until browned.

    20 min
  5. Step 5: Rest the pork for 20 minutes. Common mistake: slicing it straight away; the juices run out and the meat dries. Slice thinly across the grain and return the slices to the tin juices.

    20 min
  6. Step 6: Meanwhile, mix 3 tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 green pepper, ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsley, 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp salt.

    10 min
  7. Step 7: Split 10 crusty French-style rolls, pile in the juicy pork and top with a spoon of vinaigrette. Serve hot.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
520 kcal
Protein
45 g
Carbs
38 g
Fat
20 g
Fibre
3 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does sanduíche de pernil (São Paulo roast pork roll) take?
About 240 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 210 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
What can I use instead of onion?
2 shallots per onion.

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