To Boil a Leg of Pork
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Salt the leg of pork eight to ten days in advance.
When ready to cook, weigh the pork and soak it in cold water for 30 minutes.
Boil
Boil the pork for 15 minutes per pound, plus an additional 30 minutes.
Skim the water as soon as it starts boiling and continue to skim frequently.
Reserve some of the boiling water to make pea soup.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Leg of pork
- The main cut, whose connective tissue softens into tender meat during long, gentle boiling.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the meat through and, over several days, changes its texture and moisture.
The step that matters
Skim the water as soon as it starts boiling. Foam made of proteins and impurities rises to the surface as the water heats. If it is left in the pot, it can cloud the broth and give the meat an off flavour, so removing it early and often keeps both clear and clean-tasting.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.