Cochinillo Asado
Segovia's roast suckling pig, traditionally basted only with its own fat and water in a wood-fired oven until the skin turns to crackling. The city's famous tableside tradition — carving the tender meat with the edge of a plate, then smashing the plate on the floor — was popularized in the 1930s by innkeeper Cándido Rodríguez López as a showmanship demonstration of the meat's tenderness, and it became more famous than Segovia's roast lamb. This version adapts the technique to a home-friendly cut of pork.
Meat
Ingredients
- 1.5–2 kg pork belly, skin scored
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 100g lard or olive oil
- 200ml water
- Coarse salt, black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Steps
- Score the skin in a diamond pattern; rub garlic and salt into the meat side, leaving the skin plain.
- Place the meat skin-side up on a rack in a roasting pan; pour water into the pan bottom.
- Roast low at 150°C (300°F) for 1.5–2 hours, basting occasionally with pan juices, until very tender.
- Increase the oven to 220–230°C (450°F) for a final 20–30 minutes until the skin blisters and turns deep golden and crackling-crisp.
- Rest 10 minutes before carving. In Segovia, whole roast suckling pig is ceremonially cut tableside with the edge of a plate to demonstrate tenderness.