Pork Marinade Recipe

Just a few of the dishes on offer during tonight’s “birthday” dinner: roast pork, stuffing, baked beans, and cole slaw. (Note: Ordinarily we use china plates and stainless steel utensils, but tonight we used disposables to give the mess crew a break.

Just a few of the dishes on offer during tonight’s “birthday” dinner: roast pork, stuffing, baked beans, and cole slaw. Click image for larger view. Credit: Helen Gibbons, USGS/ECS Project

Courtesy of:
Pablo Clemente-Colón
(Amounts adjusted for an 80-lb pig)

1 quart olive oil
½ quart white vinegar
1 1/2 cups mashed garlic cloves (about 100 cloves)
3/4 cup salt
3/4 cup black pepper
1 cup oregano leaves, fresh if available
2 tablespoons lime juice

Mash the garlic cloves, then mix with the other ingredients. Apply the marinade to the pig: Using a knife, pierce through the skin and into the meat, as deep as 1 inch, and twist the knife to make a hole. Use this technique to make holes all over the pig, spaced a few inches apart. Push the marinade mixture into all the holes and cover the pig inside and out with the rest of the marinade. Place the pig in a large plastic bag (a Hefty bag, for example), and refrigerate for up to three days. When ready to roast the pig, transfer some of the marinade from the bag into a pitcher and add more olive oil to make a sauce for basting. Enjoy!