This Cañon de Cerdo is a popular Colombian dish from my hometown of Antioquia. It is usually made for dinner parties, especially during the holidays and trust me, it will be the star of your dinner table!
I used my grandmother’s marinade recipe for this dish. Mamita was always very particular about the marinade she used and the time in which the meat or poultry was marinated. It was important to me to be sure I followed her recipe when it came to the marinade instructions.
Mamita often talked to me about the basics of Colombian cooking, including marinades, and her food was always very tasty. So that’s to Mamita for this one!
Buen provecho!
Ingredients:
5 pounds pork loin roast
6 scallions, diced
1 tablespoon ground achiote
3 teaspoons ground cumin
10 garlic cloves
2 yellow onions, diced
5 cups of beer
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leafs
Directions:
1. Place the scallions, achiote, cumin, onions, garlic and 2 cups of beer and blend until smooth.
2. Add the marinade evenly over the pork and cover.
3. Let the pork marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F, bake for about 3 hours, turning the pork roast over after 1 hour to brown the other side. Baste with the remaining beer and vegetable oil, about 5 times throughout the cooking time.
5. Remove from the oven and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the pork thinly and serve with your favorite side dishes.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Erica that looks wonderful but what is achiote? I don’t know if I can get that in my supermarket so could I substitute something else?
Hi sandy,
Here is the link with the info about achiote. http://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/achiote-oil-aceite-de-achiote
If you don’t find it…use food color or sazón Goya with azafrán.
Thanks Erica…..I do have that Goya with azafran so I will use that. Thanks again and have a great weekend
I like to marinate meat in beer. Pork is one of my favorites – this sounds delicious!
this dish sounds lovely and very flavorful! thank you for sharing this and have a great weekend.
I have noted this for holiday week. Have a few pork roasts waiting… for beer marinade!
Had to tweet this one, Erica. I’ll definitely be trying it!
Thanks to grandma for this wonderful recipe!
Definitely my kind of food! I love the look of this pork loin of yours! Yummy!
With that awesome marinade, I know this must be delicious!
Nice recipe Erica…thanks for sharing it.
Best wishes to you and your family.
This looks so dang succulent and mouthwatering!
We love pork roast and this one looks perfect. Love recipes from the heart, which is usually grandma’s recipes! I have some dried chipotle ready to be ground, and I know they would love to be apart of this fantastic dish!
This looks delicious Erica and would love to try something different for a change. Guess what? I’v had Mama Sita’s Achuete – Achiote Annato Powder for a while now in my spice drawer and hadn’t decided how to use it until now. Happy Holidays.
Delicious, Erica. I never think to use pork over the holidays!
Great recipe. I love my puerquito any way I can get it.
The best to you and your “familia”.
Hola Erica!! El cañón es mi comida preferida!! Había pensado en hacer tu cañón con caramelo para el 24 pero ahora estoy indecisa con esta receta… Tengo una duda con la cebolla: he visto que en algunas recetas usas “green onion” que quiere decir? Es la cebolla larga? Y “escallions” que es? Y aquí que dices “yellow onion” que cebolla es?
Gracias!
P.D: te volviste mi compañera inseparable…cada que voy a cocinar me llevo el iPad para la cocina y veo tu como haces la receta que quiero hacer!
Hola Marce, Green onion or scallion is “Cebolla larga o de rama”
You can use yellow onion or white onion “Cebolla regular o de huevo”
Si tienes más preguntas dejame saber!
Thank you guys!
columbian style suits me just fine–this sounds amazing!
Erica, what kind of beer do you use for marinades?
Info on Colombian beer:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Colombia
Tu receta no menciona que hacer con Los clavos….
Diana, La receta no tiene clavos!
Oh my, this sounds like heaven – 5 c of beer – cannot wait to give it a try.
Erica thank you for the wonderful recipes. I was wondering whether you use a conventional or a dan forced oven for this one? Thanks again:)
Conventional oven.
Thank you! This will be one of my dishes for my veinticuatro.
Erica: my daughter is making this pork dish (as well as natilla and bunuelos) for a Spanish project. Can this be made the night before and brought in in a crock pot? Do you know if the other two items can be made Sunday night for a Monday presentation — i wasn’t sure they would keep.
Sara, Just you can make everything the night before.
The Cañon is good cold too. I prefer eating my buñuelos the same day, but you can try to store them in a cookie container. Cover the natilla and place in the fridge until ready to go!
Thanks! We will be cooking the pork this afternoon. Do we remove the pork from the dish with the all of the marinade and roast in a fresh dish and just periodically baste with the vegetable oil and 3 cups beer? we can’t wait! The girls decided to make the Natilla and a lime aid drink since the bunuellos are best hot and fresh. We can’t thank you enough for your response!
Hi Erica. I am not sure if my reply transmitted, but we were wondering if we roast in a “fresh” dish and just baste with the vegetable oil and beer combo. Also, should the roast be on a shallow rack? Thanks so much!
Discard the marinade and baste with the remaining beer and vegetable oil, about 5 times throughout the cooking time.