Oven-roasted Bísaro Pork Presa with Chestnuts

In October and November, our pigs go to the chestnut groves to eat fallen chestnuts. This is part of the diet that gives Bísaro pork its marbling and flavour. In this recipe, meat and chestnuts meet again, this time in the oven dish.

The "presa" is a noble cut from the shoulder, wide and marbled. It roasts quickly and should be served pink, like a good steak. It's a Sunday roast that doesn't take all morning.

Serves: 4 to 6 people

Time: 20 minutes prep, 35 minutes oven, 10 minutes resting

Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

•   800 g to 1 kg Bísaro pork presa

•   500 g peeled chestnuts (fresh or frozen)

•   300 g small onions, peeled and whole

•   3 cloves garlic, crushed

•   1 sprig rosemary

•   100 ml white wine

•   Olive oil, coarse salt, and black pepper

•   1 teaspoon honey (optional, for the onions)

Preparation

1.   Remove the presa from the fridge 30 minutes beforehand. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC. If using fresh chestnuts, pre-cook them for 15 minutes in salted water.

2.   Season the presa with salt, pepper, and crushed garlic. In a very hot frying pan, sear the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms.

3.   In a baking dish, mix the chestnuts and onions with olive oil, rosemary, and honey. Place the presa on top and pour over the white wine and the pan juices.

4.   Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. The perfect point is a pink interior, 62 to 65 ºC on a meat thermometer.

5.   Let the presa rest for 10 minutes, covered with aluminum foil, before slicing. The chestnuts can return to the oven in the meantime to brown further.

6.   Slice against the grain and serve over the chestnuts and onions, drizzled with the pan juices.

Bísaro Tips

•   A meat thermometer is the best 10-euro investment for your kitchen. The presa benefits from being cooked pink: well-done, it loses its distinctive qualities.

•   Outside chestnut season, frozen ones work very well. Drain them thoroughly before adding them to the baking dish.

•   Leftovers? Thin slices of cold presa in a rye bread sandwich the next day, with a drizzle of olive oil.

Buy Bísaro Pork Presa from our shop, with nationwide delivery. → Fresh Bísaro Pork