An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace

by Tamar Adler

Meat brine 1/4 cup salt 1/2 tablespoon sugar water 2 bay leaves 2 whole dried chiles 1 teaspoon juniper berries 4 sprigs thyme 1 teaspoon peppercorns Combine the salt and sugar over low heat with 1/4 cup water. As soon as the salt and sugar have dissolved, take it off the heat. In the container in which you’re going to brine the pork leg roast, combine everything with a few ice cubes. Mix it all well. Once it is cool, add the meat and water to cover. Brine, before meat is added, stays good forever. Pork roast Brine a three-pound pork leg roast overnight in the refrigerator. Cover the meat with a plate that fits inside the container and weigh it down so that it doesn’t float. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the pork from the brine and pat it dry. Heat a cast-iron pan or a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Brown each side of the meat over medium-high heat. Let each side turn caramel brown. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Once the pork is browned, put the pan or pot directly in the oven. Cook the meat, untouched, until it’s medium-rare. In an oven, this will take about 20 minutes per pound. Pork will need an internal temperature of 165 degrees when you pull it out of the oven, and will go on cooking once you remove it. Err on the side of undercooking the meat. Check it with a meat thermometer at its thickest part until you get good at telling doneness by pressing on the meat. Remove the meat from the pan and let it sit on a cutting boar...