One of our favorite meals when visiting the ancient city of Segovia is cochinillo. There you can order suckling pig roasted in wood-fired ovens until the golden skin is crisp and the pork is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It is so tender, the server often cuts the cochinillo with a plate.

Now you can serve a shoulder of Ibérico cochinillo at home! Not only is this pork shoulder unbelievably tender, it comes from 100% noble Spanish Ibérico breed, beloved for its mouthwateringly flavorful pork. The pigs are raised on a ranch in Texas with no hormones or antibiotics and are 100% milk fed.

The cochinillo shoulder will arrive frozen and uncooked with its front leg. It is fully cleaned and ready to cook. Before roasting, be sure to slowly thaw the cochinillo in the refrigerator over a day or two. Serves 2 people, or 1 person with a bigger appetite.

Recipe: Cochinillo Asado by Chef José Andrés
(Note that this recipe is modified for a shoulder piece.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cochinillo Ibérico shoulder
• Salt to taste
• 1 liter water
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
2. Make sure the cochinillo is fully defrosted and dry.
3. Pour about one liter of water into the bottom of a large oval cazuela dish.
4. Place the cochinillo shoulder skin side down in the cazuela. Cazuelas for roasting cochinillo have ridges to hold the pig above the liquid. If necessary, lay wooden spoons in the bottom of your pan to make sure the skin doesn’t touch the water. (A deep metal roasting pan may be used instead.)
5. Place in the preheated 350°F oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
6. Remove the cazuela from oven and carefully flip the shoulder over so it is skin side up. Brush the skin with extra virgin olive oil. (La Tienda note: at this point, we have seen chefs prick the skin 5 or 6 times with a skewer to help the skin separate and get crisp.)
7. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
8. Place back in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes.
9. Your cochinillo will be done when the skin is crisp and golden brown.