Milk Braised Pork Loin, or “Lomo de chancho en leche,” is known in Chile. It was introduced by British or Italian immigrants who arrived in the port of Valparaiso. Over the years, the spices used in the marinade were changed to adapt to the local taste. Today, it includes merquén and oregano.
The merquén is a blend of spices or Mapuche seasoning. The Mapuche are one of the indigenous cultures of southern Chile. Famous warriors, they never submitted to the Spanish conquistador. Merquén includes coriander seeds, smoked chiles, and salt. The merquén is available in the USA at Savory Spice Shop.
You can marinate the loin for 1 hour or overnight if desired. If you do not like the lemon flavor in the meat, you can replace the lemon with water or reduce the amount by half. You can serve the braised loin with or without the milk sauce. The result is a juicy and tasty roasted pork. You are going to love it.
Serve with rice or mashed potatoes. A roast pork loin is our usual Thanksgiving meat because I dislike turkey. This recipe is always a hit.
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Lomo de Chancho en Leche Milk Braised Pork Loin
A classic Christmas recipe in Chile.
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4–5 pounds of boneless pork loin
- 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon Merquén
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher salt)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- pepper to taste
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Place the pork in a roasting pan that can go in the oven. Dress with the juice of 2 lemons, salt, Merquén, oregano, and pepper.
- Turn and season the same way. Marinate for 1 hour, and refrigerate.
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C. In a jar, place 1/4 cup of milk and dissolve the cornstarch. Add the remaining milk and make sure the cornstarch is well dissolved.
- Pour the milk over the pork and put it in the oven.
- Roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Every 30 minutes, remove, stir the sauce and bathe the meat with the milk sauce.
- The meat should reach an internal temperature of 145F or 63C.
- Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with the sauce if you want. The sauce should be light, not thick.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Meat
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Chilean
This recipe, Milk Braised Pork Loin, is sponsored by the National Pork Board.
I just learned about merquen this week and went into Savory Spice shop here in Portland to buy some of their Mapuche spice mix. Was looking for a recipe to try it out and this one looks perfect. Thanks for sharing it!
I hope you enjoy it!
Does this need to be covered when roasting? Also, thank you for your wonderful Chilean recipes! I am an American living in La Serena, and I am learning Spanish. Your website has been a wonderful resource for me as I learn about local cuisine, and adapt my cooking accordingly! Besos de La Serena! Bridget
No, it doesn’t. I’m so happy you are interested on learning about our cuisine. Have fun!