The mojo rojo sauce can be made in advance, so you only need to cook the presa ibérica and serve.
📕 Recipe here
🔪 Ingredients
500g presa ibérica
3 garlic cloves
8 sprigs of thyme
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
For the mojo rojo sauce:
2 red peppers, cut into halves lengthways, core and seeds removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Half red chilli, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon of sea salt flakes, plus extra to season the presa
100ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for cooking
2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
🔥 Method
Pre-heat your grill.
To make the mojo rojo sauce, place the red pepper halves on a tray, drizzle with olive oil and place under a hot grill until the peppers are nicely charred and black all around. Place the peppers in a bowl, cover with cling film and allow to stand for 5 minutes. The traditional way of making mojo rojo is with a pestle and mortar. Start by grinding the chopped garlic, salt and chilli until you get a soft paste. Add the smoked paprika and ground cumin and mix well. Peel the roasted peppers and add the flesh to the paste and grind until the paste is well blended. Add the sherry vinegar and while you stir the sauce add the olive oil on a steady stream until the sauce absorbs all the oil. If the sauce is too thick, just add a touch of water to thin it down. It should have the consistency of a pesto sauce.
To cook the presa ibérica, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium sized frying pan and fry the presa for about 4.5 minutes on each side. You might need to turn it on its side if the piece is too thick, presa should be served medium rare. Add the garlic cloves, thyme and butter on the last 3 minutes of cooking to baste and flavour the pork. Allow the pork piece to rest for 2 minutes on a wooden board before slicing.
To serve the dish, spoon the sauce on a warm plate, slice the presa into thick slices and place them on top of the sauce. Season the presa slices with salt flakes and serve.