Salpicão de Vinhais is one of the great cured meats of Trás-os-Montes, a whole pork loin marinated in wine and garlic, stuffed into casing, then smoked slowly over oak for weeks in a village smokehouse until it’s firm enough to shave paper-thin.

Real salpicão de Vinhais is cured and smoked for weeks in a smokehouse, which few home cooks have. This is an honest, weeknight-friendly adaptation: the same red wine and garlic marinade, a light smoke if you have the setup for it, and a slow roast that gets you most of the way to that smoky, garlicky flavor without weeks of waiting. Serve it on a board next to alheira de Mirandela (recipe on the site).

Pork tenderloin cooked to 145°F and rested for 3 minutes is safe to eat even if it still looks slightly pink in the center; use a thermometer rather than judging by color.

Salpicão de Vinhais Recipe

What you need

Ingredients

For the marinade:
1 cup dry red wine
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
For the pork:
1 whole pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed
For finishing:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, for dusting

Cook along

Instructions

Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
Place the tenderloin in a resealable bag or shallow dish, pour the marinade over, and turn to coat. Refrigerate covered 48 hours (up to 3 days), turning once a day.
Remove the pork from the marinade, pat dry, and discard the marinade.
Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Rub the tenderloin lightly with olive oil.
If you own a stovetop smoker or a grill set up for indirect smoking, smoke the pork over oak or hickory chips at low heat for about 45 minutes to build a smoky bark, then transfer to the oven to finish.
Roast until an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F (63°C) at the thickest point, 35 to 40 minutes if not pre-smoked.
Rest 10 minutes, dust with extra smoked paprika, and slice thin.
Serve as part of a Portuguese charcuterie board alongside cheese, olives, and crusty bread.