6 recipes using pork — Ajiaco, bandeja paisa, arepas — hearty and vibrant Andean cooking.
These 6 colombian pork recipes are ready in about 279 minutes on average, with 480–1280 kcal per serving, and 0% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
Colombian cuisine — Ajiaco, bandeja paisa, arepas — hearty and vibrant Andean cooking — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Colombian cooks work with pork, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are frying, grilling, simmering and boiling.
A mild, sweet meat that spans quick chops and bacon to long-cooked shoulder and ribs. In this collection it's most often cooked with ground cumin, eggs, onion, garlic, ground beef and dried red kidney beans. The dishes here span colombian classics ready in as little as 120 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Bandeja Paisa is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 2,640 ratings.
Colombia's most legendary meal — a monumental platter from the Antioquia region featuring red beans, chicharrón, minced beef, chorizo, fried egg, sweet plantain, avocado, hogao sauce and rice.
Colombia's legendary platter from the Paisa region — a mountainous spread of beans, rice, ground beef, chicharrón, fried egg, chorizo, avocado, and plantain.
Colombia's iconic slow-roasted stuffed whole pig, packed with rice, peas, and spices — the king of festive cooking.
Colombia's legendary platter — red beans with pork, white rice, ground beef, chicharrón, fried egg, sweet plantain, avocado and arepa.
Colombian whole roasted pig stuffed with rice, peas and spiced pork — the ultimate celebration centrepiece from Tolima.
Colombian platter with beans, rice, beef, chicharrón, eggs, plantain, avocado — Antioquia's mountain feast.
Look for pink-red, firm flesh with a little marbling. Loin and tenderloin are lean and fast; shoulder (Boston butt) and belly are fatty and made for slow cooking.
A brine keeps lean cuts juicy. Render fatty cuts low and slow to turn the collagen silky; sear first for a flavourful crust.
Modern pork is safe at 63°C / 145°F with a short rest, leaving the centre faintly pink and juicy; shoulder and ribs go to ~90°C+ for pull-apart tenderness.
A good source of protein, thiamine and B vitamins; choose loin cuts to keep saturated fat lower.
Most of these 6 Colombian pork recipes are ready in around 279 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Bandeja Paisa, takes about 120 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 720 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 480 to 1280 kcal per serving, averaging 920 kcal — Lechona is the lightest option at 480 kcal.
Bandeja Paisa is a great place to start — it's rated hard and comes together in about 120 minutes. 0% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, pork is most often paired with ground cumin, eggs, onion, garlic, ground beef and dried red kidney beans. Colombian kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.
Modern pork is safe at 63°C / 145°F with a short rest, leaving the centre faintly pink and juicy; shoulder and ribs go to ~90°C+ for pull-apart tenderness.