Pernil Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Roasted Pork Shoulder)
Puerto Rican pernil is the star of the show at the dinner table, especially during the holiday season. This pork shoulder is seasoned and marinated in a glorious blend of herbs and spices and roasted to perfection until it's juicy and tender.
Equipment
- 3 roasting pans one for the pernil, one for the skin, and one for shredding the meat once cooked
- 1 Serving platter see notes for links
Ingredients
- 10-14 lbs pernil, pork shoulder bone-in, skin-on
- 1/4 taza white vinegar can sub with lime juice or do half vinegar, half lime juice
- 1/4 taza olive oil
- 1/4 taza sofrito
- 2 heads garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp adobo
- 2 tbsp sazón con achiote 3 packets Goya sazón
- 2 tbsp bouillon Better than Bouillon
- 1/2 tbsp cebolla en polvo
- 1/2 tbsp ajo en polvo
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tbsp sal or to taste
- 1 tsp pimienta negra
- 3 limes for washing and garnish
- 1/2 taza broth for pernil pan
Instructions
Clean the pernil
- Use a sharp boning knife to slice the skin off of the pernil. Carefully cut between the fat and the meat until the skin is completely off.
- Place the pernil and skin in the kitchen sink or in a large bowl. Wash it with cold water, white vinegar, and lime juice. Rub the vinegar and lime juice mixture all over the meat and skin. Rinse thoroughly with cold water.
- Pro Tip: Inspect the skin for any hair. Use a razor to shave off any hair and rinse thoroughly.
Marinate the pernil
- Place the pernil in a roasting pan. Poke holes all over the pernil using a criss-cross method.
- In a bowl, combine the crushed garlic, sofrito, oil, vinegar, adobo, sazón, bouillon, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper to create a thick marinade. You can add lime juice in place of the vinegar, if desired.
- Use about 1/2 of the marinade to season the entire top portion of the pernil. Rub the seasoning all over the flesh and press it into each hole to ensure every inch is coated in the marinade.
- Flip the pernil over and rub the bottom side with another 1/2 of the marinade. Repeat the same process.
- Place the skin in a separate roasting pan and pat it dry with a paper towel. Season the skin with salt. Massage all over the top and bottom of the skin.
- Cover the roasting pans with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
- Place the pernil and skin in the refrigerator for at least 2 days.
Roast the pernil
- Precaliente el horno a 350 grados F.
- Remove the pernil and skin from the refrigerator. Use a paper towel to dry off any moisture on the skin.
- Allow the pernil and skin to sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes before placing in the oven. A cold pernil will take longer to begin roasting.
- Add about 1/2 cup of warm broth to the pan with the pernil in it. This will help get the juices going and keep the pernil moist.
- Add a light sprinkle of salt over the pernil. Pork shoulder sweats out a lot of salt so we want to add a little more before it goes in the oven.
- Cover the roasting pan with the pernil in it with aluminum foil. Do not cover the roasting pan with the skin in it.
- Place the pernil and the skin in the oven. The two roasting pans should be side by side.
- The skin should cook for about 2 hours. Cook the pernil for about 6 hours.
- After 2 hours, check the skin to see if it's crispy. If so, remove from the oven. If not, pat it dry with a paper towel and continue cooking until it's crispy. Check on it every 5-10 minutes, to make sure it doesn't burn. You can rotate the pan and also brush the top with its drippings to help crisp it up. Once removed from the oven, it will continue to crisp as it cools.
- Once you have removed the skin from the oven, continue cooking the pernil until it is fully cooked through, about 5 1/2 to 6 hours of cooking time depending on its size. 30-60 minutes before cooking time ends, remove the foil from the pan, baste the pernil, and continue cooking the pernil uncovered to allow it to brown. Check on it every 10 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.
- Remove the pernil from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes in order to allow the internal juices to settle and lock in the moisture.
- Then, place the pernil in a clean pan and shred the meat from the bone. Use a ladle to pour some of the drippings over the meat to keep it most and add flavor. (If there is a lot of grease in the drippings, use a large kitchen spoon to skim off some of the excess grease.)
- Serve with your favorite sides, like arroz con gandules, ensalada de papa, and guineos en escabeche. Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!
Video
Notes
Tips for cooking pernil:
- Most people trim the skin off of the pork, leaving it attached to one side, like a flap. My mother always removes the skin completely, and cooks it separately from the pork shoulder. She says this makes the skin more crispy and eliminates the excess (unnecessary) grease from saturating the meat. The meat itself will release a lot of fat as it cooks, so the excess fat from the skin isn't necessary to make the meat moist.
- Pork shoulder tends to sweat out salt so you have to add enough salt to not end up with bland meat. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of salt for every pound of the pork shoulder's weight. Example: an 8 pound pernil requires about 4 tablespoons of salt. (In my case, I use adobo and bouillon as salt). With that being said, be careful not to oversalt the pork. Remember, it's easier to fix bland meat, than salty meat.
- As a rule of thumb, roast your pernil at 350°F for about 35 minutes per pound. An 8 pound pernil will take about 5 hours to cook, and a 10 pound pernil will take about 6 hours to cook.
- Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and cook the pernil for about 5 hours, covered. Then remove the foil, baste the pernil with its juices and cook it uncovered for another 30-60 minutes to allow it to brown. Check on it every 10 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.
- Season the skin with salt only for the crispiest chicharrón. Cook the skin in a separate pan for 2 hours, uncovered. It will cook right next to the pernil in the oven, at the same temperature. After 2 hours, check on it every 5-10 minutes until it's crispy. You can rotate it for more even cooking. Be careful to not let it burn.