Roast Pork (Pernil) Puerto Rican Style

Submitted by Elizabeth Silva

"tasty roast pork, Puerto Rican style, Marine overnight. This is every Puerto Rican party dish. If there is no pernil in the party there is no party, especially the hard skin!! That is to die for. When I was a little girl and woke up to the smell of the pernil, I knew something special was happening that day."

 

• Ready In: 4hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 8 -10 lbs pork shoulder
• 1⁄2 cup corn oil
• 1⁄4 cup white vinegar
• 10 garlic cloves (or you may use garlic powder, but fresh is best)
• 3 (1 ounce) packages sazon goya
• adobo seasoning, goya to your taste
• 4 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano

directions

1. The night before peel garlic and with a Pilón mash it to a past then combine all the ingredients and whisk then set it aside.
2. Rinse pork in warm water and stab 1 inch slits in the pork (the more stabs the more taste). Place it in the roasting pan skin side down rub the seasoning to the pork and also insert some in the slits. Cover and refrigerate.
3. This takes about 4 to 5 hours to cook depending in size and your oven so you must time yourself on the time you want it done. We normally start this the next morning (8 am the latest) to get it out the way and cook other dishes.
4. For the first 2 hours set oven at 275°F and cook covered. After 2 hours turn pork over and set oven at 350°F continue cooking for 2+ more hours uncovered,.
5. TIP: Check every ½ to 1 hour and poke with roasting fork. You will feel the difference as the pernil cooks.
6. Before serving make sure your juices are clear and the skin is nice and hard.

Reviews

[DbKnadler]

I thought this was delicious. I made it along with a turkey for our large family gathering at Thanksgiving. Of course the turkey got eaten and this sat by the wayside since alot of our extended family is afraid to try new things. But no matter, I had lots of left overs for myself to enjoy! I would probably try to inject some of the seasoning next time to add even more flavor!

 

[MakeDollarHoller]

Que rico y sabroso! I had never had pernil before; I just saw Arron Sanchez eating it on Food Network and had to try it. This is an excellent recipe. I followed the recipe exactly, and it wasn't too salty. I did let the pork marinate for 24 hours. The pork rind (chicharrones) was a fantastic benefit. I got the pork for 99 cents a pound and fed everyone for $8. I'll be making this again. No wonder the Puerto Ricans love this!

 

[hunterhall_29]

I made this recipe with a few changes. I omitted the corn oil because this cut of pork has more than enough fat and oil. I also swapped out the vinegar for the juice of 1 fresh lime. I marinaded it almost 2 days but before i put it in the oven I injected the marinade into the pork. I cooked it as directed and WOW!!! was this ever a tasty piece of pork. Don't think I will ever do it any other way. Btw...I only used 2 packets of Sazon. Combined with the Adobo, I thought it was salty enough for our tastes. Great recipe as is though. Definetely a must try.

 

[threeovens]

Foolproof recipe for making a flavorful and moist pernil. The meat separated readily from the bone and the skin came out crisp and chewy. This cut of meat does produce a lot of fat, so it needs to be separated if you are to use the meat's juice for gravy. Thanks for posting; would like to see more of your recipes, though.

 

[Rose A.]

This is the best pernil I ever ate. I still can't believe I made it. My family loved it.