Print

Pernil (Roast Pork Shoulder, Puerto Rican-Style)

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 8 to 12 servings 1x

Time at least 5 hours, largely unattended

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 small head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeded (optional)
  • 1 small dried hot red chile, or more to taste (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 2 tablespoons good, quality vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • One 4– to 7-pound bone-in pork shoulder or portion fresh ham, skin-on if you like

Instructions

  1. Put the garlic, onion, bell pepper if you’re using it, chile, oregano,  salt, and pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, add the oil in a stream; stop to scrape down the sides as necessary. Or chop and combine everything on a cutting board and mix with the oil in a small bowl. Blend in the vinegar.
  2. Rub this marinade into the pork well, getting it into every nook and cranny you can find. Put the meat on a rack in a roasting pan and let sit, uncovered, for 1 hour at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, loosely covered. (If refrigerating, take it out an hour before you’re ready to cook.)
  3. Heat the oven to 300°F.  Roast the pork directly in the pan for at least 3 hours, turning it every 30 minutes or so and basting with the pan juices, until it’s well-done to the bone and very tender, and the skin is crisp. This could take up to 5 hours for the largest roasts. The internal temperature should be at least 160°F but no more than 170°F. Let the pork rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it. The meat should be so tender that uniform slices are almost impossible; rather, whack it up into chunks.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition

Recipe variations

Candied Roast Pork Shoulder
Ends up barely sweet with bits of crackled pork caramel” Omit the garlic, onion, bell pepper, chile, oregano, and vinegar. Instead combine ½ cup turbinado sugar with salt, pepper, and oil in a small bowl. Rub this all over the roast. Don’t refrigerate but do let it sit out, uncovered, for an hour to come to room temperature before roasting as directed.