Pernil Recipes

BEST PERNIL EVER

Steps:

• Crush garlic into small pieces in a mortar and pestle. Add olive oil, salt, oregano, and black pepper; mash into a paste.
• Make 12 deep incisions a few inches apart in the roast using a sharp knife. Pack the seasoned garlic paste evenly into the incisions and over the roast.
• Transfer roast to a large bowl. Pour in red wine, covering roast completely. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator, 24 hours.
• Pour out red wine. Place roast fat-side up in a roasting pan; cover with aluminum foil. Let sit at room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place roast in the preheated oven; reduce temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake until slightly pink in the center, about 4 hours.
• Increase temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Uncover roast and continue baking until fat is crispy and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), about 1 hour more.
• Remove from oven and let rest before carving, 20 to 30 minutes.

PERNIL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Score meat's skin with a sharp knife, making a cross-hatch pattern. Pulse garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili, salt and pepper together in a food processor, adding oil in a drizzle and scraping down sides as necessary, until mixture is pasty. (Alternatively, mash ingredients in a mortar and pestle.) Blend in the vinegar.
• Rub this mixture well into pork, getting it into every nook and cranny. Put pork in a roasting pan and film bottom with water. Roast pork for several hours (a 4-pound shoulder may be done in 3 hours), turning every hour or so and adding more water as necessary, until meat is very tender. Finish roasting with the skin side up until crisp, raising heat at end of cooking if necessary.
• Let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it up; meat should be so tender that cutting it into uniform slices is almost impossible; rather, whack it up into chunks. Serve with lime.

PERNIL

Steps:

• Score the fat on the pork shoulder in a criss-cross hatch fashion. Then, cut deeply once in each direction across the pork, like you are going to cut it into four quarters, but then leave them attached at the bottom. Use a sharp knife to make about 20 slits, about 1 inch deep, all over the meat. Place the meat in a 13 x 9 baking pan, or another shallow baking pan large enough to comfortably hold the meat with some space around it.
• Combine the oil, garlic, fresh and dried oregano, Adobo, paprika, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the meat, working it all over the surface and into the slits. Cover the pork with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Bring the pork to room temperature, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300F°. Bake the pork, covered for 3 hours, then remove the foil and bake for another 3 to 4 hours at the same temperature, until the pork is fall-apart tender. The internal temperature should be at least 165°, but it may be higher, which is fine - it's most important that the meat is super tender. If you would like a crustier exterior, turn the heat to 375°F and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the outside of the pork has a nice browned crust.
• Let the pernil sit for at least 20 minutes, then use your fingers (if it's not too hot; some people like to wear kitchen gloves to protect their fingers from the heat), or two forks to pull the meat into chunks. Sprinkle the meat with the lemon and orange juice, season with additional salt and pepper, and serve hot or warm.

DADDY EDDIE'S ROAST PORK (PERNIL), PUERTO RICAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper in a mortar and pestle; mash into a paste.
• Make deep slits into the pork with a small knife. Stuff slits with the paste; rub any remaining paste over the pork.
• Place pork in a plastic roasting bag and put in a roasting pan with a rack. Let marinate in the refrigerator, 8 to 48 hours.
• Take pork out of the refrigerator, uncover, and bring to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Roast pork skin-side down in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 2 hours. Flip pork and continue roasting, skin-side up, until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), 2 to 4 hours more.

SPANISH ROASTED PORK (PERNIL)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Rub pork shoulder all over with lime.
• Mash garlic into paste in a mortar and pestle or pilon. Transfer to a bowl; mix in salt, 1 tablespoon oil, oregano, black pepper, adobo seasoning, and vinegar.
• Lift skin off the pork to 1-inch from the narrow part of the bone. Make 3/4-inch slits all over the pork with a sharp knife. Stuff seasoned garlic paste into the slits. Pull skin back over to cover the pork.
• Mix remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and sazon seasoning together in a small bowl. Rub over the skin of the pork.
• Transfer pork to a large roasting pan. Pour in beer. Cover with aluminum foil, sealing well.
• Roast in the preheated oven until slightly pink in the center, about 3 hours.
• Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Uncover pork and continue roasting until skin is golden brown and crispy, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before carving.

PERNIL

Steps:

• Whisk together the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika, white pepper and salt in a medium bowl.
• Place the pork shoulder skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and rub with oil until evenly coated. Flip the pork so it is skin-side down and apply half of the spice mixture to the meat, sides and skin, massaging to make sure it is completely seasoned. Flip the pork so it is skin-side up again and with a long sharp knife, make a cut under the skin between the fat and the meat, avoiding cutting into the meat. This will create a pocket between the skin and the meat.
• Combine the remaining spice mixture with enough oil to create a paste. Using your fingers, season the inside of the pocket with the paste, avoiding the skin. Coat the bottom and sides of the pork with the paste, patting it in as needed and continuing to avoid the skin. Transfer the pork skin-side down to a large deep pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 day.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before roasting and bring to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Transfer the pork skin-side down to a large roasting pan and roast until deep golden brown, about 2 hours. Flip the pork and continue roasting skin-side up until the meat shreds easily with a fork and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the pork registers at least 165 degrees F, up to 3 hours more.
• Allow the pork to rest in its juices, uncovered, for 1 hour.
• Pull the pork into chunks with a fork and serve.

PUERTO RICAN STYLE PERNIL (ROAST PORK)

Steps:

• In a bowl mix garlic, salt and oregano.
• With a sharp knife make deep cuts in to the pork only on meat side,and stuff the garlic mixture into the slits.
• The more cuts the better the flavor.
• Sprinkle the other seasoning the Adobo and the Sazon all over the outside.
• Then rub the seasonings in making sure the entire surface is covered.
• Roast the Pork in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 4-6 hours uncovered in a pan with a rack.
• Roast the pork skin side down for the first 2 hours and then turn skin side up for the remaining time.
• Pork should be well done and tender.
• Make sure all juices run clear before removing from oven.

PERNIL (PUERTO RICAN PORK SHOULDER)

Steps:

• Wash the pork shoulder.
• With a sharp knife, make 1 inch deep cuts into the pork.
• With mortar and pestle crush garlic, oregano and black pepper together. Add olive oil, vinegar and salt. Mix well.
• Spoon some of the garlic mixture inside the small cuts around the pork, and spread remaining mixture all over the pork.
• Place pork in an aluminum turkey pan (skin side up); cover with aluminum foil tightly. Refrigerate at least 8 hours. (I have marinated this for as long as two days.).
• Bake in pre-heated 325 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 5 to 6 hours.
• Remove aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for another hour or until skin is crisp. Closely watch this so you don't burn the skin (chicharrone).
• Pork should be well-done and tender.

PERNIL

Steps:

• Prepare the adobo by combining all the ingredients and grinding in a large pilón or mortar and pestle, or simply mixing together well in a small bowl.
• Prepare the pork: Rinse and dry meat well with a clean towel. Place pork skin-side down on a large rimmed sheet pan and poke deep, 1-inch holes throughout the meat and in the fatty layer with a paring knife, being careful not to pierce the skin. You can't have too many holes.
• Pour over adobo in batches, using your fingers to push adobo deep into the meat. If you're worried about your hands smelling like garlic - which they will! - wear gloves.
• Set out a long sheet of plastic wrap, layering with subsequent sheets as needed to ensure you can securely wrap the entire pork shoulder. Transfer pork to plastic wrap and wrap tightly, adding sheets of plastic as needed to ensure pork is completely airtight and juices are contained. Let marinate in the fridge overnight if possible, or at least least 2 to 3 hours. Set on a rimmed baking sheet or disposable aluminum foil pan in case it leaks.
• Once the pork has marinated, heat oven to 400 degrees. Working over the sink, carefully remove pork from plastic wrap, discarding any remaining adobo. Place the marinated pork shoulder skin-side up in a deep roasting pan, and wipe the skin with a clean cloth. Rub skin with 1 teaspoon salt.
• Loosely tent foil over the pork shoulder, spraying the foil with cooking spray or brushing with oil in any areas that may touch the skin, as it will stick. Transfer to the center of the oven.
• Roast in the oven for 1 hour, then carefully remove the foil and rotate the pan. Continue roasting for another 2 to 3 hours, rotating every hour or so, and watching closely. Add water to the pan as needed when juices evaporate. The meat is done cooking when the juices run clear and the thickest part of the leg registers 160 degrees with a meat thermometer. The skin may take more time to crisp, but watch closely so that it does not burn. Tap the top of the skin with the back of a knife or metal spatula, and listen for a decidedly hollow sound.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a large cutting board. (For cleaning instructions for the pan, see Notes.) If desired, remove the skin from the roast by slicing it along the underside of the bone with a long, sharp, slender knife. Run the knife underneath the skin starting from the bottom until loosened, then lift the skin from the meat. Use kitchen shears to cut into serving pieces, and let them rest in the warm oven until ready to eat. Trim excess fat from the meat if desired, and slice as desired, in large chunks or slices, to serve.