Pernil (Roasted Pork Shoulder)

Thanksgiving and Noche Buena are fast approaching so you know what that means, food coma upon food coma. If there's one thing you will find at every Hispanic household during the holidays, it's Pernil! Its slow roasted, seasoned to perfection and fulfills every holiday food craving. I mean really, whats a holiday without pernil? Anyone? I’ll tell you, its VERYwack. Its one of those dishes that your mom pops into the oven at 7:00 am on a holiday morning to make sure it’s done in time for holiday dinner. The smells of the pernil baking, floods the house and creates the best aroma. If I could bottle that smell into a candle, I would lol. Yes, this baby takes hours to cook but is definitely worth it. This is a great recipe to make for the holidays and makes for a great Sunday dinner as well. Other than holidays, I like to make this roasted pork recipe when I'm feeling fancy and want to make a REALLY good meal for Sunday dinner. A Sunday when I just want to spend some quality time at home binge watching anything on Netflix and cozied up in my pajamas. When I make this recipe, I make a large sized pork shoulder and use it in different recipes throughout the week: carnitas tacos, breakfast hash, and as a filling for pastelitos (empanadas). The possibilities are endless! I’m here to get you all the way together for the holidays. Trust me, this will not disappoint.

Ingredients

Pork Shoulder

• 7-8 lb Pork Shoulder

• 2 limes, halved

• 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar

• 6 garlic cloves, crushed

For the Mojo

• Juice of 2 limes

• 1/4 cup of Dominican oregano

• 6 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons of homemade Sazon (Sofrito) (click here for my recipe)

• 1 teaspoon of Home Beis Tradicional blend or 1 Sazon packet

• 2 tablespoons of salt

• Juice of 1 orange

• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin

This recipe requires preparation prior to cooking. The pork should marinate for at least 7 hours and up to 2 days.

Directions

First we poke holes in the pernil and brine the meat. With a large knife, poke holes into the pernil. Try to go in deep with the knife to create pockets. These pockets will allow your mojo marinade to get into the meat and will allow for us to stuff fresh garlic into the pernil as well during the seasoning process.

Next, we wash/brine the pork shoulder. For those who are totally against “washing meats”, this step is crucial and it’s what my family has been doing for years. Not only does this step remove bacteria on the meat but it also create a bringing solution that penetrates the meat and results in the juiciest Pernil. You’ll need a large bowl for this. I prefer to do this in my sink to avoid contaminating any other surfaces and to avoid a huge mess.

Add your pork shoulder to a bowl. Then, squeeze the two limes onto the pork and add in your vinegar. You’ll want to take the lime halves and rub it all over the pork shoulder to make sure you get all in there. Rub those limes pieces all over the pork as if your life depended on it lol. Fill the bowl with water ensuring that the pork shoulder has a water bath of sorts. Let this sit in the citrus water for at least 10-15 minutes. Use this time to prep the rest of your ingredients.

Now we make our mojo marinade. Before combining ingredients, chop your garlic, juice your oranges and limes and get your spices ready. In a medium sized bowl, combine your orange juice, lime juice, oregano, garlic, homemade sazon, salt and cumin with a whisk. Your marinade is now ready to do it’s magic!

*Lazy Tip: If you're lazy (we all have our days) the Badia marinade is a pretty good alternative with no artificial coloring or sugar added. If using this, be mindful of sodium in take. Store bought marinades are high in sodium and if not careful any added salt you may add can ruin a recipe. Taste the marinade before using and adjustment the salt to your liking. 

Next, we prep the Pernil before seasoning. Drain the vinegar/lime mixture that your Pernil was sitting in and rinse your pernil with water. A quick rinse will do. Keep you pernil in the large bowl and take your bowl (with Pernil in it) over to your counter to begin the seasoning process. Before we add our mojo, we’ll want to use the large pockets we poked into the Pernil to stuff with crushed garlic. Use your fingers to push the garlic into those pockets. Try to stuff all the pockets with the garlic until you’ve used it all.

Now it’s time to season your pernil. Once you have stuffed your slots, it’s now time to use the mojo. Pour the mojo mixture onto the pernil and then massage the mojo all over the pork shoulder by using your hands. After mojo is fully rubbed in and distributed throughout, cover the pernil with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. Once you're ready to bake this bad boy bring the pernil out of the fridge and prepare for cooking. You have two options, to crock pot it or to bake it.

OVEN 

Put pork shoulder skin side up in a roasting pan and cover with foil. Roast pork for several hours (a 7-pound shoulder may be done in 7-8 hours), turning baking dish every hour until meat is very tender. A knife should easily insert into pork. That’s how you know it’s tender. Once tender, remove foil and crank up the heat to 400 degrees and cook the pork shoulder for 20 mins or until the skin is crisped to perfection.

CROCKPOT 

Put pork shoulder into your crock pot on high for 6 hours. Do the knife test and check if your meat is cooked through before removing. I usually buy a 6-7 pounder which cooks perfectly in 6 hours. Once cooked through, transfer to a backing dish and roast at 400 degrees for 30-45mins to give your pernil a nice color and to crisp up your skin.

After your pernil is done. 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, take two fork and shred the pork into slithers. Juicy long slithers! Serve with lime wedges.

Notes/Tips:

• If cooking via oven, turning the pernil every hour assures for even cooking. Ovens vary in temperature and turning your baking dish around assists with the cooking process.

• The Knife Test: when meat is fully cooked, your knife should easily goes through the meat without hesitation.

• I have found that cooking your pernil in the crock pot is the best option and the most convenient. So, if you have one, use it! lol The pernil comes out more flavorful (IMO) and you can just turn it on and forget about it. You can even start your crockpot in the morning before work and come back with a fully cooked pork shoulder. It’s magic! Crock pots also lock in moisture which creates steam throughout. Can you say juicy? YUM!

• If the pernil doesn't get eaten by savages (like my family lol) try this roasted pork in other dishes. As I mentioned previous, it's great for tacos, hash, and empanadas! Re-purpose your leftovers to make other masterpieces.