A bone-in pork shoulder is rubbed with a garlic and herb mixture before cooked low and slow in the oven. It’s served with its crispy skin on the side.
Want is Pernil?
If you’ve never had pernil before, it’s a roast pork dish that is popular in many Latin American countries, particularly Puerto Rico. I’ve eaten it many times, but had never actually tried making one myself until a couple of weeks ago for my book club meeting. (We read An American Marriage.) Originally I was going to do more of a barbecue pork shoulder, but after looking through my fridge and seeing a bunch of cilantro, I went the herby route. I mixed it with a bunch of garlic, olive oil, and other spices to create a flavorful rub.
Pernil was what I had in mind as I put together this recipe, but as I had never made one before, I wanted to make sure that that term was accurate before sharing this with you. According to The Splendid Table, “Pernil is a Puerto Rican dish of heavily seasoned, long-cooked pork with supremely crispy skin.” The exact seasonings seem to vary in the recipes I found, but one constant throughout is the super crispy skin and lots of garlic. This recipe delivers on both.
My recipe is a little bit unconventional in that I completely removed the skin from the pork shoulder and cooked it separately. The main reason I did it this way is so that the cilantro-garlic mixture has direct contact with the meat to impart more flavor instead of being blocked by the thick pork skin. Plus, this method gives you better control over cooking each part properly. (Most recipes instruct you to slice the skin and pull it back without cutting it completely off so that you can rub the seasonings underneath and on top of the skin, which is certainly another route to go. You do you.)
The beauty of this dish is that the oven does the vast majority of the work, and people that get to enjoy it are sure to be impressed. I put the pork directly into the oven after prepping it, but if you actually plan ahead to let it marinate overnight, then I imaging your guests would be ever so grateful when devouring the even more flavorful end result.
One small caveat for this recipe is that I left my apartment while it was in the oven. In doing so, I took the skin out of the oven just in case it would burn while I was away. I returned it to the oven upon my arrival, and after the meat was finished and resting I increased the temperature to finish getting the crispy skin. That said, I imagine if I’d left the skin in for that extra amount of time while I was away, it would have gotten crispy by the time the meat was finished without the extra cooking. Regardless, the recipe should work as written, but I just wanted to make you aware!
Pernil (Roast Pork Shoulder) Recipe
A bone-in pork shoulder is rubbed with a garlic and herb mixture before cooked low and slow in the oven. It's served with its crispy skin on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- One 7- to 8-pound bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300˚F.
- Blend all of the ingredients (except for the pork) together until no large pieces of cilantro or garlic remain; set aside.
- With a sharp knife, carefully remove the skin from the pork shoulder, trying to leave as much fat connected to the flesh as possible. Place the skin on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle both sides with some salt.
- Score the pork shoulder all over in a crisscross pattern 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep. Place in a baking dish and rub all over with the cilantro-garlic mixture. Add about 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the baking dish and cover with foil.
- For the pork shoulder, place it in the oven for 5 hours. Remove the foil and continue cooking for 1 hour more, basting it with its own juices every 20 minutes. Removed from the oven and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
- For the skin, bake in the oven with the pork and cook flipping the skin on the baking sheet every hour or so, until crispy. If it's still not crispy by the time the pork is done, increase the temperature to 400˚F and cook for 15 to 30 minutes more. Let cool before handling; break into pieces.
- To serve, carve the pork shoulder into slices as best you can and serve with broken up pieces of the crispy skin.
That’s not pernil, that is just roast pork . You forgot the sofrito, adobo , sazón and few other things . Only thing correct is the garlic in your recipe . You have to leave the skin on or the pernil de chicharrón won’t be right . But it looks good but it’s not correct . #boricuagirl
I know everyone has their own ways to cook it and I was actually nervous about calling it pernil. But this recipe qualifies based on all of the research that I did in writing the post.
You know a lot of people say they cook typical puertorican food but they don’t have an idea how to make things I grown up inside the island in Puerto Rico im 64 year old learn how to cook with my grandmother she is death and she should be about 120years old now her daughter and her cook a lot traditional food and i can say they all this people cannot cook typical island food . I not a chef but know my peoples food nothing from can and made by hands.
It’s not traditional. Sofrito, Adobo, sazon. Those are traditional authentic flavors. Garlic was the only thing right with you recipe. The skin on allows the fat to keep the meat juicy during the cooking. Dont change tradition because you just want to. We Boricuas take our vfc traditions Nd foods very serious. Frankly I season and let my meat marinate overbite, just like Grandma use to do. Some arroz con gandules, and you got the basics for perfections.
I’m sure you pork was good. Just not traditional pernil.
I did not claim that my recipe was traditional. And based on my research, the only definition I could find for pernil is lots of garlic – everything else varied wildly.
I’ve never used packaged seasoning on my roast pork.
But I learned from my mom. There were no packaged seasoning s when she grew up in the country on the island. Just garlic oregano and salt. NO SAZÓN OR ADOBO. But it s a matter of what taste you prefer.
My mom was traditional as was my dad.
Where is the oregano; my father used to make hold pig’s and I was in charge of the rub for the pig. We use garlic,black pepper and oregano and salt, that all he put in the pig and the skin stay because the fat under the skin help with the cooking. I did once with cilantro and we like it but the oregano was in rub.
If you have a particular way that you like to make it, then feel free to do that instead. This is just one version. There are lots of possibilities.
It is pernil. Different seasonings but I would never ever put sazón or adobo on my pernil. Too many additives and a fake orange color. I use garlic, oregano, salt , pepper and olive oil and the juice of a sour orange or the juice of a lemon and juice of half an orange. As for the skin it does not matter how you cook it . End result is same.
m PR that is not the Pernil I know and like. My mom would turn in her grave.
Dear. You don’t put sofrito tho pernil the only ingredient to pernil is salt,garlic,oregano,,pepper seed,olive oil,and vinegar is no sofrito,adobo or sazón i know about typical puertorican food the right way i grown up doing pasteles rice and verdura,morcillas,,lechón a lot of people say they are boricua and do typical food but they just doping imitation food,they use the wrong ingredients in food I’m old school learn with the best the wright way..
That’s what I was thinking… leave the fat/skin on. Otherwise the moisture and flavor from the fat won’t flavor the roast.
That’s what I thought. It probably isn’t too flavorful.
It might not be the exact same flavors that you’re used to, but it is still quite flavorful.
Correcto, i agree. U need to make holes to season the pork inside, my mom’s advice was a tablespoon of adobo with the garlic for ea pound of meat , Sofrito is rub all over the pork and wala..puertorican style. Delish
I agree with Alejandra, not knocking your recipe but that would be a slap in the face for us Puerto Ricans we like to use a lot of seasonings and spices especially in our pernil. I know you say that you did it according to your research but being a Puerto Rican myself and watching my grandparents , my mother and other relatives they would also agree that cooking a pernil takes more seasonings than what you put in it. Not sure where you researched that recipe from . ??♀️
The idea for this recipe was inspired by pernil to use up some ingredients I had in my refrigerator. I did a lot of research afterwards to see if I could actually call it a pernil, and my conclusion was yes, I can. My research showed that there wasn’t a set definition outside of crispy skin and lots of garlic. Every recipe I looked at varied wildly in whatever else was used to flavor it, even among ones that are explicitly listed as Puerto Rican pernil. (Here’s a version that only uses salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZPsFUKtn10.) What seasonings do you use in your pernil recipe?
It is a good recipe for pernil. There are hundreds of recipes for pernil. It’s all a matter of what your family likes. Thanks for posting your recipe
The only ingredients in pernil is garlic,salt.oregano,pepper seed,alive oil and vinegar is not cilantro in the meat. I know I’m from PR and grown up doing pernil.
While it might look good and is a decent recipe for using up whatever you have in your fridge/pantry, this is so not pernil. I don’t know where you researched took you, but they led you astray.. If you really want to cook authentic pernil go to eboricua.com and use their recipe. Authentic pernil is simple and marinated/cooked with the skin on.
That’s your opinion. I believe I’ve thoroughly explained myself if you carefully read all of the text above in terms of calling this pernil. And I clearly stated that this is unconventional in taking the skin off to cook separately, and it is up to you if you want to do that or not.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!
I’m 67 and my mom is 87 years old and I grew up on the island as have my family since 1850’s. This is definitely Pernil. I would never put cheap pre packaged sazon or adobo on my food. Sofrito isn’t even indigenous to our island. The people commenting must be too young to remember a time before Sazon was even invented. We never put that carcinogen in our Pernil and I have my family recipe from the 1870s passed down. I’ll say some people have relatives that passed down recipes that were not altered by the colonizers. I would add aromatics. Your skin looks crispy. Make sure you season and allow to marinate for a couple days in the fridge. I allow mine to sit at least 3 days in a food safe bag tied up.
Thanks for sharing!
My husband n family are all from PR. And the spices you have used are very minimal they use so much more …. and eould never ever remove the skin thats a big no no…
You’re entitled to your opinion. I stick by my recipe and what I’ve written.
Friends, to use an analogy, ask 10 people how to make beef stew and you’ll get 10 different opinions, but they’ll all be beef stew. Deal with it.
Exactly.
Hey there. There are some who season and let marinate over night. That is not me. I tend to get psycho with the pernil. I jam in my garlic and wet rub in the holes I stabbed in. Leave that skin on the meat…season it. Two things: 1) the fat under the cap renders flavors the pork and 2) I start my pernil at 450° (f) for about 45 minutes…then it is low and slow at 275° (f) for about 3 hours. Cook times depend on how honking huge your pernil is. You go low and slow to allow the fat to render. If there is fat on that pork after it cooks it should melt in your mouth. You should be able to pull the bone right out. I have added banana leaves at the bottom of the pan adds a pasteles flavor. ¡Buen provecho!
Yes, letting it marinate overnight will definitely boost the flavor, and the same with injecting the meat.
Traditionally Puerto Rican Pernil is seasoned with a mixture of crushed fresh garlic and garlic powder, salt, black pepper, oregano, adobo and sazon are optional, vinegar, olive oil and I happen to like crushed Spanish olives. Many other islands add Sofrito, but that includes cilantro or cuantro with other veggies. I save that taste for arroz con gandules. After washing the meat with lemon water, and drying it, I puncture holes in it and I lift the skin from the pernil, but not entirely. This give me access to season the meat under the skin. Turn oven onto 425 degrees depending on pounds, place a little water in the pan, cover the meat with aluminum foil. 40 minutes prior to it being done I remove the foil and let the skin get crispy. I cut the skin with scissors so everyone gets a piece. It’s easy and simple no complications. You’ll know when it’s done because the meat will fall off the bone. Enjoy!
I didn’t have experience preparing pork shoulder so I appreciate such a simple recipe. I did marinate the meat overnight and I think that made it so flavorful. I adjusted the time because the pork shoulder I cooked was a lot smaller but it was delicious and best of all I already had all the ingredients needed in my pantry. Just like you said the oven does all the work, love it!
Thank you for sharing your recipe 🙂
All I wanna say is thank you for this recipe.. and that I hope this comment get posted!
To all the people saying It is not authentic Puerto Rican pernil blahblahblah… so if ya’ll know the right way to do it… what brought ya’ll here? I don’t see the point searching for a recipe that ya’ll clearly already know how to make smh!!!
I just think is rude to come to someone’s blog to criticize the way he chooses season his pernil!
Again thank you so much for the recipe!!
Thank you for your note!!!