Pernil (per neel) is a typical Puerto Rican dish consisting of a pork roast/shoulder that has been marinated overnight and slow roasted at 300 F. The result is a flavorful, and tender meat that will fill your house with a delicious aroma, and your belly with a whole lot of "piggy goodness."
This recipe came from my friend Eimy from Puerto Rico. I tried this dish at her house, many years ago, and instantly fell in love with it. You could say that pernil is the Puerto Rican version of America's pulled pork minus the barbeque sauce. In my humble opinion it is better, much better!!! I have made one small adaptation from her recipe, since I prefer to use my homemade sofrito instead of the store bought sofrito.
A Christmas dish
Pernil is a common and expected sight at the Christmas table in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries also. I remember Christmas dinner at relative's houses where pernil was always on the menu. The one I remember most fondly was pernil with a crispy skin. I addition to the succulent pork, we also sipped on cups of freshly made horchata. Perhaps not the best dietary choice, but during Christmas, who is being good?
Every family has a version
As with most recipes, we tend to gravitate to the version we were first introduced to. I am guilty of that with my, or rather my friend's pernil recipe. Lately, however, I have been talking to some Hispanic friends and they do not use the Goya sazon, but a mixture of dry spices such as cumin, oregano and cilantro, and paprika. I will most definitely have to try this before I share with you.
Pernil is very versatile.
You can definitely serve it as a main course with the typical sides of rice and beans and tostones (fried plantains), or you can make great tacos, or a fantastic sandwich on a nice Kaiser roll. Either way you choose to eat it , you will not be disappointed. Slow roasted pork, how can you go wrong?
Tips for pernil
- This dish freezes very well so you can make a big batch and separate it out into portions to reheat and use later. I usually make two full sized pork shoulders since that will fit into my roaster.
- Make it in a slow cooker and it turns out great.
- The key is to get the pork to where it is fork tender. So roasting it in the oven or using a slow cooker will get the job done.
- If you like to make it a bit crispy you can put the cooked meat on a baking tray and broil it until you see it get nice and brown with those lovely slightly burnt edges. So good!
Here are the step by step photos to make the perfect pernil in true Boricua style:
- Layout your ingredients (left to right):
Sofrito
, garlic slices, adobo and sazon con culantro y anchiote. Your pork shoulder should be trimmed of the skin and you can leave some fat on it. You can have it ready in the roaster pan. - Start making slits with a sharp knife.
- Insert the garlic slices into the slits as you go. Do this all over the entire shoulder: top, bottom and sides.
- Take the adobo and sazon and sprinkle over all sides of the shoulder
- Rub in the adobo and sazon as you go. Scoop up and loose spice that falls into the roaster and rub it all in.
- Take your sofrito and pour it over all sides of the shoulder.
- Rub in the sofrito all over the shoulder.
- Cover the shoulder with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Roast the shoulder covered at 300 degrees for 5 hours covered. After three hours flip the shoulder over, cover and continue to cook. You can add a ½ cup to 1 cup of water to the roaster during cooking to make some extra juice. When the shoulder is fork tender it is done as shown below.
- Place the shoulder on a large cutting board, remove any fat and chop into small pieces.
- I like to take all the juice from the roaster and put it into a fat separating pitcher.
- You can serve with the juice and place any extra into containers for freezing and add some of the juice back to the meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pernil is typically pork should but the leg can also be used.
Pernil is the Puerto Rican version of slow roasted pork and made with pork shoulder. Pulled pork is the American version and uses different flavors for marinating and then is served with BBQ sauce.
The flavor profile is different. Carnitas are typically roasted in citrus and then fried until crispy. Pernil is marinated and roasted with sofrito, adobo, garlic and sazón.
Yes, this dish freezes very well so I like to make a big batch and freeze in the juice. It will store nicely for 2-3 months.
If you love Hispanic food here are some more great easy recipes to try:
Ropa Vieja is a slow cooked pulled beef from Cuba. If you liked my pernil, you'll love this!
Authentic Mexican pork carnitas are are east to make in the slow cooker and made crispy under the broiler.
Latin style black beans are seasoned with sofrito, recaito and other spices can be made in the microwave!
Sofrito is a flavor base for many Latin dishes and it easy to make and freeze into cubes.
Recaito is another key ingredient in many dishes from Latin America and can also be frozen into cubes.
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Pernil - Authentic Puerto Rican Slow Roasted Pork
Puerto Rican pernil is one of my all time favorite dishes. You can eat this alone or make tacos, tostadas, quesadillas and it freezes well also. This is the best pernil recipe I have ever made and it gives a really tender, slow cooked juicy pork with wonderful flavors. Be sure you save the juice, separate it from the fat and add it back to the meat! Que rico!
Ingredients
- 8 lbs pork shoulder 1 full pork butt or shoulder, skin off.
- 8-10 garlic cloves cut into 4-5 slivers each
- 6 Tbsp sofrito
- 2 packets of Goya Sazon with culantro y achiote paleo diet: substitute a 3 Tbsp mixture of equal parts of sea salt, black pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and oregano
- ¼ cup adobo seasoning
Instructions
Stab the pork shoulder in various places and insert the garlic pieces. Combine the adobo and sazon and use as a dry rub and coat pork shoulder. Rub the sofrito all around the pork shoulder.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set in your refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 300F. Remove plastic from pork shoulder and place in a roaster pan.
Cook covered for about 3 hours. Remove from oven, flip and cover once more. You can add ½ to 1 cup of water to the roaster to add some additional juices for later.
- Continue to cook another 2 hours, or until fork tender. It should fall apart.
- Remove from oven and place half the shoulder on a large cutting board. Discard the layer of fat.
- Start chopping the meat with a sharp knife and place chopped pieces in a large bowl.
- Take remaining juices from the cooking process and place in a container in the refrigerator to allow the fat to rise to the top and solidify. Remove solid fat and discard. If you have a gravy and fat separator, those work very well. Mix the juice with your chopped meat.
Portion off into individual containers and freeze. This will keep frozen for several months if you vacuum pack it.
Christie
I love that your recipes are so unique to me, since I've never tried these ethnic dishes. I'm pinning!
Analida
Thanks for pinning. I love ethnic recipes. They are so flavorful, and not difficult to prepare at all.
K
This looks so tasty! I tend to get stuck in cooking ruts where I use the same seasonings and flavors in all my dishes- this is a very different profile for me. Thanks for sharing at the link up today!
xoxo K
http://peeledwellness.com
Lou Lou Girls
This looks so good! I’m drooling right now. Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you being a part of our party. Please stop by on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls
Analida
Thanks so much for commenting. I love Pernil. It actually freezes well and makes awesome tacos too!!
Glad I stopped by.
Papí Chulo
Discard the fat cap? Heresy! This is the best part, the chicharrón, the contrast to the tender, juicy meaty part. I STRONGLY suggest re-evaluating your Boricua status. Lol. 🤣🤣 Buen provecho.
Lynne W.
I agree!!! Muy bueno!!!
Sharon Rowe
This look delicious! I am not normally a fan of pork because it can be tough but this looks great and has inspired me to try something new! Thanks for sharing on Monday Madness link party 🙂
Analida
Sharon, when you cook the pork down it becomes so tender. A little tip: with any leftover pork I make tacos!!! 🙂
You are very welcome. I always love sharing food with others.
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom
Looks great. I love flavorful meat that can be so versatile.
Analida
Thanks Kristen!
Carlee
Yum! I have a lot of pork shoulder on hand right now and have been trying new things with it. This sounds like a great version that will be on my menu soon!
Analida
Thanks Carlee! It freezes well too. It's great for tacos also.
Lou Lou Girls
I'm always so amazed by you! This looks so good! Pinned and tweeted. I appreciate you taking the time to party with us. I hope to see you on Monday at 7. Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
Analida
Thanks so much. You are so kind. I love coming to your parties!
Tiffany
Sounds good! I always love your unique recipes. Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday Link Party! Hope to see you again on Sunday night.
Analida
Thanks Tiffany. I love coming to your parties. I will be there.
Miz Helen
We love Pernil and your recipe looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great day!
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Analida
Thanks Miz Helen! I will be back soon! 🙂
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood
YES! Oh man, I can't wait to make this! There was an AMAZING Puerto Rican restaurant very close to where we used to live and this was all I EVER got - amazing!
Analida
LOL, isn't pernil the best!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Sounds delicious and love all the garlic in there! Would love to give this one a try 🙂 Bet leftovers are yummy too!
Analida
Hi Dawn, The leftovers are epic! We make two shoulders just to freeze the extra into containers. We can then thaw and make tacos, sliders, burritos, quesadillas or just toss on some rice.
Silvia Mendoxa
I am from Central America but I lived in New York for 10 years and I had great Puerto Rican friends who introduced ne to Pernil. It is delicious. I love your recipe. My friends loved it too. Continue. sharing
Analida
Thanks so much Sylvia! I am so glad you and your friends enjoyed the pernil! It is my favorite pork dish!
Mayra
How long will it take in a crockpot?
Analida
Hi Mayra,
You will want to cook it for 5-6 hours in the crockpot also. The key is to get it to where is is fork tender and just separates really easily. Flip it in the crock after two hours and keep checking it. Enjoy!
Joe
How about 8 hrs on low?
Analida
It typically cooks for 6-8 hours. Check the meat after 6 hours to see if it separates easily with a fork. Once it just falls apart it is done.
Phil
Is this 5-6 hours on high?
Analida
Thanks for the question.
Yes, you want to use a slow cooker on high for 5-6 hours.
FYI, the "low" setting on slow cookers is just for keeping warm to serve.
Enjoy!
Lucy DeJesus
I plan to use your recipe for pernil. Do you have a recipe for papas rellenas? Do you have a cook book I can purchase?
Analida
Hi Lucy, thanks for writing to me. I do not yet have a recipe online for papas rellenas. There is a similar dish from Panamá called carimañolas that are made with yuca and a meat filling. Here is a link to that recipe: https://ethnicspoon.com/yuca-fritters-carimanolas/
I don't have a cook book for sale but I periodically send out recipes as free E-books. If you subscribe to our mailing list you can receive recipes when I publish them and free e-books too. Thanks so much!
Jojo
Hi. Should I add 1/2 to 1 Cup of water if I cook this in a crock pot?
Analida
You can add a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water to the crock pot or during cooking to make some extra juice.
Shaun Marofsky
Last time I made this I didn’t want to throw out all that amazing juice. I figured, since I use most of the same spices to make my rice, I used the left over juice. Omg it was the best most flavorful rice I ever made. My kids loved it.
Analida
Thank you so much Shaun!
Alison Metzgroff
Can I do this in a slow cooker?
Analida
Yes, you can make this in a slow cooker.
Cook on high until it is fork tender. I usually cook for about 5-6 hours and flip it over after 3 hours.
Chris David
Its really a nice recipe!