Pernil - Best Puerto Rican Slow Roasted Pork Recipe

A yellow and green bowl with slow roasted pork or pernil.

Pernil - Best Puerto Rican Slow Roasted Pork Recipe

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!

5 from 10 votes

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Course: Main dish

Cuisine: Latin American

Keyword: adobo, pork shoulder, Puerto rican dishes, roasted, sofrito, taco

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 5 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 277kcal

Author: Analida Braeger

Ingredients

8 lbs pork shoulder 1 full pork butt or shoulder, skin off or on
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. See the notes for preparing the skin.
Cover with plastic wrap and set in your refrigerator overnight.
Preheat your oven to 300° F. Remove the plastic from pork shoulder and place in a roaster pan.
Cook covered for about 5 hours. You can add ½ to 1 cup of water to the roaster to add some additional juices for later. The internal temperature should reach 205°F. The meat will be fall apart tender when it is done.
If you left the skin on, place the roast skin side up, pat the skin dry and turn up the oven temperature to 500°F. Roast uncovered until the skin is crispy on top to your liking. For extra crunchy skin use your broiler but keep an eye on it to be sure it does not burn.
Remove from oven, let it rest for 15 minutes and place half the shoulder on a large cutting board. Remove the skin and set aside. 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 the frozen blocks from the containers.

Notes

Preparing the skin: If you leave the skin on you want to cross cut it in a diamond pattern of about 2 inch cuts. If you want really crispy skin you can broil it but keep a close watch that it does not burn the skin. Tap the skin with a spoon to check if it is crispy.

What cut of meat is pernil?

Pernil is typically pork shoulder but the leg can also be used.

What is the difference between pernil and pulled pork?

Pernil is the Puerto Rican version of slow roasted pork and made with pork shoulder or pork leg. Pulled pork is the American version and uses different flavors for marinating and then is served with BBQ sauce.

Is pernil the same as carnitas?

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.

Is the slow cooker or oven better for making pernil?

The oven is best for getting the crispy skin and edges but you can 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.

Can I freeze pernil?

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.

How long can I store the pernil in the refrigerator?

Once the meat has cooled you can store it for 3-5 days in an airtight container.

How long do I cook pernil?

You slow roast this in a 300°F oven for 5 hours until it is fall apart tender. The internal temperature should be 205°F for a fall-apart tender roast.

What do I cook the pork in?

You will need a large roasting pan with a lid. If you don't have one get a disposable one and cover with foil.

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