Puerto Rican Pernil (Roast Pork)
Crispy, juicy Puerto Rican Pernil (Roast Pork) is slow roasted until fall-apart tender. Seasoned with garlic and adobo for maximum flavor, your house will smell as incredible as it tastes! VIDEO included.
Puerto Rican Pernil Recipe
For everyone looking for that special Christmas dinner - here it is!
Forget the ham and turkey, this roasted Puerto Rican pork served on special occasions is where it is!
My husband pronounced this the best pork he ever ate and I have to agree!
Crispy on the outside while juicy and tender inside, it's slow roasted until it falls apart with the touch of a fork.
Keep scrolling for a how-to video at the end!
Oh and the flavor! With a whole head of garlic, it's full of bold flavor, a hallmark of Puerto Rican-style cooking.
Traditionally the garlic is mashed with a pilón (mortar and pestle), but I quickly puréed it in a small food processor.
It looks impressive upon the table, but no need to be intimidated since it's really easy to make.
The hardest part is enduring the tantalizing scent that fills your house while it bakes, but I promise it's worth the wait!
To get the full Puerto Rican flavor in every bite, you'll need to season it the night before, so plan ahead for that.
Puerto Rican Pernil is typically made from a picnic cut pork shoulder, but I used a Boston butt (which is still the shoulder) since that's what was available.
Just make sure to get a shoulder with the fat cap still on it - it keeps the meat tender and flavorful.
Plus, the crispy "cuero" skin is the best part!
I recommend serving this with my Puerto Rican Beans, Puerto Rican Rice, a green salad and fresh bread for a complete meal.
This would make a great alternative Christmas dinner or New Year's menu! Buen provecho!
Pin this to your Dinner board!
Puerto Rican Pernil (Roast Pork)
Crispy, juicy Puerto Rican Pernil (Roast Pork) is slow roasted until fall-apart tender. Seasoned with garlic and adobo for maximum flavor, your house will smell as incredible as it tastes!
Ingredients
- 8-10 lbs bone-in pork shoulder (picnic cut or boston butt)
- 1 head of garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons adobo
- 2 packets of sazón (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse pork in cold water and pat dry. With a paring knife, stab 1-inch slits all over the pork, top and bottom.
- In a food processor (or by hand if you have a pilón!), blend all the garlic, olive oil, black pepper and oregano until smooth. Fill each slit in the pork with about a teaspoon of the garlic paste. Sprinkle all sides of the roast with the adobo and sazón (if using) and rub pork with the spices. Place in a roasting pan that has sides at least 2 inches deep, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350°F. Leave the roast covered with foil and bake for 4-5 hours, approximately 30-45 minutes per pound. Pork should read 180°F on an internal thermometer and shred easily with a fork.
- Uncover roast and bake for 15-20 minutes to crisp up the fat, or broil at 500°F for 10 minutes, watching carefully not to burn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12Amount Per Serving: Calories: 216
Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.
Your recipe calls for 4-5 hrs for this size of roast. What are the additional 8 hrs for?
Marinating time.
How long should I leave a 11.5 pounds in the oven for?
6-8 hours. Mine always takes the longer time but every oven is different. It will be fork-tender when it's done.
I don't see salt in the recipe.
The adobo has salt and the Sazon intensifies the salty flavor, if using.
This is my go to recipe for Pernil! I made it for the first time in the fall and have been making it for many occasions ever since! It’s a huge hit every time! My husband asked me to “perfect it” and with this recipe I did! The only thing I do differently is I double the spices/garlic because I usually choose a larger pork shoulder AND I love the flavor! I also make the Puerto Rican rice recipe highlighted and OMG it’s amazing!! Thank you!!
Yay so happy to hear that! 🙂
So i’m trying this for the first time, currently in the oven, i am crossing my fingers that it comes out just like yours. My husband has been wanting me to try this for this christmas, so i am making it today, if it comes out good i will be making this for christmas 😊
This is my husband's FAVORITE! So good every time - I hope your hubby likes it too! 🙂
omg you are so beautiful!!
Was amazing!
Do you have recipes for the sides in the images? The beans, and rice?
I do! It's my most popular recipe --> Habichuelas Guisadas
I served this yesterday to my family of six. It was freekin AMAZING!!! Even the two kids loved it! The only ingredient that I didn’t use was the sazon, but I will the next time. This will be my go-to meal for the next Holiday. The meat was tender and juicy, absolutely wonderful! My husband said it was my best pork roast ever ( and we’ve been married for over 20 years) and my son must have thanked me 4 or 5 times for the “amazing meal”! Thank you for sharing your recipe.😍
This makes me so happy!!! Thank you for your comment!
I find spanish food goes great with a fresh loaf of Italian , french bread or crispy baquette I've been making this pork for years only I slice garlic in slabs and put in pork. Rub seasoning all over outside. This time I'm doing it your way. Thank you
Sounds and looks delicious. One question. You state that you use a preheated oven at 350 degrees. However, in order to cook this roast for 4-5 hours I would think that your oven should be set at a lower temperature. What temperature do you cook the roast?
Hi Debby! We've always done 350 degrees, but if you want to go lower you can do 325 or even 300. I think my friend's grandpa sometimes used to cook it overnight at 225 or 250 degrees. You can't go wrong with lower. It's done when it's fork tender! 🙂
What about for a convection oven
Hi Danielle, I've never used a convection oven so I'm not sure what the conversions are.
Friends and family completely devoured this pork. The flavor was incredible, and the crunchy exterior made for an unbelievably delicious texture. Yep, best pork we’ve ever eaten too. Will def make this again for the holidays.
Thank you! Now I want to make this again! 🙂
Looks delish. I went to ChowHound to make all these Goya ingredients from scratch though. Additives make my stomach cringe.
Thanks, Alicia! I definitely know what you mean. Everything in moderation and luckily adobo is really easy to make yourself.
I love all these international food recipes
You had me a juicy and crispy, it looks so good.