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
Deb says
Can you give me a link for the oya you used to cook the pernil the one I have at home isn’t round and not sure if it’ll be deep enough unless I can just put aluminum covering the whole thing?
Rebekah says
Hi Deb, you can use whatever pan you have and cover with foil. A lot of people use the disposable aluminum roasters. I LOVE my roaster and use it all the time for so many things. I have the 18 inch but it comes in a variety of sizes: https://amzn.to/3aWvoco
Deb says
Thank you so much !!! I have loved all of your recipes. I’m Cuban and my man is Puerto Rican and these have been a life saver !
Megan says
I’m cooking three 10 lb shoulders in one pan. How long should I cook them?
Rebekah says
If the shoulders have plenty of space and air circulating around each one it should take about 4+ hours. If they are all touching in the pan it will take 10+ hours.
Stephanie says
The video doesn’t load can you send in email?
Rebekah says
I sent you an email.
Diana Pita says
Did you ever get the video? I am having a tough time even posting a comment.
Rebekah says
Hi Diana, I emailed it to you and I also fixed the post. I’m not sure why it wasn’t playing before but thanks for letting me know!
Felicia Nelson says
In the oven now….followed the exact recipe and crossing my fingers that it will turn out tender and delicious! Thank you for your great recipes! FELIZ NAVIDAD!
Rebekah says
It will! If it doesn’t shred the first time you check just cook a little longer. 🙂 Feliz Navidad!
Jamie says
Is that really the amount of seasonings for an 8lb pork shoulder or is it that amount per pound? and no salt?
Rebekah says
That’s for the whole roast. There’s salt in the adobo and sazon so I do not add any extra. If you don’t use sazon add 2 teaspoons of salt.
Carmen says
Excellent recipe. So easy and so delicious. My family loves it.
Mindy Clark says
I followed this recipe EXACTLY! I love Sazon so I opted to use that as well. My plan was to marinate it for 15hrs (while I worked.) I got home.. put it in the oven (325°) and set my timer for 4.5hours and left my house! Came back.. choped/diced some veggies for the sides.. fries about 6 plantains.. then my timer goes off. I go to remove the foil to bake uncovered the last half hour..it was still completely RAW! My heating element went out!!!! So we opted for tacos. Anyways, 10hrs later, while at work.. i FINALLY cooked it!!!!! I must say it was well worth the wait!!!! SOOOOOOOOO TENDER & JUICY! VERY FLAVORFUL AS WELL!!!! Will make again soon!!!! Thank you so much for posting this!!
Rebekah says
OMG my heart literally dropped reading that…but I’m so glad it worked out in the end!!!
Mindy Clark says
Making this again Friday!! Two actually! Praying my oven doesn’t go out again! Lol
Dee says
😱 That’s cause for a PR Panic attack!
Mindy Clark says
Lol.. welp… i put it in the oven that morning.. came back home… oven messed up, AGAIN! the connector came loose! So I think it is safe to say that I should not make this anymore lol I put it in my Dutch oven and simmered it on the stove for a few hrs. It was still good.. but no where as good as it should have been!
Caron says
Does the pork shoulder get baked fat side up?
Rebekah says
Yes
Pamela Rennick says
Ive made pork pernil one other time and it didn’t come out well. I wanted to find an easy main dish to make for 24-people so I decided on this recipe because the reviews were so good. I was nervous though. But it turned out so good that my guests thought I bought it from an acclaimed manhattan restaurant. They couldn’t believe someone could make something this good at home! The crispy skin was really to die for. The meat was succulent. I’m definitely going to make again but just for our family. More for us this time!!
Rebekah says
Wow a Manhattan restaurant! Thanks so much for this glowing review!
Rebekah Chesney says
Why do you have the sazon as optional. Does it have a really strong flavor? I’ve never cooked with it so just want to know how it enhances the pork? Thank you!
Rebekah says
The sazon is optional because it’s made with MSG which some people avoid. MSG tenderizes meat and makes food taste “better”, but it doesn’t really have any flavor.
Bobert says
MSG does not tenderize meat, it’s increases an items “savoriness”.
Rudy says
More specifically, MSG is associated with umami, a taste worked out by the Japanese in the same research (I believe) that resulted in MSG. However, the “meaty” umami taste can cotton a range of more natural products.
Audrey Perez says
I can’t seem to download peril roasted pork receive. I’ll send my email, etc. Will you email it to me.?
Rebekah says
Hi Audrey, not sure why it’s not coming up for you, but I sent you an email!
Sonny says
Forgot to ask. Do you place the meat side down first to roast, or the rind part?
How long to cook each side?
Thank you
Sonny says
Can I use a Reynolds oven bag, like the one used to roast a turkey?
Or, do you suggest foil?
If roasting bag is used , will it still come out crispy for the pork rind?
Thank you
Rebekah says
I’ve never used a bag before but I suppose you can. You’ll need to take it off at the end and continue cooking so the skin/fat will get crisp. The fat should be on top.
Kelly says
I prepared this lastnight to cook today. I am very worried because I couldn’t get the garlic mashed I just didnt have the tools I thought my ninja blender would do it but it didnt. Do you think it will be good still even tho the garlic is more like chopped not like a paste? I dont know what to do to make it better and my family is super excited to try this so I just really want it to be good.
Rebekah says
It will still be good! The garlic will soften while it cooks and be delicious 🙂
Mary C Rehder says
Smash it wit the side off the knife hard work ot 2 paper plates smash it with a can off vegetable smash it it works. Just did mine. Lol
Carmen says
Your recipe calls for 4-5 hrs for this size of roast. What are the additional 8 hrs for?
Rebekah says
Marinating time.
Alyssa says
How long should I leave a 11.5 pounds in the oven for?
Rebekah says
6-8 hours. Mine always takes the longer time but every oven is different. It will be fork-tender when it’s done.
Fernanda says
I don’t see salt in the recipe.
Rebekah says
The adobo has salt and the Sazon intensifies the salty flavor, if using.
Liz says
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!!
Rebekah says
Yay so happy to hear that! 🙂
Jessica says
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 😊
Rebekah says
This is my husband’s FAVORITE! So good every time – I hope your hubby likes it too! 🙂
Buck Lee says
omg you are so beautiful!!
Beth says
Was amazing!
Ashley says
Do you have recipes for the sides in the images? The beans, and rice?
Rebekah says
I do! It’s my most popular recipe –> Habichuelas Guisadas
Cindy says
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.😍
Rebekah says
This makes me so happy!!! Thank you for your comment!
Debby Cardillo says
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?
Rebekah says
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! 🙂
Danielle D says
What about for a convection oven
Rebekah says
Hi Danielle, I’ve never used a convection oven so I’m not sure what the conversions are.
Angelica says
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.
Rebekah says
Thank you! Now I want to make this again! 🙂
AliciaWD says
Looks delish. I went to ChowHound to make all these Goya ingredients from scratch though. Additives make my stomach cringe.
Rebekah says
Thanks, Alicia! I definitely know what you mean. Everything in moderation and luckily adobo is really easy to make yourself.
Juanita says
I love all these international food recipes
Sara | Belly Rumbles says
You had me a juicy and crispy, it looks so good.