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.
Pat Bryan
Saturday 19th of March 2022
Very good recipe!! My abuelo from P.R. would have loved this. One improv I've done is to add the sazon and adobe to the garlic/pepper/olive oil/oregano. Then rub the outside with more sazon and adobo. Or, if you're into fusion, rub the outside with a traditional Southern BBQ rub (a lot of similar spices) and put it on a smoker.
Lisa
Wednesday 1st of September 2021
Can I Crock-Pot this?
Rebekah
Thursday 2nd of September 2021
Yes, but it won't have the crispy skin.
Zuleyka
Saturday 7th of August 2021
I have a 7.5 lb pernil ready for tomorrow should I still do the 4-5 hours or what do you recommend???
Andrina Ojeda
Sunday 1st of August 2021
I’m Puerto Rican. An authentic Pernil does not have sazon. We also had vinegar. We do not call it a Puerto Rican roast. It is simply Pernil. You can also say Pernil de Puerto Rico. We do not put the word Puerto Rican before all of our foods.
Brook
Thursday 19th of May 2022
@Andrina Ojeda, The reason it is labeled that way is because non puerto ricans may not know what you actually call it.. its just trasfering your launguage to someone who speaks only english and would like to try an orignal pernil recipe because likely they have had it at there friends or elsewhere...there are cooks at home cooks that want to try new delicious things. You made it sound as if it was a gerrogatory Title for the recipe! Look at all the likes! Cmon you cant be mad people that arent puerto rican like authentic food from the country!!! Thats a compliment! Im so confused why you seem upset about that
Jae
Sunday 8th of May 2022
@Andrina Ojeda, it is not that serious yo soy 💯por 💯 Boriqua that doesnt bother me at all. All recipes on line say their origin. Now a days even Puerto Rican chefs are switching up the recipe
Belinda Roy
Thursday 24th of March 2022
@Andrina Ojeda, Thank you. I learned from my friend and we used the vinegar and a bay leaf too.
Monika Grace
Monday 10th of January 2022
@Andrina Ojeda, everybody cooks different and I’m sure they put Puerto Rican to help people find the recipes
Paola
Saturday 25th of December 2021
@Andrina Ojeda, I’m Puerto Rican, too, and was not that burnt up about the title nor the seasonings on this recipe. Traditional pernil is very basic, yes, but adding Saxon adds another layer of depth to the flavor. It’s not the worst thing to add into a recipe. Also, naming recipes ‘Puerto Rican’ helps others find recipes when that’s what they’re searching for online. No te cuesta nada ser amable, chica.
C.p.
Thursday 4th of March 2021
I never heard of someone cooking pernil with rice and beans. It's like a sin. Is rice with gandules.
Rebekah
Thursday 4th of March 2021
I love arroz con gandules but habichuelas guisadas are my FAVORITE!