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.
I seasoned a fresh ham for this recipe except didn't use black pepper. My MIL can't have black pepper
Still amazing without pepper. It's going to be so good!
Can you season your pernil then freeze it for cooking later
Yes that should be fine. A lot of people refrigerate for a couple days and the longer it marinates the more flavor it will have.
I’m planning to use a boneless pork shoulder butt roast, it was the closest option available. Any tips on how to accommodate this? Changes in cooking time and temp?
How did it turn out? I don't think any changes are necessary.
It must be Christmas in my house every three months. We make Pernil often. We use this recipe but we put it in a crockpot all day and then we shred it to make pork tacos. I'm making it today and I can't wait!!!
I’m making this tonight and I have made this Pernil recipe many times before. I started using it 4 years ago and it has always been a hit with my family and friends. One of my coworkers asked me who Puerto Rican grandmother I have hidden in my closet. Lol he said it was the best he has ever eaten so far and his half Puerto Rican himself. Thank you for sharing I also make the Arroz con gandules recipe from here as well. My sons can’t get enough of it.
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.
@Pat Bryan, what was the temp of your smoker?
Can I Crock-Pot this?
Yes, but it won't have the crispy skin.
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.
@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.
@Andrina Ojeda, everybody cooks different and I’m sure they put Puerto Rican to help people find the recipes
@Andrina Ojeda, Thank you. I learned from my friend and we used the vinegar and a bay leaf too.
@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
@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
@Paola, I agree with you about adding that to the name help me find this awesome recipe. Going to make this today. I have it seasoned over night. Thanks for sharing Paola.
@Andrina Ojeda, I specifically search for Puerto Rican Pernil because that is the recipe I am searching for. Different cultures use different recipes. I am Puerto Rican and we have used Sazon on our pernil for decades.
I never heard of someone cooking pernil with rice and beans. It's like a sin. Is rice with gandules.
I love arroz con gandules but habichuelas guisadas are my FAVORITE!
Very nice : I'm from PR and I love cooking. I just tuned in for the timing. (I always forget) I have my own seasoning method ( I mix home made sofrito, garlic paste, all seasoning(its a herb mix with a green cap) , adobo , salt pepper and a bit of steak seasoning for extra kick, 2pk of sazon(for color and flavor depth), a tiny bit of olive oil and about 2 scoops of butter to make a spreadable paste that will stick to the pork shoulder inside and out - marinate for one night - pop on the oven covered in foil for about the same time at same temp. Comes out awesome every time. Ill keep yours in my bookmarks I like to have references 🙂 and yours is preety great.
Hi! I just seasoned the pernil this am. Will be making it for Christmas Eve dinner for my fiancé and I, and since it’s just the 2 of us I bought a smaller cut. For how long should I cook it? it is about 2.9 lbs. and I don’t want to overcook it. Thanks!!
I'd start with 2 hours until fork tender. Merry Christmas!
@Rebekah, thank you y Feliz Navidad!!
@Rebekah, I make the Italian version of this. It's called Porketta. An old lady from Italy told me to preheat the oven to 500. Put the roast in for 1/2 hr Turn the temp down to 325-350 & let the roast cook 1 hr per pound Baste it every now & then while you are roasting it. Comes out awsome every time. Starting it off at the high temp sears it so the juices stay in.
So I am not peeling skin back to marinade under? Thanks in advance.
You can. I like to slice and stuff but lots of people put it underneath the whole skin.
I like to marinate it the night before. Seal in a clear plastic food bag and refrigerate. It seals in the ingredients. So worth it!!
@Genevieve, I do the same
Is this dish better made in the oven or would a nice big crockpot be ok too? I was thinking of making this to take for a Fourth of July get together....
It's better in the oven since you can't get the skin crispy in a crock-pot. But if you don't mind sacrificing that, you can use a crock-pot and it will still taste delicious!
@Rebekah, could you roast the separated skin in a really hot oven for about 20 mins, or till crispy?
Yes, definitely. Just watch it closely.
@Carrie,
I have made pernil in the crockpot and then crisped in the oven
@Rebekah, I have made it in a crock pot when I have made it while going to work then broiled the skin after words for my p-15 mins still works pretty well and tastes amazing
Made this yesterday - it was my first time making pernil and I will never use another recipe! The whole family loved it! Thanks a bunch 🙂