Authentic Pernil Recipe Puerto Rico, North America
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Introduction & history
Making the Puerto Rican pernil requires quite a lot of patience and some knife skills. This succulent meat dish is typically made with pork shoulder — precisely, the picnic cut, which combines the upper forearm and the lower shoulder of the pig — although it can also be made with pork shank. The meat, usually weighing between 7 and 10 lbs, is washed and dried thoroughly. Then, the upper layer of skin and fat is carefully removed but left attached at one end, so it can be reattached to the meat after marinating. Deep slits are made throughout the meat, and are stuffed with a marinade. Typically, the marinade — called adobo — is made with garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil, paprika, vinegar and/or citrus juice. Additionally, the pork can be seasoned with sofrito, a rough paste made of ajices dulces (sweet peppers), culantro (Mexican parsley), cubanelle and bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, and salt. The pork is left to ... Read more
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Cooking tips
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meat
Typically, pernil is made with pork shoulder — the picnic cut, which combines the lower shoulder and the upper forearm of the pig. Sometimes, pernil is made with pork shank, which is the lower part of the ham. In both cases, the skin and fat are still attached to the meat, which is essential for this dish. The meat needs to be washed and dried thoroughly before marinating. Usually, the pork shoulder ... Read more -
adobo
Adobo is the Spanish word for marinade, and pernil can be made with two types of adobo: seco (dry) and mojado (wet). Adobo seco is usually made with powdered onion and garlic, salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and, optionally, dried citrus zest and paprika. On the other hand, adobo mojado combines all the ingredients for the adobo seco, plus olive oil, vinegar, and/or citrus juice. Although adobo ... Read more -
sofrito
Numerous Puerto Rican and Latin American dishes are seasoned with sofrito, a blend of aromatic ingredients based on Mexican parsley (culantro) and ají dulce peppers. You can purchase sofrito in Latin American stores, or prepare it at home. The ingredients for sofrito can be fried together — as its name suggests — or simply processed in a food processor into a thick paste. -
marinating
There are two main techniques to marinate the meat for pernil. First, the meat is placed on a cutting board skin side up, and the skin is sliced off the meat horizontally, so it remains attached to the meat on one end. Then, the skin is flipped over, deep slits are made across the meat, and the marinade and/or sofrito are stuffed inside those slits and rubbed across the meat. The skin is then placed ... Read more -
baking
Prior to baking, take the marinated meat out of the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature. Bake pernil in a preheated oven at 350 - 400˚F. Since the fat will render, place the meat into a deep baking pan. Calculate the duration of baking by planning 30 - 35 minutes of baking for each pound of the meat. Do not turn the meat or cover it during baking, because it will steam up and the skin ... Read more -
serving
Let the meat rest for at least 10 and up to 30 minutes before cutting. Carve the meat, and then transfer individual portions covered with cueritos on a large serving platter. Typically, pernil is accompanied with arroz con gandules — rice with pigeon peas.
Recipe variations
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Pernil Al Horno
Ready in 5h 10minThis recipe describes a classic pernil preparation method. The pork is marinated with a combination of garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil, and baked slowly in an oven. By increasing the temperature for the last 15 minutes of baking, the upper layer of skin and fat will become crispy, which is called cuerito. The recipe also suggests an alternative cooking method — grilling the meat in a deep pan covered with foil, which is mostly done during the summer. The meat prepared this way will not have a crispy cover. Leftover meat can be used for pernil tacos, or be stir-fried with some rice and onion.
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Pernil Asado
Ready in 4h 40minAdapted from the website of the famous Puerto Rican TV chef and cookbook author Cielito Rosado, cielitorosado.com, this recipe describes the pernil preparation method with a basic adobo mojado (wet marinade), which combines salt, crushed garlic, pepper, oregano, olive oil, and vinegar. In this recipe, pork shank (lower part of the ham) is used instead of the traditionally used pork shoulder.
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Pernil with Homemade Sofrito and Adobo Seco
Ready in 6hIn this recipe for Puerto Rican pernil, the pork shoulder is seasoned with both adobo seco (dry marinade) and sofrito. Unlike most recipes, this one does not suggest placing the marinade underneath the upper layer of fat and skin. Instead, the marinade is stuffed into the deep slits inside the meat and rubbed all over its surface.
Pernil Al Horno
PREP 10min
COOK 5h
READY IN 5h 10min
This recipe describes a classic pernil preparation method. The pork is marinated with a combination of garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil, and baked slowly in an oven. By increasing the temperature for the last 15 minutes of baking, the upper layer of skin and fat will become crispy, which is called cuerito. The recipe also suggests an alternative cooking method — grilling the meat in a deep pan covered with foil, which is mostly done during the summer. The meat prepared this way will not have a crispy cover. Leftover meat can be used for pernil tacos, or be stir-fried with some rice and onion.
Ingredients
Pernil Al Horno
7 lbs pork shoulder- picnic cut (with fat)
9 cloves garlic or 9 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed oregano
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp salt + extra for seasoning the pork skin
Preparation
Pernil Al Horno
Peel the garlic cloves and crush them using a mortar and a pestle. Alternatively, press each garlic clove with the side of a wide knife and then chop it finely. You can also use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
Now, make the marinade. Place crushed garlic or garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil into a small bowl and combine.
Prepare the meat. First, wash it thoroughly and pat it dry. Then, cut the upper layer of fat and skin away from the meat, but leave it attached to one edge. Flip the skin and fat open, like you would do with the cover of a book, to expose the meat.
Make deep incisions all over the meat. Rub in the marinade and stuff it deep into the slits. Run some marinade over the side of fat that used to cover the meat. Then, put the fat and skin back on the meat.
Scatter some salt on top of the skin. Cover the meat with a plastic wrap and place it into a refrigerator for 24 hours.
One hour before cooking, take the meat out of the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚F.
Place the meat into an at least 2-inch-deep baking pan with the fat side up. Do not cover with aluminum foil: the fat needs to become crunchy during baking, which is called cueritos.
Cook the pork at 400˚F for 1 hour. Then, reduce the heat to 300˚F and cook for another 4 hours, but do not turn the meat.
To check if the meat is done, insert a meat thermometer into the center – it should read 185˚F. If you don’t have a thermometer, prick the meat with a fork. If the meat shreds, it is ready. If the skin, or the cuerito, is not crispy enough to your taste, bake it in the oven at 400˚F for 15 minutes or less. Watch the skin carefully so it doesn’t dry out.
Let the meat rest for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting. Remove the cuerito and carve the meat. Cut the cuerito into smaller pieces and put it back on top of the meat. Do not cover the meat because the cueritos will lose their crunchiness.
Other Variations
-
Pernil Asado
Ready in 4h 40minAdapted from the website of the famous Puerto Rican TV chef and cookbook author Cielito Rosado, cielitorosado.com, this recipe describes the pernil preparation method with a basic adobo mojado (wet marinade), which combines salt, crushed garlic, pepper, oregano, olive oil, and vinegar. In this recipe, pork shank (lower part of the ham) is used instead of the traditionally used pork shoulder.
-
Pernil with Homemade Sofrito and Adobo Seco
Ready in 6hIn this recipe for Puerto Rican pernil, the pork shoulder is seasoned with both adobo seco (dry marinade) and sofrito. Unlike most recipes, this one does not suggest placing the marinade underneath the upper layer of fat and skin. Instead, the marinade is stuffed into the deep slits inside the meat and rubbed all over its surface.
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