How to make a Puerto Rican Style Pernil or Roast Pork

A Puerto-Rican celebration is not complete without a pernil or oven roast pork shoulder! It is delicious, slow cooked and great for leftovers like cuban sandwiches. Here is a recipe for pernil that is sure to please. Serves 6-8.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 5-8 lbs pork shoulder
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 packets Sazon Goya
• 1 tablespoon Goya adobo seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. In a bowl mix garlic, Adobo, Sazon, olive oil and oregano.

2. With a knife make deep slits in to the pernil mostly where the meat is and with your hands rub the mixture into the slits. It can be hard to make some of the slits so make sure you have a strong arm! Growing up, my father made a LOT of slits because that ensures that the meat will be well flavored.

3. Once the slits have been rubbbed with the mixture, rub the the remaining mixture on the whole outside surface.

4. Roast the pernil in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for aprrox. 5-6 hours uncovered in a pan with a rack. Check on it a couple of times to make sure the skin is nice and crispy! Serve with rice and beans and salad.

Tips & Warnings

• Slice the pork thin and you will have some ready for cuban sandhiches!
• Once you make this once, you will want it again!

[funmom970]

on 11/16/2009 This sounds really yummy and interesting. 5*

[jazzy09]

on 10/10/2009 This is the second time I am making this recipe. It really is simple and delicious... I love foods of different cultures eespecially spanish and carribean foods. Since I am african american with no knowledge of spanish descent in me, the recipe was easy to make. The first time ever making pernil I made it perfect me and my brother ate it for a week and a half. This time I didnt have all the ingredients like the adobe, olive oil and garlic cloves so I subsituted those ingedients with Garlic powder, Adobe bitter orange seasoning, and vegetable oil praying that it will come out great tommorrow so but all in all the recipe is SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS EASY FOR SOMEONE WHO ISNT PUERTO RICAN TO MAKE....

[Tex148]

on 1/20/2009 econ476 - I saw a recipe similar to yours on Food Network. The difference is that they put a clove of garlic in each of the slit instead of the rub; then put the rub mixture all over the pork roast. It looked fantastic and fell off the bone. I cannot wait to try this; however, now I am searching for a recipe to make the sazon seasoning as I cannot find it locally.