Pernil Recipe

Pernil is a Puerto Rican style roast pork shoulder flavored and marinated with garlic and sofrito although there are several variations on the traditional recipe. Pernil is slow cooked and is often served during the holidays like Christmas and New Year's Day.

To make pernil, you'll need a pork shoulder (usually sold between 8 and 10 pounds), a lot of garlic, adobo black pepper, olive oil and oregano. Most traditional Puerto Rican recipes for pernil use for Sofrito, Sazon, Adobo and a little vinegar. Adobo is a powdered seasoning that includes garlic, oregano and other spices. Sazon is a flavoring that includes cilantro, achiote, garlic and salt, it is usually sold in little orange packets (by Goya). Sofrito is a sauce that can be made or store-bought. It includes a puree of peppers, tomato, onions, cilantro and garlic.

Pernil is cooked in an oven at about 350 degrees. The cut of pork is is seasoned with a paste made from the above ingredients and mixed with the olive oil. To get the flavor into the pernil, you'll need to cut some deep slits into the meat. Next, add the paste into these cuts. Cover the roast with aluminum foil, except for the last 20 minutes or so. The roast should be cooked for about four hours. By taking off the tin foil towards the end of roasting, the 'skin' will be crunchy. This page links to recipes and instructions for cooking a mouth watering pernil.http://www.elboricua.com/pernil_RChef.html

Pernil, or a seasoned roast pork shoulder, is usually served with arroz con gandules, which is rice with pigeon peas, or other traditional Puerto Rican rice dishes, like white rice with red beans (habichuela rosadas). Pernil also goes great with plantains, tostones (fried), or starchy root vegetables like yuca or malanga.