Pernil (Puerto Rican Roast Pork)
Slow-roasted pernil is fork-tender, fall-off-the-bone pork shoulder or leg marinated in savory herbs and spices. Underneath its irresistible, crispy, crunchy skin is tender, juicy meat oozing with mouthwatering deliciousness. Such a perfect addition to your holiday spread!
I still remember when I tasted this awesomeness for the first time. My world stopped as I savored its tender goodness. It’s really unique and super addictive. And, of course, I had to learn how to make it.
What’s not to love about this family-friendly, super-affordable dish? It’s effortless to prepare because the oven does most of the work. Aaah! Getting that taste of joy without breaking a sweat is a pretty good deal, right?
What Makes Pernil Irresistible
Sour orange is the key ingredient in the marinade. However, it can be hard to find them outside of the Islands. So I used a regular orange and served it with lemon wedges for a similar effect. A dash of vinegar with orange juice would also do the trick.
This marinated Puerto Rican pork (typically leg or shoulder) is roasted slowly until tender and juicy. Caribbeans, especially in Puerto Rico and Cuba, traditionally serve it at Christmas with arroz con gandules and tostones.
How to Roast Pernil
- Pulse ¼ cup onion, garlic, oregano, and parsley in a food processor, drizzling in the oil and scraping down sides as necessary, until the mixture is pasty. A mortar and pestle also works.
- Mix in cumin, chili, sazon, and paprika. Set aside. (Photo 1)
- Rinse and dry the pork roast with a paper towel. Salt and pepper to taste (½-¾ teaspoon per pound). (Photo 2)
- Rub the marinade all over the pork roast, getting it in every nook and cranny. (Photo 3)
- Marinate it for about 4 hours (up to 2 days) in the fridge. When ready to roast, take the pork out of the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Layer the sliced onion and orange on the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour ½ cup of orange juice and ½ cup of stock or water over it.
- Place the pork roast skin-side-up in the pan. Roast for 3 hours or more in a preheated 275℉ (135℃) oven, uncovered.
- Remove it from the oven and increase the oven’s heat to 500℉ (260℃). (Photo 4)
- Roast for another 15-20 minutes until the skin is crisp and puffy, rotating the pan every 5 minutes for even crispness.
- Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting it so the meat’s juice reabsorbs into the roast. Serve with lime and drippings.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Turn up the heat with a dash of cayenne, ground chipotle for smoky goodness, or chili flakes.
- The internal temperature should be 180-185℉ (80-85℃) on an instant-read thermometer. But no worries if you don’t have a thermometer, because it’s fork-tender when done.
- Turning the oven temperature to 500℉ (260℃) during the last 15-20 minutes will crisp the skin perfectly, the best part of the roast.
- You can also make parallel or diamond-shaped slits through the skin of the pork and halfway through the fat. But try not to cut so deeply that the knife reaches the meat, to allow the flavor to seep in deeper without damaging the meat.
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you want to marinate the meat but won’t be serving it immediately, you can roast it first until the pork becomes tender and evenly cooked. Then allow it to cool before storing it in the fridge.
When you are ready to serve, roast it again in a preheated 500℉ (260℃) oven. To ensure even cooking, you can rotate it four times for 20 minutes (every 5 minutes) until the skin becomes crisp.
Leftover Makeovers
Store leftover pork within two hours of cooking, and it should last in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Pernil leftovers are fantastic in soups, fried rice, sandwiches, tacos, replace the chicken in a Southwest chicken salad, burritos, and chow mein.
What to Serve With Pernil
Aside from arroz con gandules, this sumptuous pernil also pairs well with yellow rice, roasted vegetables, pasteles, and pickled onions.
More Delectable Caribbean Dishes to Try
- One-Pot Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice
- Jibarito Plantain and Steak Sandwich
- Picadillo
- Pastelon
- Jamaican Patties
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”FMCqxTqW” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 20:37:44 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Pernil Puerto Rican Roast Pork” description=”Pernil Puerto Rican Roast Pork- Herb and spice marinated pork shoulder slowly roasted in the oven until tender and fall of the bone delicious with an amazing crisp and crackling skin.”]
This blog post was originally published in March 2016 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Pernil (Pork Roast)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (40g) coarsely chopped onion
- 5-7 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- 2 tablespoons (7g) fresh oregano (1 tablespoon or 5 grams dried oregano)
- 1 tablespoon (6g) parsley
- olive oil as needed
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) chili peppers (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon (5-6g) smoked paprika
- 1 packet Sazon Goya (see notes)
- 5-6 pounds (2.25-3kg) bone-in pork shoulder
- 2 teaspoons (12g) salt (more if needed)
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 medium orange, sliced
- ½ cup (118ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ cup (118ml) stock (or water)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving
Instructions
- Pulse ¼ cup of onion, garlic, oregano, and parsley in a food processor, adding oil in a drizzle and scraping down sides as necessary until the mixture is pasty, or use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices.
- Place the mixture in a small bowl, stir in the cumin, chili pepper, smoked paprika, and Sazon Goya, and set aside.
- Remove the pork roast from the packaging and gently rinse it under cold water. Dry with a paper towel, and rub with salt and pepper according to preference (½-¾ teaspoon per pound is a reasonable estimate). Score the fat covering if desired.
- Thoroughly rub the roast with the seasoning mixture, getting into as many of the crevices as you can. Marinate the roast in the fridge for 4 hours or up to 2 days before roasting.
- When ready to roast, preheat the oven to 275℉ (135℃) while the roast comes to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Line a roasting pan with foil, then layer the sliced onion and orange on the bottom of the pan. Pour in about ½ cup of orange juice, ½ cup of stock or water, and the spoon any leftover marinade. You might have to add some more liquid as it cooks if you want more sauce to serve on the side.
- Place pork skin side up in the pan. Remove any seasonings stuck to the top of the pork skin.
- Roast it for about 3 hours, uncovered.
- Increase the oven temperature to 500℉ (260℃) and roast for another 15-20 minutes until the skin is crisp and puffy, rotating the pan every 5 minutes for even crispness.
- The internal temperature should be 180-185℉ (80-85℃) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing; the meat should be tender. Serve with lime wedges and sauce from the marinade.
- If you want super crispy skin, place the pork roast on top of a rack in a pan.
Tips & Notes:
- If you can’t find Sazon Goya, mix ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ½ teaspoon ground coriander and call it good.
- Feel free to replace the orange juice and stock with a cup of Mojo marinade.
- The internal temperature should be at least 180-185℉ (80-85℃) on an instant-read thermometer when done.
- Turning the oven temperature to 400℉ (205℃) during the last 15-20 minutes will crisp the skin.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
My first wife’s abulita would make this alot Pork used to be cheap and we were not rich. (Rich in family and traditions). She would cut the skin back and generously rub the marinade directly onto the meat. Then return the skin over, make cuts and season salt, pepper, minced garlic paste all over. We used the back of a butter knife to crack the chicharon. Thanks for your post!Brings back memories. Buying pork shoulder today!
Awesome! Thanks for taking time out to share this with us. And so happy to hear it’s going on the menu.
I cannot tell you what you have done to the people. with your recipes from Africa to the Caribbean and the South. in fact all over We LOVE IT”
THANK YOU!
Thank you, too, Lorraine! =)
I have a question how many days you available to marine the pernil
I have let it marinate for up to 2 days.
So I watched the video. I see what I’m doing now.
Awesome! Glad to hear the video helps.
I’m in the process of making this now for my family. Thank u so much,can’t wait to eat.
Hope it turned out great for you, Danielle. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m definitely making this what else goes with ie side dishes. I’m thinking the red beans with some rice? Salad?
Rice, salad, beans and fried plantains would make it a complete meal.
I have a 9lb, how long in the oven at 275? I want it juicy but cooked on time too lol
It should take about 7 -8 hours .
This is just the recipe I’ve been looking for. I’m from New York living in the south. There isn’t a Puerto Rican restaurant here. Now I can have roast pork that’s not barbecued. Thank you
Awesome! Glad I could have been of help . Happy Cooking!!!
Sorry, i think you meant there isnt a Puertorican restaurant near you. I have to agree, that for many years, there was almost not immigration from PR and mostly Dominican. So the face of the restaurants changed. BUT, there are very well knkw eateries like Don coquis and even better, Sofritos (specially the one in White Plains).
Today, you will see a return of the premier flavors of the Caribbean. It really was the simple choices of Puertorican dishes. None more flavorful and with all due respect, not over powered with cumin or hype.
This pernil recipe is as good as most I’ved tried. Great job! The recipe will also work at 275 for 7 or 8 hours as well. And, no need to raised the temperature since the skin will crisp anyway after so many hours. TBH, unless you have an accurate electric oven, you may still need to raise the temperature tk get that crackling skin towards the end.
I think Nobi said they were from NY living down south. So there are rarely any Puertorican restaurants down south
Are we supposed to eat the skin?
Yes you are !
Love pernil but after many years as a New Yorker and numerous friends/relatives of Latino decent, all types .. always have I heard low temp for 8-10 hours after marinated for a day or two. Last 15 minutes ..cold water splashed on the fat and back in hot oven to get the chicharrones.
Thanks for the tip Laura!
I’m sorry, but I am very confused. The pictures look to show two different dishes, one where the roast is scored, one where it is not. Is this two different dishes or two different methods of preparing the same dish? Your instructions describe two different methods, but that also is very confusing. Method 1 seems to end after putting the roast in the pan. Are the different methods just a choice between putting the pork on top of onions and onions or of putting it in a roasting rack? In that case, Method 1 could be numbered step 10a and Method 2 could be numbered step 10b. Then step 2 and after under Method 2 would actually apply to both methods and could be better numbered steps 11-14.
Also, you never actually say when to score the meat. Is it just for one method? If so, which method?
As I re-read this again, it seems to me that the second part of step 8 (after preheating) and maybe all of step 9 are actually a part of Method 1 only. Is that right?
Finally, step 9 is confusing. Are you saying to mix the marinade with the orange juice and stock before cooking, then add more stock as it cooks if we want to be able to serve this as a pan sauce?
Sorry to seem so critical but your dish looks delicious and if I’m going to try it, which I would like to do, I want to be sure to do it right.
Hi Mitch! Not critical all . I have gone back and rewritten the recipe to make it clearer. Do let me know how it works out for you. thanks!
Want to cook the pork shoulder Puerto Rican style but my my pork shoulder is 10 lb
Double the ingredients or split in half .
I have it in the oven now…smells mouthwatering!!!
It’s going to taste even better! Bonne Appetite!!!
I’m going to make this beautiful pork dish for our Sunday lunch. Can’t wait. Looking to use whole peppercorns, plantains, and cilantro cream too – let you know how it turns out.
Now this is how to cook pork.
Mm, tasty!
I’ll be the first to admit I know nothing about Puerto Rican food but there is nothing on that ingredients list that doesn’t get my juices flowing. Might try this out on the in-laws next time they are round for a roast
Oh my god that looks incredible!! The crispy, crackly skin looks amazing and super juicy all at the same time. Also can I just say, gorgeous photos!
Thanks Laura.
I need this in my life….yesterday! Wow! The flavors on the pork are super intense and I can imagine how amazing they are when the pork gets crispy!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Pinning for later!
Thanks for Pinning Nicole
That looks like one delicious pot roast! You have my mouth watering!
It sure is Jillian.
This looks so good! I love slow roasted pork and that crackling skin is the best part.
You and me both. Crackling skin in the best part.
Would you please be my next door neighbor? That looks so good!
Anytime Lisa!!