Puerto Rican Roast Pork Shoulder Recipes

PUERTO RICAN PERNIL: PORK SHOULDER ROAST WITH ADOBO RUB

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients for Adobo Rub and keep in a cool dry place. This makes quite a bit so you will have lots left over to use for other things like chicken or steak!
• Rub adobo all over the pork; cover with plastic and refrigerate for 12 hours (max. 24 hrs.)
• Take pork out of the fridge one hour before roasting. Remove excess salt and let it rest at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven 400°F.
• Put pork in a roasting pan with fat cap face up and cook for 45 minutes.
• Turn the oven temperature down to 250°F and cook for 90 to 120 minutes or until the pork reaches 145°F degrees in the center.
• Carve and pull apart pieces - serve while hot!

DADDY EDDIE'S ROAST PORK (PERNIL), PUERTO RICAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper in a mortar and pestle; mash into a paste.
• Make deep slits into the pork with a small knife. Stuff slits with the paste; rub any remaining paste over the pork.
• Place pork in a plastic roasting bag and put in a roasting pan with a rack. Let marinate in the refrigerator, 8 to 48 hours.
• Take pork out of the refrigerator, uncover, and bring to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Roast pork skin-side down in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 2 hours. Flip pork and continue roasting, skin-side up, until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), 2 to 4 hours more.

PUERTO RICAN PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place the garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil into the container of a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Use a small knife to make several incisions in the fresh ham. Insert the garlic paste into each one using a small spoon. Place the ham in a roaster, and cover.
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, then check every 15 minutes or so, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F ( 80 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer.
• While the meat is roasting, place the yucca in a large pot of boiling water. Cook until fork tender, and drain. Serve with pork roast.

PERNIL (PUERTO RICAN STYLE ROAST PORK SHOULDER)

Steps:

• Grab a firm hold on the top layer of the skin and, carefully, run your knife's blade along the line where the fat and skin meet. Use a very sharp boning knife to cut between the fat and the meat, leaving the back and sides of the skin attached- creating a pocket.
• After you create the pocket, pull the skin back a little and pierce slits into the flesh using the tip of your knife, taking care not to puncture the skin in the process. Flip the roast over and make slits in the bottom of it as well.
• Transfer your pernil to a large bowl (or leave it in the sink if you washed it) and pour the white vinegar outside the piece of meat, inside the pocket and on the skin. Rub the vinegar into the meat well.
• In a bowl, combine the mashed garlic, sofrito, adobo, onion powder, sazón, oregano, salt, and pepper to create a thick paste.Use a large spoon to scoop a third of the paste into the cavity you created between the skin and flesh. Massage the rub it into the meat: make sure to press the paste into those slits in the meat under the skin.
• Flip the pork over and rub the bottom side with another third of the spice paste. Flip it back over and rub the remaining spice paste onto the the skin.
• Lay out a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil (or enough sheets to completely wrap the pernil). Over the foil, lay out three sheets of plastic wrap. Put the seasoned pork shoulder in the center of the wrapping film and wrap it tightly in the plastic first, then wrap it tightly in the foil.
• Set the wrapped pork on a sheetpan and and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 2 days, but 3 days is best. You can roast the pernil in as little as 12 hours, but it won't be as flavorful.
• When you're ready to roast, unwrap the pernil and put it on a roasting rack inside of a roasting pan. Pat the pernil skin down with a paper towel to dry it and remove the spice paste. Leave the pork to sit on the countertop for at least 30 minutes to an hour to warm up. A cold pernil takes longer to begin roasting than a semi-warm one does. Position the middle oven rack down one notch so it is in the lower third of the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F,
• Roast the pernil at 350°F for 5 hours.
• When the roasting time is up, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
• Season the outside of the pernil with a light sprinkling of kosher salt (about 1/2 teaspoon). Carefully, transfer the pernil to a clean, disposable roasting pan.Once the oven reaches temperature, put the pernil back in and finish roasting for up to 1 hour. Turn the pan every 15 minutes to vent the steam that builds up and to crisp up the skin evenly. The skin will begin to blister, harden, and sizzle. Once the pernil skin sounds hard when tapped with the back of a knife, remove it from the oven. This may happen before the hour is up.
• The fully cooked pernil should have an internal temperature of between 180-200°F. The juices of the pernil will run clear with no blood, as well. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes in order to allow the internal juices to settle down.
• After allowing the pernil to rest a few minutes, remove the chicharrón and shred the meat from the bone. Serve the pernil while hot.

PERNIL

Steps:

• Score the fat on the pork shoulder in a criss-cross hatch fashion. Then, cut deeply once in each direction across the pork, like you are going to cut it into four quarters, but then leave them attached at the bottom. Use a sharp knife to make about 20 slits, about 1 inch deep, all over the meat. Place the meat in a 13 x 9 baking pan, or another shallow baking pan large enough to comfortably hold the meat with some space around it.
• Combine the oil, garlic, fresh and dried oregano, Adobo, paprika, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the meat, working it all over the surface and into the slits. Cover the pork with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Bring the pork to room temperature, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300F°. Bake the pork, covered for 3 hours, then remove the foil and bake for another 3 to 4 hours at the same temperature, until the pork is fall-apart tender. The internal temperature should be at least 165°, but it may be higher, which is fine - it's most important that the meat is super tender. If you would like a crustier exterior, turn the heat to 375°F and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the outside of the pork has a nice browned crust.
• Let the pernil sit for at least 20 minutes, then use your fingers (if it's not too hot; some people like to wear kitchen gloves to protect their fingers from the heat), or two forks to pull the meat into chunks. Sprinkle the meat with the lemon and orange juice, season with additional salt and pepper, and serve hot or warm.

PUERTO RICAN ROAST PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and the salt to form a paste.
• Add the pepper and oregano and pound well to incorporate; stir in the olive oil and vinegar, this called a wet adobo which will keep in the refrigerator for 5 or 6 days.
• Place the roast skin side up and make several slits, about 1 1/2 inches long and as deep as possible; spoon some wet adobo into the slit.
• Turn roast and do the same with the other sides, then rub the adobo all over.
• Refrigerate, covered for at least one day, up to 3.
• Turn once a day.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Roast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan for 1 hour; reduce heat to 400 degrees F and roast until the skin is deep golden and crackly (160 degrees on an internal meat thermometer), about 3 hours.
• Let rest at least 15 minutes before carving.
• Remove the crispy skin and cut into smaller pieces (you can use kitchen shears).
• Carve the meat, parallel to the bone, all the way through to the bone.