Puerto Rican Shredded Pork Recipes

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 SHREDDED PORK

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, poke a few holes into the pork and stuff holes with half of the crushed garlic. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pork and brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker.
• Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend for a few seconds until evenly combined. Place the pork in the slow cooker. Pour the liquid mixture over the pork, and let the pork marinate in the mixture for about 10 minutes on each side.
• Turn the slow cooker on low, and set the timer for 8 hours.
• After 8 hours, remove pork and shred using two forks on a large cutting board. Remove all the liquid from the slow cooker except for 1 cup of the cooking liquid and add pork back to pot. Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.
• Serve the shredded pork over lettuce wraps or in corn tortillas, and top with pico de gallo, chopped cilantro and/or avocado.
• *Please note that if you're unfamiliar with tying a roast with kitchen twine, ask your butcher to pre-tie the roast in the store.

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 SHREDDED PORK

Steps:

• 1. Poke holes in pork with a sharp knife. Insert peeled garlic cloves into holes. Brown roast on all sides in olive oil.
• 2. Peel or cut off peel of fruit. Put in blender or juicer. Blend until liquid. Add cumin and oregano. Blend.
• 3. Pour juice into slow cooker and add pork. Or if using a Ninja cooking system after browning pork in Ninja add juice. Turn setting to low and timer to 8 hours. Turn pork every couple of hours while cooking.
• 4. Remove pork and all liquid except one cup. Shred pork using forks to pull the meat a part. Add back to cooker and mix liquid with shredded pork. Heat for 10-15 minutes.
• 5. Serve with tortillas and guacamole.