PUERTO RICAN PERNIL (ROAST PORK SHOULDER)

PUERTO RICAN PERNIL (ROAST PORK SHOULDER) image

Yield 8 people

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

1 pork shoulder picnic
minced garlic
minced cilantro
oregano
sazon with annatto (it will say "con culantro y achiote". you can buy this at any store that sells goya products. it would be in the ethnic, hispanic, or mexican food section of your store. if you cant find it you can use a blend of salt, granulated garlic, cumin, coriander, and ground annatto. annatto gives it that orangey color. if you dont have a grinder, get a little pan with olive oil. about a 1/4 of a cup. put 1 tablespoon of whole annatto seeds in the oil and keep on low heat until the oil is really orange. use cheesecloth or a really fine strainer and get out all the seeds out. use this in place of the olive oil later in recipe)
adobo (this is also sold with the sazon. it is a blend of salt, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper and tumeric)
salt (if needed)
pepper (if needed)
lime juice
lemon juice
vinegar
olive oil
cilantro
smashed garlic cloves
the best way to do it is over a period of 2 nights. it is so worth it in the end. but if you dont have time, you can do it for 4 hours each.
take your pernil and put it on a cutting board or huge bowl. whatever you prefer. take about an inch knife and start stabbing your pernil. turn the knife to make bigger holes. this is the time to take out your anger. (just kidding).
the first night, you want to soak it in a huge bowl with vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, cilantro, oregano, and the smashed garlic.
the second night, rinse off everything.
ok now this step, i do because it just comes out so good but it really isnt necessary. i actually take my knife and cut under the skin until you can pull it back. i do this because when you finish cooking the pernil, you are going to have pork cracklings. when you take it off the pork after its cooked, you wont have any seasonings under it. so i do this so i can have seasoning under the skin too. and later it is easier to take the cracklin off later.

Steps:

after that, you are going to make a paste. it is going to include all the spices, minced garlic, minced cilantro, lemon juice, lime juice, and olive oil. add salt last. you dont want it to be too salty. when you have this thick paste, you are going to give your pernil a rub down. it do mean it literally. you might want gloves for this because the annatto will make your hands orange for a few hours. i dont use gloves because im used to having my hands in it. you are going to take that paste and rub it all over your pernil. those holes you made the night before when you stabbed it, are going to be filled with that savory seasoning. get it all in there with those fingers. now put it in the roasting pan you are going to use. cover it with aluminum foil. the next day you are going to finally cook it. yay!! there are 2 different ways to cook it. if you have all day: preheat your oven to 400. put your pernil in uncovered for 20 minutes. put aluminum foil on and reduce heat to 275 degrees. leave the pernil in there all day. preferably for about 6-8 hours. at the end of those 6-8 hours, uncover the pernil. increase heat to 400 degrees again for 20 minutes, or until the skin on top is crispy. if you DONT have time: preheat your oven to 400. put your pernil in uncovered for 20 minutes. put aluminum foil on and reduce heat to 350 degrees. leave the pernil in there until your meat thermometer reads 160-170. it would be about 2-4 hours depending on the size f your pernil. uncover you pernil. increase heat to 400 degrees again for 20 minutes, or until the skin on top is crispy. let sit for 20 minutes and dig in. enjoy!!