Scroll Top

Puerto Rican Pernil/Roast Pork

Puerto Rican Pernil/Roast Pork - The Freakin Rican Restaurant

Ingredients

  • 8-10 lbs. pork shoulder
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • ½ tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 2 packets Goya Sazon
  • 1 cup freshly minced garlic
  • 3 tbsp Freakin Rican Sofrito

(Let pork shoulder marinate for 2-3 days, then cook at 350 degrees for 5-6 hours: details below)

Directions

TO MARINATE:

  • First, cut off excess fat from shoulder. Then use your knife to carefully separate the skin from the meat.
  • While skin is pulled back, poke holes into the meat. Turn over and repeat. (This is where you will put the garlic for great flavor!)
  • Then run pork under water to clean, and let water drain for a bit. Put pork into a large bowl.
  • Pour the apple cider onto pork, rub it in, turn it over and make sure it is thoroughly covered with the vinegar.
  • Dump out excess vinegar. Sprinkle seasonings on both sides of the pork: salt, cumin oregano, and Sazon.
  • Then put half of the garlic under the skin and stuffing the holes. Then turn pork over and cover the pork with the rest of the garlic, also stuffing the holes on the other side.
  • With your hands, rub all seasonings all over the shoulder making sure it is entirely covered.
  • Then add the Freakin Rican Sofrito, rubbing it in and all over.
  • Transfer the pork into an aluminum tray. Lift the skin up. What ever seasoning is left in the bowl, put it under the skin.
  • Flip skin back over and keep it facing up.
  • Cover the pan with aluminum foil, making sure the foil is loose enough at the top so that it isn’t touching the pork. (This is so that when you need to remove the foil later, it won’t stick to the skin.)
  • Let pork marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

TO COOK:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Put pork in oven and cook with foil cover on for 2 hours.
  • After 2 hours, remove foil and let cook uncovered for another 3-4 hours. Then check to see if pork is done or if it is still tough. When roast is done, the outside will be crispy, and the meat should fall off the bone!

Enjoy!

our chefs

Freakin-Rican-About
DERICK LOPEZ
Executive Chef

Comments (2)

I made this last night after watching your video and it was great! I had a 9ish lb shoulder and cooked it for 3hours uncovered. Some parts were super tender some were not. But the debate at home is if I keep it in longer at same temp won’t it dry out? Also I notice in your video you cooked 2 at the same time which I might need to do for Christmas. Does the general time in The oven change?

Glad it was a hit. You can always lower the heat to 325 and cook a little longer. Hope that helps.

Leave a comment

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram