Impressive to
serve yet easy to make, this slow-roasted, crispy-skinned pork shoulder
is a beloved treat in many Latin American homes, especially during the Christmas season. Like a
stunning holiday turkey, a roasted pork shoulder will wow your dinner
guests. (They’ll think you worked a lot harder than you did because there’s no
basting, just pop it in the oven and turn it a few times.)
Cleo Coyle has a partner in
crime-writing—her husband.
Learn about their books
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Happy
Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Feliz Navidad!
~ Cleo
~ Cleo
Slapped on a fresh roll, it makes a delicious sandwich, including traditional Cubans. Or place the pork slices in a warmed flour or corn tortilla with guacamole and sour cream and you've got an outstanding taco...
And now without further ado (or adobo!),
here is our version of the Puerto Rican classic...
🍴
Cleo Coyle's Holiday Pernil
10 garlic cloves, peeled
5 tablespoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons Goya brand Adobo seasoning
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red, white, or cider vinegar (or red or
white wine)
3 lemons or limes, juiced (or mix them to make a lemon-lime
juice)
1 bone-in pork shoulder with skin (6 to 8 pounds)
NOTE - If an advertisement annoyingly covers some of these ingredients on your screen, I apologize. (It's not my ad, and I have nothing to do with its appearance or placement.) But I can give you a free, takeaway version of this recipe. Please click here for the recipe PDF, where you can see all ingredients clearly. Thank you! ~ Cleo
NOTE - If an advertisement annoyingly covers some of these ingredients on your screen, I apologize. (It's not my ad, and I have nothing to do with its appearance or placement.) But I can give you a free, takeaway version of this recipe. Please click here for the recipe PDF, where you can see all ingredients clearly. Thank you! ~ Cleo
Directions:
Step 1 - Create the rub: If you have a food processor, then take the first 9 ingredients on a
quick spin to make a paste. No food processor? Then simply place the first 6 ingredients on a flat dish. Smash the peeled garlic
cloves with the prongs of a fork, crushing the flavor into the dry ingredients.
(A mortar and pestle is the traditional method.) When the mix resembles a fine
mash, drizzle in your olive oil, vinegar (or wine), and lemon or lime juice. Blend the whole thing into
a paste. Set aside.
Step 2 - Score the pork shoulder: After rinsing and drying off
the pork shoulder, make six to eight 2-inch long slices around the white skin with
a sharp knife. You should slice far enough to penetrate the skin and fat and allow
the knife to cut shallowly into the meat under the skin. (See my photos below.)
Step 3 - Apply the rub: Before you begin, place the pork on a long sheet of plastic wrap. Now massage the swoon-worthy fragrant rub ("adobo" in Spanish) all over the surface of the pork, making sure to work the paste into the cuts you made in the skin. Massage the meat well, rubbing the herbs into the flesh on all sides.
Step 3 - Apply the rub: Before you begin, place the pork on a long sheet of plastic wrap. Now massage the swoon-worthy fragrant rub ("adobo" in Spanish) all over the surface of the pork, making sure to work the paste into the cuts you made in the skin. Massage the meat well, rubbing the herbs into the flesh on all sides.
Step 5 - Prep for cooking: Before roasting, the pork shoulder must come to room
temperature, so allow the wrapped meat to sit outside the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Unwrap the pork and discard the plastic wrap.
DO NOT RINSE THE MEAT. Place it on a rack over a shallow pan, skin side up. Roast
uncovered for about 45 to 50 minutes
a pound, depending on your oven, so a 6 pound shoulder would need to slow roast
for 4-1/2 to 5 hours, an 8 pound roast 6 to 7 hours, and so on.
Step 6 - Turn the Meat: Every hour during the cooking, flip the meat over. In other words, you will start roasting the pork shoulder with the skin side up. After an hour, flip the shoulder so the skin side is down for the second hour, and so on, every hour of cooking. You are turning it this way so the skin will cook evenly on all sides and the juices will be distributed properly. At the end of the cooking time, the meat should be at an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
This is the pernil after the first hour of cooking Flip the pernil once every hour for perfect distribution of juices and browning of skin. |
If the thermometer is under that temperature, then place the meat back in the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes and check again. By the end of the roasting process, the skin will be beautifully browned and delicious. (Yes, we eat the skin!) And may you eat with joy!
🍴
For a free downloadable PDF
of this recipe that you can print, save
or share, CLICK HERE.
of this recipe that you can print, save
or share, CLICK HERE.
Click here for the free recipe PDF. |
May your holidays be delicious!
Eat (and read) with joy!
Pre-order now at:
Bulletproof Baristaincludes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
Coming Soon
New Paperback Edition!
Learn more or pre-order at:
Includes a mini guideto honey varietiesand a wonderful menuof delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image abovefor Cleo Coyle's Free IllustratedRecipe Guide to Honey Roasted
~ Fresh Fiction
"DELIGHTFUL" ~ Kirkus Reviews
To Buy:
The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works
of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
20 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.
Get a free Title Checklist of
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here or on the image below.
👇
Pre-order now at:
Bulletproof Barista
includes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
of delicious recipes!
Coming Soon
New Paperback Edition!
Learn more or pre-order at:
Includes a mini guide
to honey varieties
and a wonderful menu
of delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image above
for Cleo Coyle's Free Illustrated
Recipe Guide to Honey Roasted
~ Fresh Fiction
"DELIGHTFUL" ~ Kirkus Reviews
To Buy:
The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works
of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
20 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.
of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
20 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.
Get a free Title Checklist of
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here or on the image below.
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here or on the image below.
👇