Cleo Coyle's Pernil: Puerto Rican Style Roasted Pork Shoulder

Cleo Coyle has a partner in 

crime-writing—her husband.

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Cleo Coyle’s Pernil:
Puerto Rican Style
Roasted Pork Shoulder
With the cold nip of fall now in the air, the holidays will soon be upon us; and because it’s wise to test recipes before serving them to guests, this is a great time to introduce you to my husband’s version of a Puerto Rican pernil, a marinated and roasted pork shoulder that's often made in Latin American homes during the holiday season.

Like my fictional character Matteo Allegro, my husband, Marc, is a wonderful cook and he enjoys making this dish throughout the fall and winter because: (a) it’s a mouth-watering delight, (b) it's extremely economical, and (c) it's suprisingly easy to make.

The aromatics of the rub always make me swoon and the finished product looks and tastes amazing. Like a stunning holiday turkey, a roasted pork shoulder will really 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.)

Pork shoulder roasted this way is tasty sliced right off the bone. Over the years, we’ve served it with an array of sides: Spanish rice, chili-lime corn, roasted purple Peruvian potatoes, tangy Thai-inspired coleslaw, olive oil-drizzled avocado slices, caramelized organic carrots, and warm, cheesy biscuits. (Watch this Blog for some of these recipes in the near future!) The second day, we like to use our pernil leftovers for soft tacos.

Place the pork slices in a warmed flour or corn tortilla, add fresh salsa (or crisp shredded lettuce), guacamole, a bit of hot sauce, and top it with a dollop of sour cream. Pernil is also used to make Cuban sandwiches—another great serving idea.

And now without further ado (or even adobo!), here is
my husband’s version of the Puerto Rican classic…
just click the link below...

To get my recipe for

Puerto Rican Style

Roasted Pork Shoulder,

click here!

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CLEO'S FOODIE
VIDEO CAPTION:

In my ongoing effort to win this year's Oscar, I bring you this week's how-to video clip (below), which shows you what I consider to be the most difficult part of this recipe—wrapping the pork shoulder in plastic. No kidding! If you try to wrap the meat with pre-cut lengths of plastic, you may end up in a cling wrap battle royal. Our trick is (1) put a length of plastic wrap under the meat before you apply the rub; and (2) do not sever the wrap from the roll! When the meat is ready to go, just remove the entire cling wrap roll from its cardboard box and use it to guide the wrap around the meat as many times as you need to. Only after the meat is fully cocooned in plastic should you cut the wrap free of its roll—just use a scissors or clean slash of a sharp knife. (By the way, these handsome hands belong to my husband, Marc!)