Pernil Asado (Roasted Pork Shoulder)
Pernil asado, the Puerto Rican style roasted pork shoulder, is an easy main dish that works not only for special occasions but for meal planning or feeding a whole family.
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 4 Hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 15 1x
- Category: Roasted Pork
- Method: Roasting
Ingredients
Scale
8/9 lb Bone-in pork shoulder
Marinade:
3/4 Cup of Olive Oil
2-3 tbsp of dry oregano
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp sazón
2 tsp black pepper
10–12 whole garlic gloves
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325 F
- Rinse and pat dry the pernil.
- With a sharp knife, loosen the top layer of fat.
- Make 10-12 small holes throughout the pernil
- Insert garlic cloves into the pernil
- Mix all the marinade ingredients. The measurements are up to you. Use more or less of each ingredient depending on your taste. I personally love a very garlicky pernil.
- With a spoon or silicone brush, brush the marinade all over the pernil. Make sure you flip the layer of fat to get the marinade between the fat and the meat.
- Place pernil fat side up on a roasting pan. I make mine in a Dutch oven, but a roasting pan or even a pan covered with aluminum foil will do.
- Cover and place in the oven. Set the timer for two hours.
- At the two hour mark, check for progress with a thermometer. If the pernil is less than 130 F, let it cook for another 30-45 minutes covered until it reaches this temperature.
- At 130 F, uncover the pernil and let it cook for an hour. This will allow the “cuerito” fat layer to brown and start to crispen.
- After an hour, the pernil will be around 155 F. At this time, place the oven in “Broil” for 15-30 minutes to get that crisp cuerito (fat layer). Note: Pork is fully cooked at 160 F. The last step on broil will get it there.
- Make sure to check-in with the pernil every 10 minutes because you don’t want it to burn.
- Once the cuerito is nice and crispy, let it rest for 30 minutes before serving.
