Ready In13 hr 35 min(15 min prepping; 8 hr marinating; 5 hr 20 min roasting)

Rating5(16)CommentsRead comments

Pernil is everything to me. It was the heart of the table at most family gatherings, the beautifully roasted pork shoulder that everyone waited for. This version, from my cookbook, “Everything Good” (Clarkson Potter, 2025), is exactly how it should be —­ juicy, full of flavor, with that perfect cuerito, the crispy skin. But to nail it, there are a few things you need to know: 1. Marinate it overnight. There’s no getting around this —­ some dishes just take time. 2. Be generous with the marinade and make sure every part of the pork is covered. 3. Don’t rush cooking it —­ no shortcuts. (Watch Toni make this recipe on Instagram.)

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Yield:10 to 12 servings

For Abuela’s Green Sofrito

1 bunch of cilantro (the freshest you can find!)

1 bunch of culantro (the freshest you can find!), see Tip

1 medium Spanish onion, roughly chopped

5 green ají dulce peppers, roughly chopped, see Tip

1 medium green bell pepper, roughly chopped

12 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

For the Pork

⅔ cup vegetable oil or extra-­virgin olive oil

16 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

2 teaspoons adobo seasoning

2 teaspoons Maggi seasoning

2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

2½ teaspoons sazón (culantro y achiote), such as Goya

1 bone-­in pork shoulder roast (8 to 10 pounds)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (10 to 12 servings)

7 grams carbs; 242 milligrams cholesterol; 944 calories; 36 grams monosaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 74 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 936 milligrams sodium; 60 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Make the sofrito:

Step 1

In a blender or food processor, combine the herbs, chopped vegetables, garlic, oregano and salt and blend until smooth. You should have about 2 cups. Set aside ¼ cup for the pork. Store the remainder in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or place in an ice cube tray and freeze. 1.

Marinate the pork:

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk the ¼ cup sofrito with the oil, garlic, adobo seasoning, Maggi seasoning, oregano, 2 teaspoons of the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sazón. 1.

Step 3

Use a sharp knife to carefully peel back the skin of the pork, leaving it partially attached on one side. Use the knife to evenly poke 8 holes all over the top of the meat (deep enough to insert garlic cloves). Flip the pork over and evenly poke 8 holes all over the bottom of the meat. Rub the marinade all over the pork, including underneath the skin, then place the large chunks of garlic inside the holes. 1.

Step 4

Pat the top of the skin dry with a paper towel. Season the top of the skin with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon sazón. 1.

Step 5

Place the pork in a large roasting pan and cover it with aluminum foil. Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate overnight. 1.

Roast the pork:

Step 6

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. 1.

Step 7

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and pat the skin dry with a paper towel. Cover the pork with aluminum foil, tenting it so that it doesn’t touch the surface of the pork, and bake for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is knife-­tender. 1.

Step 8

Uncover the meat, increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees, and continue roasting for 1 hour, until the skin is crispy and an instant-­read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork reads at least 145 degrees. (If the skin is not as crispy as you’d like, you can broil on low to crisp it up.) 1.

Step 9

Remove the pork from the oven. Let it rest for 15 minutes, then use ovenproof gloves or tongs to pull the meat off the bone and shred it. Serve each portion with a piece of skin on top.

Tips

Culantro, also known as recao, is an herb commonly used in Caribbean and Latin American cuisine. It has a long and rich history dating back to the Indigenous Taíno people, who used it for its medicinal properties. If you can’t find culantro, you can substitute it with more cilantro or with parsley, but keep in mind that the flavor profile will be different.

Ají dulce peppers are small, sweet peppers, often described as having a slightly smoky flavor. They are sold in Caribbean and Latino markets but if you can’t find them you can use mini bell peppers or other small sweet peppers.

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For an authentic Puerto Rican holiday meal, be sure to serve the pernil with arroz con gandules & pasteles. Bonus points if you also decide to serve arroz con dulce (rice pudding) or tembleque for dessert!

@Joe and plátanos maduros, oh and coquito of course.

I love the idea of crispy pork skin, but I have never found a grocery store that’s sells pork roasts with the skin still attached. I wish the recipe writers would provide suggestions on where to come by such a wonderful thing.

Sofrito and adobo are not necessarily interchangeable. Pernil requires generous amounts of Puerto Rican adobo—which isn’t exactly the same as, say, Filipino or Mexican adobo—not sofrito. There are plenty of adobo recipes online and available for anyone to research and choose from. Similarly, the Maggi seasoning isn’t essential and, like other brands of this type of stuff, has additives like MSG that should or need be avoided. Good replacements may also be found online as recipes for homemade sazón. Puerto Ricans have generalized the term “sazón,” originally the brand name of a Maggi-like commercial flavor enhancer readily available on the island, to designate such flavor enhancers. The home made variety has no MSG or such other stuff in it.

Arroz con gandules recipe please!!!

This makes me happy. My twin daughters were born in Fajardo. We lived on Vieques. I made Octopus salad one year for them.

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