PrintPernil Recipe
As per Adam's request I am posting my recipe for pernil. Pernil, for the uninitiated, is roast pork shoulder. This is a great way to feed about 10 people for less than $30.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pork Shoulder about 8 to 10 pounds
Mojo Recipe for Marinating the Pork
Put all these items into a blender and blend well:
1 head garlic
1 bunch cilantro
5 tsp Kosher salt
5 tsp black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
3 cups OJ, freshly squeezed if possible
1 cup white wine
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp cumin powder
1 small onion finely chopped
PROCESS
1. After you wash your pork in cold water, take your pork shoulder and with a sharp paring knife, cut slits into the pork about a 1/2 inch long and a 1/2 inch deep all around the pork. This will allow the marinade to get into the pork.
2. Place the pork into one of those clear oven bags and pour the mojo into it, making sure to massage the mojo into the pork. Allow it to marinate overnight or at least 6 hours, but the longer you let it marinade the better it will taste. Tie off the bag and put the pork in the refrigerator.
3. Take the pork out of the fridge for a half hour before placing it in the oven.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove pork from the bag. Place pork on a deep roasting pan, fat side up, if you have a rack for the pan, use it. Roast pork for 1 hour at 400°, and then turn it down to 350° for 2 to 3 hours. If you have a meat thermometer, insert it after 3 hours total cooking time. Meat is done when temperature reads 180° in the middle.
Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 20 minutes. Carryover cooking time will bring the meat to 185°.
Enjoy everyone!
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15 Comments:
This sounds great! Looking forward to trying this out at home.
Alaina Browne at 2:17PM on 01/15/07
Thanks, Nelson. Sounds delicious and looks easy to make. Also looks like it'll make a lot. Feeds 10 people or 1 person over the course of several meals! ;)
Adam Kuban at 2:28PM on 01/15/07
Its the first time I have ever posted a recipe so I hope its easy to understand.
nelson5757 at 2:48PM on 01/15/07
Looks pretty good! I ran it through the Serious Eats format-o-tron to add some bolding here and there for better visual readability. Other than that, very easy to read and understand. Looks like I have my work cut out for me this weekend, cooking-wise. Thanks again, Nelson5757!
Adam Kuban at 8:43PM on 01/15/07
Just a note to those that may not realize the intricacies of pork part naming: A pork shoulder is typically labeled "pork butt," so if you're looking for a shoulder roast in the store and can't seem to locate one, look for a pork butt. This recipe sounds rockin', by the way. Can't wait to try it!
EJ at 1:18PM on 01/16/07
Yes it can also be called picnic pork, why? I have no idea. BTW Thanks for making my recipe look pretty Adam.
nelson5757 at 4:12PM on 01/16/07
This recipe sounds delicious, but I would encourage you to cook it to a significantly lower temperature. I would pull it from the oven at 160 (for a final temperature of 165), and a lot of people would go as low as 155.
anapestic at 10:24AM on 01/17/07
Great recipe. Try to change the white wine for some cachaça (brazilian tipical liquor) or tequila. It will boost the flavor by 1000
Chef in Brazil at 10:04PM on 02/11/07
Ah I love pernil with a big bowl of arroz con gandules y tostones. It was always the thursday special at this little HIspanic restaurant I worked at. For some reason, I always happened to be working on thursdays. haha
Joseph Bayot at 10:40AM on 04/30/07
The fresh OJ appears to be a substitute for actual sour oranges (naranja agria), which you should be able to get at a Hispanic grocery store, particularly in NYC. They look beat up and mottled and have a more dried out and hard skin.
The sour orange really helps, it you want it to be a true mojo. What you have above is closer to an Adobo Mojado
http://www.daisycooks.com/pages/recipes_detail.cfm?ID=3
Also I would toss the white wine vinegar in favor of cider vinegar and / or some lime juice, you need the higher acidity.
Also if you really want to make it latino, it also needs recaito in the marinade.
http://www.daisycooks.com/pages/recipes_detail.cfm?ID=5
jperlow at 12:34PM on 05/18/07
My husband makes something like this but he does it on a grill at a fairly low temperature for about 6 hours. Also, you can boil the marinade and reduce it to make a sauce. So delicious.
ceres at 12:55PM on 05/18/07
Nelson, I came across your recipe for Pernil which you posted last year and am in the process of making one right now. The difference is I am using a Wild Boar Shoulder, that was given to me by a hunter friend. Since you seem very knowledgeable about it - I was wondering if you think I need to add some fat - a lot of wild game recipes call for bacon - or if you think that the slow cooking will tenderize the meat enough with what little fat is there.
Thanks, LeeBee
LeeBee at 10:08AM on 01/19/08
My 2 cents' worth on the wild boar: I'd leave it in the marinade longer, and cook it long and slow, mostly with a cover on it - a braise, really. I've marinated venison 5 days, and it was worth it.
lemons at 11:03AM on 01/19/08
Thanks, will do that! I wondered if covering would help - since most Pernil recipes call for uncovered but Boar is ...well, tough would be an understatement, wouldn't it. I'll let you know how it turns out.
LeeBee at 11:48AM on 01/20/08
Follow up on that Wild Boar Pernil. It came out great - really tender and yummy. I pretty much let it cook all day on low heat - covered. Thanks for the input.
LeeBee at 10:59AM on 01/30/08