Pernil Asado (Roast Pork Shoulder)

Pernil Asado Puertorriqueno (Puerto Rican Pernil) is the most classic and delicious meat served year round but especially important through the holidays. It is a slow cooked Pork Shoulder Roast producing the most tender juicy meat with the most amazing crispy skin topping. An absolute gem of a dish in Puerto Rican Cuisine!

From Thanksgiving, all the way through Three Kings Day, we enjoy many traditional delicious dishes.

From arroz con gandules (pigeon peas and rice), pasteles, ensalada de papa, ensalada de coditos, tostones, and pavochon (Puerto Rican style turkey).

But a Puerto Rican Christmas, is not complete without Pernil Asado or Roasted Pernil on the table! It is truly the star of a Puerto Rican Christmas dinner!

Luckily for me, it would simply not be a proper or traditional Navidad without it!

This hyper-flavorful pork shoulder roast is by far my favorite part of Christmas dinner!

The flavor of a pernil asado is just out of this world and once you have a piece, you just want more and more!

What is an Authentic Puerto Rican Pernil?

Authentic Pernil is a classic Puerto Rican dish of bone in pork shoulder roast.

Although some families will buy and cook a boneless roast it is most commonly bought and made with bone in.

It is seasoned with a delicious blend of spices, lots of garlic and allowed to marinate at least overnight for full infusion of seasonings.

It is then placed in the oven and slow roasted for a few hours producing the most tender juicy pork you will ever have!

But any pernil lover will tell you that the best most flavorful part of a pernil is its crispy skin!

Guavate, Puerto Rico

We love our pork so much that there is a whole area in the mountains in Cayey, Puerto Rico called Guavate filled with lechoneras; open aired restaurants specializing in cooking whole roasted pig cooked over an open flame.

Go to Guavate and find yourself in an overly palate pleasing journey!

You will find a road filled with these lechoneras starting from the base of the mountain and continuing for miles on both sides of the road.

La Ruta del Lechon (The Route of the Roasted Pig) as it is more commonly known is especially wonderful on the weekends where families and locals enjoy eating, drinking and dancing to live bands.

Guavate is truly a delicious culinary roasted pork experience. By far the best roasted pig you will ever have amongst other amazing delicious foods served throughout this culinary road!

Ingredients for Pernil Asado Puertorriqueno (Puerto Rican Roast Pork)

All Puerto Rican homes have their own way of seasoning a pernil, however I think we can agree on the basics!

That is adobo, oregano, garlic. Lots of garlic!

However, some other homes like to also smother the pork with sofrito and Sazon as well.

I have always seasoned my pernil with of course the basics but also add cumin, pepper, vinegar and a little bit of crushed red pepper.

My Mojo Seasoning for an 8 pound pernil:

• 1 head and a half of garlic cloves (about 14 cloves)
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp ground pepper

Adobo, sprinkled all over roast.

How to Make Pernil Asado (Roast Pork Shoulder)

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1. Add all the ingredients to a blender or food chopper until well blended and forms a paste.
2. Rinse the pernil. Place in a roasting pan.
3. Score the top of the skin with a knife and also make a few slits underneath skin about an inch and a half deep.
4. Make a few more slits all over pork shoulder, top bottom and sides.

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1. Using your hands, rub the garlic paste all over pork shoulder including inside all the slits you have made.
2. Sprinkle the whole roast with adobo.
3. Cover the roast with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

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Cooking Pernil Asado Puertorriqueno (Puerto Rican Roast Pork)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Take the pernil out of the refrigerator and let it sit on counter for 30 minutes before roasting.
3. Add a cup of water to bottom of roasting pan.
4. For each pound of roast, cook pork shoulder covered 35-40 minutes per pound. Example: for my 8 pound pernil, I cooked it for 4.5 hours.
5. Increase oven to 450 degrees.
6. In the last 40 minutes of cooking, uncover pork and crisp skin until bubbly. (Keep a close eye on it that it doesn’t burn)
7. Once pork is cooked, remove from oven and let it sit for 20 minutes before carving.
8. Transfer pork to a cutting board and remove skin. Cut skin into pieces.
9. Cut pork and return pieces to roasting pan. Let it sit in pan juices to soak up all the flavors. (Note: The pork will fall apart and almost resemble shredded pork.

Serving Pernil Asado (Roast Pork Shoulder)

This next step is optional but so delicious, I had to share it with you!

I like to slice two red onions and place in a saucepan with juice from one lemon or lime.

Cook onions over medium heat until soft but still a little crunchy.

Place cooked onions in a bowl and serve beside pork when serving pernil asado.

Here’s a Handy Guide for Pork Shoulder Weight, Cooking Times and Servings

• 4 lbs | 2.5 hours | 5 servings
• 5 lbs | 3 hours | 7 servings
• 6 lbs | 3.5 hours | 9 servings
• 7 lbs | 4 hours | 11 servings
• 8 lbs | 4.5 hours | 13 servings
• 9 lbs | 5 hours | 15 servings
• 10 lbs | 5.5 hours | 17 servings
• 11 lbs | 6 hours | 19 servings
• 12 lbs | 6.5 hours | 21 servings