Best Pernil Ever

Pernil is a delicious Puerto Rican holiday dish made with pork shoulder that's marinated and then roasted until meltingly tender with crispy skin.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 hr
• Total Time: 5 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 463 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 9 cloves garlic
• 1 (7 pound) skin-on, bone-in pork shoulder (picnic) roast
• 1 (1.5 liter) bottle red table wine
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Step 2

Crush garlic into small pieces in a mortar and pestle. Add olive oil, salt, oregano, and black pepper; mash into a paste.

Step 3

Make 12 deep incisions a few inches apart in roast using a sharp knife. Pack seasoned garlic paste evenly into incisions and over roast.

Step 4

Transfer roast to a large bowl. Pour in red wine, covering roast completely. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Step 5

Discard red wine. Place roast fat-side up in a roasting pan; cover with aluminum foil. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Step 6

Place roast in the preheated oven; reduce temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake until slightly pink in the center, about 4 hours.

Step 7

Increase temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Uncover roast and continue baking until fat is crispy and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), about 1 hour more.

Step 8

Remove from the oven and let rest before carving, 20 to 30 minutes.