Pernil (Puerto Rican slow-roasted pork)

Keshia Sakarah shares her recipe for pernil. This Puerto Rican slow-roasted pork (usually leg or shoulder) is often served at Thanksgiving or Christmas. The roast pork is poised to collapse into a glistening pile of  fall-apart meat. The citrus juice in the garlicky marinade helps keep everything tender, and we guarantee you’ll be fighting over the crunchy crackling.

Keshia’s story A chef and food writer who founded Caribe’ restaurant and Baruru supper club, which explores Caribbean food history and culture. Keshia’s debut cookbook, Caribe’: A Cookbook With History, is out in 2024 (Hardie Grant).

 

  • Serves 6-8
  • Hands-on time 30 min, plus overnight marinating. Oven time 6 hours

Nutrition

Calories
557kcals
Fat
20.3g (6.4g saturated)
Protein
91.6g
Carbohydrates
1.7g (0.9g sugars)
Fibre
0.4g
Salt
2.6g

delicious. tips

  1. Making this dish for Christmas? All the work for this dish can be done on Christmas Eve, as the pork is best left to marinate overnight. All you need to do on the day is pop it in the oven in the morning.

     

  2. “Pernil is a Puerto Rican slow-roasted pork dish (usually leg or shoulder), with tender meat and crispy crackling, often served during celebratory meals such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. The name is said to derive from the Spanish word ‘pierna’ meaning leg and ham in Catalan. It is commonly marinated in adobo mojado – a mix of garlic, oregano, extra-virgin olive oil and sour orange juice. Usually, it is served with arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) and tostones (twice-fried green plantain). Each element of the dish speaks to the various cultural influences from the native Taino, Spanish and West Africans within Puerto Rican culture and cooking. The dish usually includes sour orange juice, which I’ve substituted for a mixture of orange and lime juice.” Keshia Sakarah

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