Smoked Pernil- Puerto Rican Roast Pork Shoulder

Last Updated on April 4, 2024 by Carne Diem

Protein:

Origin: Puerto Rico, Taste of the Islands

Method: Smoker or Oven

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This roasted Puerto Rican Pork shoulder recipe is cooked on a smoker for an extra layer of flavor. Authentic pernil is a great pork shoulder recipe to cook on a smoker at home for special occasions or a nice BBQ dinner.

Puerto Rico has quickly become one of our family's favorite Caribbean destinations. The food is fantastic, and the people are friendly. Old San Juan is one of our favorite cities in all of the Caribbean with its old forts and Spanish architecture. We were excited to recently return to the Island of Enchantment as one of our first post-Covid vacations and it was just as enchanting as we remembered.  One of our favorite things about Puerto Rico, however, is the food and when it comes to Puerto Rican cuisine, pernil is one of the islands most iconic dishes.

Background of Pernil

Pernil is a festive roast pork dish that is widely popular in Puerto Rico and in many countries across the Caribbean.  Derived from the Spanish word pierna, meaning leg, pernil typically consists of slow roasted pork shoulder or ham.  This succulent pork dish is marinated in flavorful seasoning, stuffed with garlic, and covered in sofrito. The pork is then slowly roasted for juicy perfection.  This dish is typically served as a holiday meal or for a special occasion but this Puerto Rican pernil recipe is a great Caribbean recipe to make year-round. 

These days the dish is typically made from a whole or section of pork shoulder. Though you can make the dish with a Boston butt, we highly recommend using a skin on roast so you can also enjoy the crispy pork rind, or cuero.  The delicious crispy skin is one of the best parts of this pork shoulder recipe.  For this recipe we are using a skin on picnic roast and cooking the pernil on our smoker, to add a subtle smoky element to the dish.

Making the Smoked Pernil

Ingredients needed to make Puerto Rican Pernil

To make this Puerto Rican Smoked Pernil recipe you will need:

8-10 Pound, Skin On Picnic Shoulder

Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic cloves are thinly sliced and then the sliced cloves of garlic and stuffed into the tender pork meat. 

Sofrito: Sofrito is a sauce consisting of tomato, peppers, onion, garlic, and spices. You can make this from scratch, or it can typically be found in the Hispanic aisle of most supermarkets.

Adobo Seasoning: Adobo seasoning is an all-purpose seasoning used frequently in Latin and Caribbean countries.  It typically consists of salt, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, cumin, and oregano. 

Sazon: (Achiote style)

Oregano: Whenever possible use fresh oregano leaves.  They really do make a huge difference in the recipe.  In a pinch you can substitute dried oregano.

Trim the meat and marinade

Start with an 8-10 pound picnic roast.  A picnic roast is the lower section of a pork shoulder, located below the Boston butt. It is traditionally cooked with the skin on.

If you can't find a picnic roast, pernil can be prepared with a pork butt or even a fresh ham.

Prepare your dry spice rub by combining the Adobo and Sazon. Both can now be found in many supermarkets or will be available at most any Hispanic market.

Prepare your garlic but peeling the garlic and slicing into slivers.

Carefully peal back the skin from the fresh pork roast, while still leaving one end intact.  Puncture the meat on all sides with a sharp paring knife and stuff the deep cuts with slices of garlic. 

Next, generously season the roast with the dry rub and then cover the meat with the sofrito.  Be sure to work the marinade into the holes with the garlic. 

Sprinkle the meat with the fresh oregano.

Next, pull the skin back up over the meat and score the skin and fat cap with a very sharp knife in a cross-hatch pattern.   You want the marinade under the skin, not on it. Try not to cut all of the way through to the pork. Wipe any marinade off of the surface of the pork skin.

Place the roast in a pan and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to marinate overnight in a refrigerator.   

Cooking the Smoked Pernil

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature while you set up the smoker.  Make sure the pork skin is completely dry prior to cooking, to help it crisp up properly.   Preheat your smoker to 325 degrees. 

Cook the pernil with the skin toward your heat source for the first 2 hours. 

After 2 hours, reduce your heat to 250 degrees and flip the pernil over so the skin is away from the heat source. 

Continue to cook until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 185 degrees in the thickest part of the pork.  This will typically take another 6-8 hours, but every piece of meat and smoker cooks differently so monitor the cook with a meat thermometer or check with an instant read thermometer.  This is the ideal temperature to remove the pork roast as it allows enough time to break down the connective tissue of the pork, so the pork is juicy in tender, without cooking it to the point that it becomes pulled pork.

If the skin begins to get took dark, you can spritz it with some apple juice or cover the roast with foil to prevent further browning.  If you cover with foil, you will want to uncover the meat at about 175 degrees so the skin can crisp back up.

Resting, slicing, and eating the Smoked Pernil

When your smoked pernil has reached 185 degrees, remove it from the smoker and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

If your skin is not adequately crispy, or softened due to wrapping in foil, you can remove the skin before wrapping to rest. Increase the temperature of the smoker back to 300-325 degrees and place the skin facing the heat source. Cook for 5-20 minutes, to finish your skin to crispy perfection.

Slice the Smoked Pernil and serve while warm.

What to Serve with Roasted Pernil

In Puerto Rico, Pernil is traditionally eaten with arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas). It also goes great with a side of charro beans, black beans, or yellow rice.

Leftover pernil is perfect for our Caribbean Roast Pork Sandwich or when used to make Grilled Cubanos.

The leftover meat can also be vacuum sealed and reheated later. By far the best way to reheat meat like brisket or pork and avoid drying it out is with a sous vide. You can read more about this useful kitchen tool on our Tools of the Trade page, or by clicking here.

If you are looking for more pork recipes, then be sure to check out our renditions of Eastern North Carolina Pulled Pork, Spanish Cochinillo Asado: Roast Suckling Pig, and Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin.

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