Puerto Rican Pernil Recipe
This Puerto Rican Pernil recipe makes fall-apart tender shredded pork loaded with garlic, peppers, and citrus. Thanks to the Instant Pot, it only takes a fraction of the time to make it!
Servings: 8
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion coarsely chopped
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 bulb garlic cloves separated and peeled, divided
- 1 serrano pepper seeded, ribs removed, and chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 4 pound boneless pork shoulder roast
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
For Serving:
- cooked rice
- corn tortillas
- lime wedges
- chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a food processor or blender, combine the onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, orange juice, half of the garlic cloves, serrano pepper, oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper; process until smooth. Reserve about ⅓ of the marinade in a separate container; put it in the fridge and save it for serving. Pour the remaining marinade into a large separate mixing bowl or dish, and set aside.
- Prep the pork and marinate. Cut slits into the pork shoulder roast. Fill each slit with the remaining cloves of garlic. Place the pork roast in the dish with the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 8 hours.
- Bring to room temperature. When ready, remove the roast from the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking. Remove the pork from the marinade, drain off any excess liquid, and discard the marinade.
- Brown the pork. Select the “saute” button on your Instant Pot and heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil. To the heated oil, add the pork roast and brown on all sides; remove the roast from the IP and set aside.
- Deglaze. Carefully pour in the chicken broth and stir all the browned bits from the bottom of the instant pot.
- Cook. Return the pork roast to the IP; lock the lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 60 minutes. Release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Finish and serve. Remove the pork from the instant pot and transfer it to a cutting board; shred it with two forks or meat-shredding claws. Serve with rice, tortillas, lime wedges, cilantro, and reserved marinade.
Notes
- Pork Shoulder: Pernil is the Spanish word for pork shoulder, which is why we are using pork shoulder for this recipe. For an evenly cooked roast, I suggest removing the pork shoulder from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before you are ready to start with the recipe.
- Serrano Pepper: If you can't find serrano peppers, use jalapeno peppers, but they're not nearly as spicy. If that's also not an option, you can use cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Keep in mind that substitutes are different from fresh peppers and will offer different textures and tastes.
- Orange Juice: Freshly squeezed orange juice is always the better option, but you can also use store-bought orange juice.
- Instant Pot Pernil: Traditional pernil takes 4 to 6 hours to roast in the oven, about 35 to 45 minutes per pound. Therefore, I like to use my Instant Pot and cook it for around one hour, or about 15 minutes per pound.
- Serving Pernil: Pernil is traditionally served with rice and beans, but I also like to serve it taco-style and stuff it in corn or flour tortillas.
Nutrition
Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 407mg | Potassium: 560mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 172IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
