Daryl’s Pernil Dinner

This recipe has six components: the pork shoulder itself, the sofrito, the chicharrón, black beans, rice, and salsa.
You should start the meat the night before, but the sofrito marinade and the low-and-slow cooking can be cheated
with a pressure cooker or high-temperature braising. It will be good, but not phenomenal.

Pernil Ingredients:
6-8 lbs. bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder, sometimes labeled as pernil or pork butt (a 4 lb. boneless Boston butt is fine, but the skin is
necessary for the chicharrón)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 t. kosher salt
1-2 limes for garnish

Sofrito Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 T. freshly ground cumin
3 T. fresh oregano (1 T. dried oregano
1 T. freshly ground black pepper
2 t. kosher salt
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
½ -1 c. orange juice
juice of 3 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (include stems

Two-Day Pernil and Sofrito Directions:

1. Peel and thinly slice the 4 cloves of garlic lengthwise. Set aside.
2. Prepare the sofrito with the remaining ingredients. Blend with a commercial stick blender (best), or a home blender. Avoid a food
processor because it will probably leak. Set aside.
3. Cut 1-inch long, 1-inch deep slits all over the top and sides of the roast and insert garlic slices. Make as many cuts as you have
slices. You can also partially cut the skin or fat loose from the top of the pork, leaving a 1-inch hinge in the middle, and then make
the slits directly into the roast underneath. Rub with salt.
4. Place the pork shoulder in a 2-gal. zipper bag and pour in the sofrito. Refrigerate up to 24 hours; the longer the better, but overnight
for 8-12 hours is fine.
5. Approximately 11 hours before serving, take the pork out of the refrigerator to warm for a hour.
6. Heat oven to 475 F. Place the pork and sofrito in roasting pan or Le Creuset-type Dutch oven and roast uncovered for 1 hour. Add
chicken broth or water as needed to prevent burning.
7. Reduce heat to 275 F., cover with foil or lid and roast for approximately 8 hours. Add chicken broth or water as needed to ½” in
depth.
8. Remove cover and roast for another hour. Or, raise heat to 500 F. and roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Add water as needed.
9. Remove from oven and allow the roast to rest for 20 minutes or more while the rest of the meal is completed.
10. Pour off sofrito broth, degrease, and serve as a gravy for the rice.
11. Meat can be sliced and served as a falling-apart roast or deboned and shredded with two forks.

One-Day Pernil and Sofrito Directions:

1. Heat oven to 475 F.

2. Peel and thinly slice the 4 cloves of garlic lengthwise. Set aside.
3. Prepare the sofrito from the remaining ingredients. Blend with a commercial stick blender (best), or a home blender. Avoid a food
processor because it will probably leak. Set aside.
4. Cut 1-inch long, 1-inch deep slits all over the top and sides of the roast and insert garlic slices. Make as many cuts as you have
slices. You can also partially cut the skin or fat loose from the top of the pork, leaving a 1-inch hinge in the middle, and then make
the slits directly into the roast underneath. Rub with salt.
5. Place the roast fat side down in a lightly oiled roasting pan or Le Creuset-type Dutch oven. Roast uncovered for 1 hour, turning the
roast at least twice.
 2 of 3
6. Reduce heat to 325 F., pour some of the sofrito into a separate basting bowl and spread 4-5 T. of sofrito over the top of the roast.
Cover the roasting pan with foil or a lid and roast for approximately 3 hours, turning at least twice and basting with sofrito each
time.
7. Turn roast fat side up and roast uncovered for another hour.
8. Remove from the oven, cover, and allow the roast to rest for 30 minutes or more while the rest of the meal is completed.
9. Remove the roast from the roasting pan to a serving platter. Meat can be sliced and served as a falling-apart roast or deboned and
shredded with two forks. Cut each lime into 8 or more wedges and place on the platter with the chicharrónes. Pass the remaining
sofrito.

Chicharrón Directions:

After removing the roast from the oven, carefully slice the blackened skin off the roast. If there is too much fat attached to the underside,
fry briefly to render it, or scape the fat off with a spoon. Use kitchen shears to cut the chicharrón into 1 in. pieces.

Black Beans (Frijoles Negros) Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black beans, cleaned and rinsed

2 slices thick bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
8 c. water
1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 large sprig fresh epazote (optional, easy-to-grow weed)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 t. salt (more to taste at end)

Black Beans Directions:

Simmer all ingredients for about 1-1½ hours or until beans are very tender. (No presoak.) Add water as needed. Beans can be prepared
a day ahead and reheated.

Salsa:

Combine the following:

¼ c. small diced onion

1½ c. diced fresh tomato, diced
1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro
¼ t. salt
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
 3 of 3
Rice:

Use medium-grain rice (Arborio, Latin American brands, etc.). 2 c. rice + 3 c. water should be enough.

Corn Tortillas:

While not typically part of a Puerto Rican or Cuban pernil meal, pernil with sofrito and lime juice is really good on a corn tortilla.

Serves 8+