[Shane R]

Today is 3 Kings Day, as big or bigger than Christmas in importance on Puerto Rico. It is a day to commemorate the arrival of the 3 Kings from the East to visit the infant Jesus. Children leave out a box of grass for the Kings' camels and find a gift in the box in the morning.

My wife was Puerto Rican and although she has been gone for 4 years I try to maintain some of these traditions for our daughters so if they want to visit their kinfolk on the island they are not clueless. So today we shall prepare a holiday pork roast called Pernil.

This is made with the picnic arm roast rather than the Boston Butt. The cut is typically sold skin on. To prepare the meat we are going to flap the skin but do not remove it completely. Tip: you should be able to get your finger up under it on one side and start to peel it; start from here and take a sharp knife at an upward angle - we don't want much fat on the back of the skin. This will eventually become our chicharrones.

(I cut this a little too much. 3/4 of the way is ideal. I've reached 9/10.)

 

[Shane R]

I'm doing a 1/2 today, 4-5 lbs (mine is 4.77). Next we will make the marinade. Ingredients:
10 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup oil
3 Tbsp lemon or lime juice (vinegar is also acceptable)
1-2 Tbsp cilantro or oregano (recipes vary on this and I think it's because many people don't like cilantro, but I'm using it)
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper

Let me tell you about Adobo. It's an all purpose seasoning that is popular in PR. It has the salt, garlic, oregano, and a dash of pepper. This can be subbed for the salt above but you'll need to add 1 tsp of pepper still.

Now let's talk about sofrito. It's sort of a thin pico de gallo that is used extensively in PR cuisine. Some recipes call for this but that's not how my wife made it, nor her family. If you want that flavor add it some rice and beans.

Now, the traditional technique to work this stuff into the meat is too stab the meat all over with a small knife making small holes you can poke the end of your finger into. Then you fill them up and slather what's left on the surface. I've found an easier way to do this: pour the stuff down the face of the meat and take a blade tenderizer and slap it a bunch of times - move quick before it runs off!

Let this sit for at least 8 hours, up to 48.

 

[Wooleybooger]

TwoKnots will like be along. She has spoken of pernil several times.

 

[Two knots]

Yes, pernil is a wonderful cut of meat, it is inexpensive and that is what I use to make pork Pattie’s.
I get it at our Spanish market.

The fat on the outside can get so crispy when cooked properly.
Thanks for your recipe Shane, it sounds delicious…

My nephew married a Puerto Rican girl, and they take the skin and roast it at high temperatures until it crackles…soo delicious.
When I roast Pernil, I start it off in the Pressure cooker for awhile,,,then remove it and season it and switch to the oven to Roast it and crisp it up. It saves roasting time…otherwise the oven is on for several hours.

 

[Colbyt]

I never see those little hams anymore, have not for many years now. At one time you could buy them everywhere.

 

[Two knots]

Colby, if you have a Spanish market, look there…

 

[Two knots]

Shane, not to hijack your thread, but, I found my method of cooking pernil.

This is for a 7 - 8 lb. Roast.
First season pork with salt/pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
then fry all over in a iron pot with a little oil to brown it up…

Remove pork and put it in crock pot. Fry a chopped onion and put the fried
onion in the crock pot with the pork.

Then put in about 1 1 /2 cups of water,
a cut up potato, a piece of carrot, and some celery tops.
season with salt/ pepper, 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce,
2 tablespoons cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar,
1 Tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, and a bay leaf.

Cook it in the crock pot on high for 2 hours, then cook on low for 1 3/4
hours…

Then take it out and put it in a roasting pan on top of a rack and
pour all the broth from the crock pot into the roasting pan…( chop up carrot and potato
and give it to the dog. Roast for about one hour at 375° on a rack with the juices from the crock pot to
crisp it up…thicken gravy with a slurry of cornstarch in at least 1/2 cup of milk.

I hope you try this method and let me know how you like it. You could always dress the pernil
with your own flavoring, as you demonstrated in your post.

this is it …after I fried it up in oil in my cast iron wok.

this is it, when it first goes into the crock pot.

This is it, after it’s roasted

And this is it on the dinner plate, with mashed potatoes, gravy and German string beans.

 

[Wooleybooger]

I question about the meat. As stated a picnic arm roast. Could that be a fresh, uncured picnic ham. It looks like the fresh picnic hams I've seen but they were 8 to 9 pounds bone in.

 

[Two knots]

I donno… Fresh ham is sold here as Fresh ham here...it’s pork,

 

[Shane R]

I question about the meat. As stated a picnic arm roast. Could that be a fresh, uncured picnic ham. It looks like the fresh picnic hams I've seen but they were 8 to 9 pounds bone in.

Yes. You've correctly identified it. I don't recall where I bought it but they were selling halves. The last grocery I worked at would merchandise this way when the cut was in the weekly ad. They usually come cryovacced. Since many people balk at buying such a large piece of meat we would open a few and cut them in half. We would sometimes peel the skin off too, since older white people generally did not want it.

The cut can be used for pulled pork, it's just drier than the Boston Butt and doesn't shred as readily.

 

[Wooleybooger]

Yes. You've correctly identified it. I don't recall where I bought it but they were selling halves. The last grocery I worked at would merchandise this way when the cut was in the weekly ad. They usually come cryovacced. Since many people balk at buying such a large piece of meat we would open a few and cut them in half. We would sometimes peel the skin off too, since older white people generally did not want it.

The cut can be used for pulled pork, it's just drier than the Boston Butt and doesn't shred as readily.

Cool I've bought many of them and gotten them sliced 3/4 thick for "steaks". I'd cut the skin off before cooking.

 

[Wooleybooger]

Next time I can get this cut I may give this a try.

 

[Roll_Bones]

Yes, pernil is a wonderful cut of meat, it is inexpensive and that is what I use to make pork Pattie’s.
I get it at our Spanish market.

Pernil is a method/recipe not a cut of meat.

The fat on the outside can get so crispy when cooked properly.

This crispy skin is called "chicharron ". Its my favorite. I like it better than the meat.

When I roast Pernil, I start it off in the Pressure cooker for awhile,,,then remove it and season it and switch to the oven to Roast it and crisp it up. It saves roasting time…otherwise the oven is on for several hours.

We always roasted all the way at 350° until it was done. Never ever used any other cooking method. I always enjoyed the aroma as it roasted away. When the skin and fat is rendering, those pieces of garlic pushed into it melted almost.
I always make sure to insert garlic in the fat and skin as well as deeper into the meat.
Back home in Miami some people would have the Cuban bakery roast the pork. They had an uncanny ability to get the crispiest skin while the meat stayed juicy and tender.

I never see those little hams anymore, have not for many years now. At one time you could buy them everywhere.

They are available in any grocery store around here. They are small ones and very big ones (whole leg). I see the big ones around the holidays. They are marked as "Fresh Ham Leg Portion" I think. You can't miss them. It looks like a big ham that has not been processed. This is one of my favorite cuts of meat.

I question about the meat. As stated a picnic arm roast. Could that be a fresh, uncured picnic ham. It looks like the fresh picnic hams I've seen but they were 8 to 9 pounds bone in.

We discussed this before. They come cut (shank) and whole (butt). Just like processed ham. 2 options. This one is just the lower portion. (shank)

This is the whole leg portion (butt). I have never found one this small in a grocery. I assume you would need to have access to whole hog to get a smaller cut. Processors don't market these smaller cuts. Specialty would.

The terminology can get confusing. Butt, shank, fresh ham and on and on. But one thing is a fact. A Boston Butt is not what we are discussing.
The roast we are discussing here is either the whole leg or the whole leg cut in half

 

[Shane R]

Yes. Oven roasted at 350 figuring about half an hour per pound. If you can't get it to stand up, flip it once. Turn it up the last 10-15 minutes to crisp the skin. This works best under a broiler but my gas range is not equipped with one.

I went around the Southside of town twice this week and couldn't find a plantain. So I made chayote instead, Spanish rice, and corn.