Pernil

As tradition built it

Pernil

Serves 8 to 10 . 5 hours (plus resting to marinate, best overnight)

Ingredients

• 3 to 4kg (7 to 9 lb), bone in pork shoulder, deep cuts scored across
• 10 to 15 cloves garlic
• freshly ground, generously pepper
• 2 tbsp, dried oregano
• a squeeze lime juice
• 2 tbsp adobo seasoning
• a dash soy sauce
• a little achiote or egg colouring
• generously, to taste salt

Method

1. Make an adobo of garlic, pepper, oregano, lime juice, adobo seasoning, a dash of soy sauce and a little achiote or egg colouring.
2. Work the adobo into deep cuts scored across the pork shoulder, salt, and massage thoroughly.
3. Wrap in film and foil to rest and let the seasoning penetrate before roasting.
4. Roast: one representative method is 325°F for two and a half hours, then raised to 375°F for a further roughly two and a half hours, until the internal temperature reaches 205°F and the skin is crisp and golden; an alternative gives 350°F for four to five hours to 180°F internal, then a final 45 to 60 minutes at 375°F to crackle the skin.

Notes

Each island seasons pernil slightly differently within the same basic method, which is worth stating plainly rather than presenting one version as the whole tradition.

What a modern chef changes

An even render, a broiler-fast crackling

Rung 04

Method

1. Hold the shoulder sous vide at a precise low temperature for the bulk of its cooking, replicating the even, fall-apart tenderness a whole animal roasted slowly over wood or in a buried pit would achieve, without needing either.
2. Finish the skin alone, scored and dried thoroughly first, under the Big Green Egg's direct high heat or a hot broiler for real, blistered crackling in minutes rather than the final hour of a long, slow domestic oven roast.
3. Grind the marinade's garlic and spice mix fresh in the spice grinder immediately before use rather than relying on a pre-mixed adobo, for a sharper, more distinct seasoning against the meat's own long, even cook.