Fork N’ Flavor • Main Recipe
Extra-Juicy Dominican-Style Pernil
Fork N’ Flavor • Main Recipe
🇩🇴 Extra-Juicy Dominican-Style Pernil
No brine. Overnight marinade. Butter & bone broth injection. Deep garlic-citrus flavor with pull-apart tender pork and crispy, blistered skin.
Tip: Add your featured image above this card. Use Alt Text: Extra-juicy Dominican-style pernil with crispy skin roasted in the oven.
Ingredients
Pork
- 1 bone-in pork shoulder (pernil), 8–10 lbs, skin on
Garlic (Important)
- 12–14 fresh garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed into a paste (≈ 4 tbsp once minced)
Dominican tip: Smash garlic with a little salt and mince very fine. The flavor hits best when the garlic is almost paste-like.
Marinade
- Juice of 2 oranges
- Juice of 6 limes
- Zest of 2 oranges
- Zest of 2–3 limes
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (optional but recommended)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- 1–1½ tsp Louisa Organic Sazón
- 2 tsp kosher salt (adjust for sazón + soy)
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Butter & Broth Injection (Right Before Cooking)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup bone broth or chicken broth, warmed
Do not inject the night before. Inject right before roasting for the juiciest results.
Timeline
- Night before: Marinate (12 hours)
- Cooking day: Warm slightly → inject → roast low & slow
- Finish: Crisp skin at high heat
- Rest: 30 minutes uncovered
Metric note: 8–10 lb pernil ≈ 3.6–4.5 kg. Roast time still depends on tenderness (180–190°F / 82–88°C internal).
Equipment
- Roasting pan + heavy-duty foil
- Meat injector (for butter/broth)
- Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
1) Night Before — Marinate
- Score the skin only in a shallow criss-cross pattern. Do not cut into the meat.
- Gently lift the skin and rub marinade directly onto the meat.
- Rub remaining marinade all over the exterior.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate 12 hours. Do not inject yet.
2) Cooking Day — Inject
- Remove pernil from the fridge 45–60 minutes before roasting.
- Mix melted butter + warmed broth and keep warm.
- Inject every 1½–2 inches, focusing near the bone and thicker muscles. Small amounts per spot; a little leakage is normal.
3) Low & Slow Roast
- Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C).
- Place pernil skin-side up in a roasting pan.
- Add ½ cup broth or water to the bottom of the pan.
- Cover very tightly with foil.
- Roast 6–8 hours (about 45 min per lb) until the internal temp reaches 180–190°F (82–88°C) and the meat is pull-apart tender.
4) Crisp the Skin
- Remove foil.
- Raise oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Roast 30–40 minutes until the skin is blistered and crisp.
5) Rest
- Rest uncovered for 30 minutes to keep skin crispy and juices locked in.
Chef Notes
- Garlic texture matters: paste-like garlic = Dominican flavor.
- Foil tight = juicy: seal the pan well during the low roast.
- Don’t rush crisping: let the skin blister at 425°F after the meat is already tender.
- Rest uncovered: covered resting softens the skin.
