No Holiday Meal Is Complete Without My Abuela's Puerto Rican Pernil

As a self-proclaimed "foodie," all of my most vivid memories from childhood revolve around the delicious dishes prepared in my Puerto Rican/Colombian households, and my Puerto Rican abuela's famous pernil is no exception. Puerto Rican pernil, or slow-roasted pork shoulder, is a traditional dish that is most commonly served during the holiday season, alongside a heaping tray of arroz con gandules and habichuelas guisadas.

Growing up, my abuela would use any event — from baby showers to weddings — to make this succulent, slow-roasted pulled pork all year long, and I was recently inspired to keep the tradition alive in honor of our beloved matriarch. What I hadn't realized, however, was that roasting a Boricua-approved pernil requires technique, as there are many diverse layers to a traditional pernil, and each one needs to be just right in order to keep everyone at la fiesta happy.

While traditional American pulled pork is often served swimming in barbecue sauce, Puerto Rican pernil is best enjoyed straight off the bone and dunked in just a little bit of the seasoned cooking liquid. For many Puerto Ricans, the experience wouldn't be complete without the satisfying crunch of crispy chicharrón, or pork skin. You see, there are various textures and flavors within one single pan of roasted pernil to be enjoyed, and each one has its own devoted group of followers (I personally zero in on the juicy insides of the pork shoulder). However, if you love pork rinds or other variations of fried pork skin, this recipe will be just as satisfying for you, too.

The trick to getting a perfectly seasoned, fall-off-the-bone pernil is to pierce the raw meat as deeply and as much as you can before slathering a homemade seasoning mixture all over the exposed sides of the pork shoulder and into the holes you created. For a crispy pork skin, on the other hand, I've found that carefully slicing the skin away from the meat, drying it completely, and propping it atop moistened toothpicks gives the best crunchy chicharrón. If you somehow find yourself with leftover pernil after the party, you can always place whatever's left in an airtight bag, and freeze it for up to three months for extended enjoyment, or use it in another pork shoulder recipe.