Puerto Rican Pernil (Garlic Roast Pork Shoulder)

• 1 whole pork shoulder (picnic), bone-in and skin-on, 11 lb / 5 kg (the meat, fat and crisp skin are all eaten)
• 17 cloves fresh garlic (1½ per lb)
• about 2¾ tsp fresh oregano leaves (¼ tsp per lb)
• 2¾ tsp salt (¼ tsp per lb)
• 5½ tsp adobo seasoning (½ tsp per lb; the cook makes his own, mostly salt and garlic powder), plus a sprinkle for the skin
• 5½ tsp olive oil (½ tsp per lb)

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

1. Blend the garlic, adobo, oregano, salt and olive oil with the pulse button into a chunky, wet paste. (The cook uses 1½ garlic cloves, ¼ tsp each oregano and salt, and ½ tsp each adobo and oil per pound of pork.) 2:24
2. Turn the shoulder skin-side down, snip into the strip of skin and peel the skin and its fat layer off in one piece, cutting through the fat as you pull. Stab deep holes all over the meat on both sides. 4:24
3. Score the fatty underside of the skin in 1-inch (2.5 cm) cross-hatches so it can render. Push the paste deep into the holes, rub the rest over the meat and into the skin, lay the skin back on top, cover and refrigerate overnight (2 hours to 3 days works). 6:25
4. Pour about 1 inch of water into the roasting pan, seal tightly with heavy-duty foil and roast at 350 °F (175 °C) for 2 hours. Check there is still at least ½ inch of liquid, top up if needed, reseal and roast 2 hours more. 8:19
5. Raise the oven to 450 °F (230 °C), uncover, scrape off any stuck bits and sprinkle a little adobo on the skin. Roast uncovered 40 minutes, then check every 15 minutes until the skin is rock-hard and thuds when tapped (about 1 hour 10 minutes in the video). 9:31
6. Cover loosely with foil and rest 15 minutes, then break the crackling into pieces and pull or cut the meat to serve. 10:46

Tip. Serves about 16 (our estimate); the crackling is counted in the nutrition. For a 4–5 lb half shoulder, roast 2 hours covered and 1 hour uncovered. Store-bought adobo is saltier than the cook's homemade blend, so use less salt.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.