Pernil al Horno (best pork Ive ever had)

"In the Puerto Rican countryside, you can often find roadside stands where whole pigs are roasted and plates of the succulent pork (lechón asado) are sold to passers-by. Pernil al horno is the popular homemade version. Pork shoulder is marinated in a flavorful mixture of garlic, oregano and vinegar and then slowly roasted until the meat is almost falling apart."


Sorry about the lack of prep and marinating pics, but you can get the idea from my description. Started off by throwing in plenty of garlic, fresh oregano, salt, pepper, ancho, EVOO, and a tablespoon of white vinegar into the food processor. Made a paste and rubbed that beautiful butt down, bagged her up and sat her in the fridge for the night. This morning I threw her on the smoker at 250. Didnt use any smoke wood this time.. Only coals. I was not wanting to overpower the pork in any way. After 4 hours I achieved the color I was looking for. Threw the butt in a pan, with a little stock and wrapped her up. She was ready at exactly 8 hours. (only 4 lbs).
I then whipped up some Spanish rice, some of my moms homeade salsa, and dinner was served. Best pork I’ve ever had.


You MUST toast the rice just a bit before adding the tomatoes and stock..







The pork was some of the most tender, (but not mushy) meat I have ever had...








Here's yours..



Here's mine..


Thanks for lookin y'all.

rtg said:

Nice~! I bet that would make the best Taco's!!

Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking too! My wife is trying to not eat as many flour tortillas as we normally do. (Tacos are her favorite food in the world), but guess whos having pork tacos for lunch today... This guy. :biggrin1:

Thanks everyone!