Pérnil al caldero is a Puerto Rican staple of succulent slow-cooked pork with shatteringly crisp skin that’s seasoned with adobo, a garlicky, oregano-spiced marinade. The name is a combination of pérnil — a pork roast, usually either the shoulder or ham — and caldero, the dish’s cooking vessel, an aluminum pot with rounded sides, a tight-fitting lid and excellent heat conduction.
Achieving the dish’s characteristic crisp skin on the outside with juicy meat inside can be a challenge. In this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we found the best way to ensure this was by braising the roast stovetop, then removing the skin as a single piece and frying it in a skillet. Of course, a caldero is the traditional choice for preparing pérnil al caldero, but a large Dutch oven also works perfectly well.
To make the adobo, we combine a handful of garlic cloves, oregano, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper, then pound with a mortar and pestle to form a smooth paste. The paste then is rubbed all over the roast, which is wrapped in plastic and set in the refrigerator to marinate for at least four hours.
The roast then is braised with even more garlic and oregano; the soft, creamy cloves are mashed with the cooking liquid and a couple of splashes of vinegar to create a flavorful sauce to spoon over the finished dish.
Puerto Rican Slow-Cooked Pork Roast (Pérnil al Caldero)
Start to finish: 6 hours (45 minutes active), plus refrigeration
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
15 medium garlic cloves, peeled, divided
2 tablespoons dried oregano, divided
3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
5- to 7-pound bone-in, skin-on Boston butt roast or pork picnic shoulder
1 1/2 cups grapeseed, vegetable or other neutral oil
Directions:
In a mortar, combine 10 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt and 1 tablespoon pepper. Pound with the pestle to form a smooth paste.
Using a sharp, slender knife, pull back the skin of the pork with one hand while cutting horizontally into the fat between the skin and meat to remove the skin in a single piece, leaving it attached, or hinged, along one edge. With the skin peeled back, rub the garlic-herb paste on all sides of the roast; do not coat the surface of the skin. Replace the skin. Wrap the roast tightly with plastic wrap and set on a large plate. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably longer (up to 24 hours).
When ready to cook, unwrap the roast and pat it dry with paper towels. In a large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven or caldero over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil until barely smoking. Add the pork skin side up and cook until well browned on the bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 2 to 3 cups water around, not over, the pork to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches; the amount of water will vary depending on the diameter of the pot and size of the roast. Scatter the remaining 5 garlic cloves and the remaining 1 tablespoon oregano into the liquid around the pork. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce to low and simmer gently until the center of the pork (not touching bone) registers 195°F, or a skewer inserted into the meat meets no resistance, about 5 hours; if the liquid evaporates, add more water to maintain a depth of about 1 1/2 inches.
Remove the pot from the heat. Transfer the roast to a large plate and tent it with foil. Tilt the pot to pool the liquid to one side and use a wide spoon to skim off and discard as much fat as possible from the surface. Using a potato masher, mash the garlic cloves until smooth. You should have about 2 cups cooking liquid. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, then taste and season with pepper; set aside.
Using the sharp, slender knife, cut the skin free from the roast and place it fatty side up on a cutting board. With a soupspoon, carefully scrape off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the neutral oil into a 12-inch nonstick skillet, then place the skin fatty side up in the pan. Partially cover and cook over low, occasionally shaking the pan, until the skin is golden brown and crisped on the bottom, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and wipe any condensation from the inside of the lid. Flip the skin, partially re-cover and cook until the second side is golden brown and crisped, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
Remove and discard the bone from the pork. Slice the pork or cut it into chunks. Arrange on a large platter and pour some of the juices over the meat. Cut the crisped skin into pieces and scatter over the pork. Serve with the remaining juices on the side.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap
Christopher Kimball, The Associated Press
