Enjoy a delicious and easy dinner of Pernil al horno, a garlic marinated pork shoulder that is slow roasted until fall apart tender.
Happy Thanksgiving! Well the holiday is just one day away and there's no better time than now to post my recipe for Pernil al horno.
It's no secret. I love pork. Especially pork that has been marinating in garlic and oregano and olive oil and red wine vinegar. I've been doing this pork roast for several years and adapted it from a Tyler Florence recipe.
Pernil al horno is a Puerto Rican roasted pork shoulder and is typically made during the holidays. Last year we had this in place of the typical bird and served it with a bunch of Latin American side dishes (and a few large pitchers of sangria).
It was a delicious and wonderful change from the usual, and everyone loved it.
Of course, I felt totally guilty about not having the traditional Thanksgiving annual feast, so I ended up making a whole turkey with all the fixings for just J and I the very next day.
I'm a sucker for traditions. Regardless, this is a great recipe for roast pork and it can be enjoyed any time of the year.
Pernil al horno should be made with a skin on pork shoulder but they didn't have one at my store the other day so no skin it was. No crispy pork skin. BOOOOOOOOOOO.
By the way, when you get a skin on roast, it's way easier to use a utility knife to cut slashes on the skin so you can rub in the salt mixture. It can be found at any hardware store, is inexpensive, and is much sharper than a regular kitchen knife. Just be sure to keep it in one of your kitchen drawers instead of the tool box!
I can't wait to roast this tonight and eat it.
I roasted two shoulders because one is never enough, especially for two people. I need leftovers for Cuban sandwiches the next day. And leftovers to eat cold, straight out of the refrigerator, with salt and vinegar potato chips.
Action shot of J carving the roast. At this point, I'm hovering over the roast and snatching small, outside pieces of the pork to eat, while dodging the knife. And taking photos. What can I say, I live a dangerous and exciting life.
I ❤ Pork!
Hope you try this Pernil al Horno for a different and unique slow roasted pork roast recipe. Perfect for Paleo, gluten free, and low carb diets too!
Recipe

Pernil al Horno (Roasted Pork Shoulder)
Ingredients
- 4 pound boneless pork shoulder roast skin on
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 5-6 garlic cloves mashed
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
additional accompaniments:
Instructions
- Place pork roast in pan and cut ½ inch slits in all over pork skin fat, being careful not to cut through to meat.
- Mash together garlic cloves and salt. Place in small bowl and add olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano and black pepper. Mix well.
- Rub salt garlic mixture all over roast, pushing mixture into cuts in skin. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove roast from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350. Roast pork fat side up for 3-3 ½ hours, or until cooked thoroughly and skin is crispy. At the end of cooking time, can turn broiler on for a few minutes to crisp up skin even more.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
Mich
It’s so good, I’m making it for the 2nd time in 2 weeks. And, so simple to make! Thank your for sharing your recipe.
Paul
This was the best pork roast! Made it for a Sunday family dinner and we all loved it. Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Karrie
Welcome Paul and so happy you all loved it! Thank you for taking the time to review it too!
Heather Wells
Omg!!!! Love!
Karrie@tastyeverafter
Thanks!