Daisy:Morning,
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Pernil
Nothing, and I mean nothing, says holiday party like a beautiful, fragrant, juicy pernil. Whatever you’re celebrating, try to get the pork marinating at least two days before the big event. That will not only flavor the roast completely, but get the main course prep out of the way well in advance.
Marinate the roast up to 3 days before you plan to cook it: Make several slits about 2 inches apart and 1½ inches long through the skin of the roast and into the meat. Make the slits about half way through the roast (unless you hit a bone) Wiggle a finger in the slits to make them easier to fill. (Although the adobo isn’t spicy, you may find that a pair or latex gloves come in hand for this.) Fill each slit with the adobo, coaxing as much as you can into each with the help of an espresso spoon or small teaspoon. Turn the roast over and do the same to all sides. If you have adobo left over, rub it all over the outside of the roast. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 day or up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Set the roast skin side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast 1 hour, turn the heat down to 400° F and roast until the skin is deep golden brown and crackly and there is no trace of pink near the bone, about 2 hours. An instant reading thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast should register 150° F. To be sure, check the roast in a few spots. Let the roast rest at least 15 minutes before carving.
To serve, remove the crispy skin. It will pull right off in nice, big pieces. Cut them into pieces—kitchen shears work well for this—and pile them up in the center of the platter. Carve the meat parallel to the bones all the way down to the bone. (It will get trickier to carve neat slices as you get near the bone; don’t let that bother you.)
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