Puerto rican pernil al horno, served in a cubano (roast pork shoulder in a cuban sandwich)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.

2. Place the crushed garlic in a small bowl and mix in the pepper, oregano, olive oil and salt. Mix together well.

3. Wash the pork and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, make very deep slits all over the meat, then pour over the garlic oil, spreading it with your hands to coat and rubbing it into the slits.

4. Wrap the oiled pork in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

5. Unwrap the pork and place in a deep roasting pan with the fat-side up. The meat will release a lot of fat, so the pan must be deep enough to catch it. The fat on the top of the shoulder will form crunchy 'cueritos' (crackling) as the meat cooks. Do NOT cover with foil.

6. Bake the pork in the preheated oven for about 3 hours (1 hour 20 minutes per kilogram), without turning. Let it cook for a little longer if the cueritos are not crunchy. If you are using a meat thermometer, the pork will be ready when it reaches 85ºC.

7. To make the Cubanos, place the butter, garlic and thyme leaves in a bowl and mix well.

8. Slice the ciabatta into rounds and spread the garlic and herb butter on the ciabatta slices.

9. Remove the pork from the oven and slice thickly. Place slices of the pork on top of half of the buttered bread slices, followed by a slice of Swiss cheese and some pickles. Place the other slices of bread on top to make sandwiches.

10. Place each Cubano in a sandwich toaster for 23 minutes, until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Cooks Notes:
If a picnic cut is not available, just buy a pork shoulder; it won't have the fat, so you will miss out on the crunchy cueritos, but it will still taste delicious.

Comments                        add a comment

Be the first to add a comment...

Ingredients

7 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp crushed fresh oregano
1 1/2 tbsp Olive oil
5 tsp Salt, (1 tsp for every 450g of meat)
2.25kg pork shoulder, picnic cut (with fat)

For the Cubanos:

200g Butter, softened
2 garlic clove, crushed
3 tsp thyme leaves
2 loaves of Italian bread, such as ciabatta
8 slices Swiss cheese
340g jar of whole sour dill pickles, sliced

Top Sponsored Searches

You may also like

Like this recipe? Print Print this recipe Save Save this recipe to My Recipe Book Share Email to a friend

Offers & Promotions

Great discounts on cookware
Real Italian food for real food lovers
Special offers on wine