barking up the right tree

Two out of three SoBro residents are of Hispanic origin. 

White folk here make up just 2.1% of the population.

So naturally at Christmas, we did as the Puerto Rican’s do. 

We made pernil, a roasted pig shoulder. 

The best party meals combine delicious tradition with ease of preparation, and "Pernil al horno" hits both marks.

All the prep is done the night before, so you can party with your guests while your oven does all the work. 

A Puerto Rican colleague put this marinade together for us, so our effort would be authentic.

She said it never comes out the same way twice, but at least the Adobo is in every market here.

Start with a full-skin pork shoulder, about 6 or 7 pounds.

 The skin is essential for this.

Loosen the skin around the ankle and cut deep slits into the raw meat.

Now fill the ankle with the marinade, and work it deeply into all the cuts you’ve made.

Slather the whole thing and put it into a tightly lidded roasting pot. 

This roast was just a bit too large for our roasting pot, so I gave the lid a little help from my toolbox.

Now into the fridge.

And that’s about it. 

From here on figure 325F undisturbed for about

And then another 45 minutes or so uncovered to crisp the skin.

Whoa baby. TV chefs call this “the bark.”

It's rich and insanely tasty.

Do it. You know you want to.