Pernil Assado
A Brazilian roasted pork leg with a savory garlic and spice crust, slow-roasted until the skin crackles and the meat is fall-apart tender. Serve with farofa, black beans, and rice for an authentic feast.
- Total time
- 420 min
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 890
- Protein
- 68g
Ingredients
- 12 pounds pork leg, bone-in, skin on
- 20 cloves garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 cups beef broth
- 3 leaves bay leaves
Instructions
- 1
Remove the pork leg from the refrigerator and place it on a large cutting board, skin-side up. Pat the skin completely dry with paper towels, pressing firmly all over until no moisture remains — dry skin will crackle better during roasting.
- 2
Peel and mince the 20 garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots — and place them in a small bowl.
- 3
Add 4 tablespoons of kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, and 1 tablespoon of dried oregano to the minced garlic and stir with a fork until combined.
- 4
Pour 0.5 cup of olive oil and 0.25 cup of fresh lime juice into the spice mixture and stir until it resembles wet sand.
- 5
Using a sharp knife, score the pork skin in a crosshatch pattern by making cuts about 0.5 inches apart horizontally, then diagonally across, cutting through the skin and a thin layer of fat but not into the meat.
- 6
Set the oven to 325°F and wait until the indicator light or beep tells you it has finished heating, about 10 minutes.
- 7
Place the pork leg skin-side up in a large roasting pan (at least 16 inches long and 12 inches wide).
- 8
Using your hands or a small spoon, rub the garlic-spice paste all over the meat side and the scored skin of the pork, pressing it into the cuts and covering every exposed surface.
- 9
Pour 2 cups of beef broth into the bottom of the roasting pan (not over the pork) and add the 3 bay leaves to the liquid.
- 10
Slide the roasting pan into the oven on the middle rack, uncovered. Roast for 4 to 4.5 hours, basting the meat (not the skin) with the pan juices every 45 minutes using a spoon, until the skin is deep golden-brown and crackles when you press it with a fork.
- 11
If the skin has not crisped and darkened enough after 4 hours, increase the oven temperature to 450°F and roast for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, watching closely so it does not burn, until the skin is golden and crackly.
- 12
Insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone. The pork is done when the thermometer reads 190°F or higher, indicating the meat is tender enough to shred.
- 13
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the pork rest, uncovered, on the counter for 15 minutes before carving — this keeps the meat juicy.
- 14
Transfer the pork leg to a large cutting board and, using a sharp carving knife and fork, slice the meat against the grain into 0.5-inch-thick pieces, separating sections along the natural seams where muscles meet.
- 15
Peel away or break apart the crackled skin into bite-sized pieces and scatter them over the sliced meat.
- 16
Strain the pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a serving bowl, discarding the bay leaves and any solids, and offer as a sauce alongside.
Tools you’ll need
- large cutting board
- paper towels
- small bowl
- fork
- sharp chef's knife
- large roasting pan (at least 16 × 12 inches)
- oven
- meat basting spoon
- instant-read meat thermometer
- carving knife and fork
- fine-mesh sieve
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
