Slow-Cooked Pernil

A plate of juicy, luscious, ultra-tasty and so easily prepared pernil!

When I stopped to get some Red Baron pizzas, I perused the meat section as I usually do any time I enter a store that has a section of fresh meat. There I saw a pork shoulder blade roast (aka butt roast with a bone in it), on sale. I had to get one. After all, I recently came across a slow-cooker recipe for pernil!

This recipe is one from The Noshery, written by a Puerto Rican gal in one of the southern states, found while browsing Tastespotting. After my previous experiences with pernil, I thought having a slow-cooker recipe would do me well.

I didn't change anything but settings during the time my hunk of pork cooked. I'm sure I mentioned it before, but in case I haven't, my slow-cooker is a nuclear reactor even on low, so have learned to cut cook time. Click the link below to see the original recipe at Meseidy's site (and maybe browse around at all the other fabulous food she has there while you are at it).

Slow-Cooked Pueto Rican Pork (Pernil)

4 lb pork butt roast
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
4 tsp salt

Combine garlic, pepper, oregano, olive oil, vinegar and salt.

Rub entire pork roast with garlic mixture, place in 8x11" baking dish and refrigerate overnight (or 21 hours as in my case), covered with plastic wrap.

Allow roast to come to room temperature.


Place in 5 quart crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours and then on warm until ready to serve.

Damn, this is some good as hell pork!! "Oh, man, it's fuckin' awesome," says Rodney. I dare say this is some of the best pork I've ever had.

Um, let's see, simple recipe, cheap cut of meat, near-zero effort. Let's break it down cost-wise:

Cost:

• pork shoulder blade roast: $4.02

Let's say everything else cost $0.98, resulting in a total of $5 to make this recipe. And there is enough for 6 people, including complete glutons like Rodney and me. That makes each serving $0.83. Get that? 83 cents.

You shouldn't have to ask I'll make this again. 

Notes:

• I was somewhat doubtful about the browning capacity of a slow-cooker, but was proven wrong! The pork will brown in one of those suckers!
• Imaging food during the day definitely gives it a nice glowing look, as if it has a halo.  You can really tell the difference between the time I put the pork in the crockpot (noon-ish) and when it was done (about 8 p.m. and totally dark outside). I need a third shift job.  All of my images would be really pretty then!

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