I'm a hispanic man that enjoys food. Especially Latin food. I love the bold spices, the heat, the acidity, the color and the mix of flavors! I'm always searching for something new to completely blow my mind and this is it. This dish has it all. Its marinated in citrus and finished with some amazing herbs. This will be a go to recipe for you. Its so incredibly easy and the flavor is huge.
Melt in your mouth Pernil
PREP TIME: 10 minutes, 4 minutes for Traeger to prepare
COOK TIME: 3 hours
RECOMMENDED PELLETS: Apple
SERVES: 8-10 for full pork shoulder
INGREDIENTS
7 lb pork shoulder
2 oranges
3 limes
1 bunch cilantro
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 c olive oil
1 tsp Traeger prime seasoning
PREPARATION
Let's start off with this beautiful piece of pork shoulder. The first thing you want to do, take a sharp knife and start to make shallow cuts along the meat all over. Make vertical and horizontal cuts, making a little meat checkerboard. Make sure you don't cut too deep. You're not really looking to take big chunks out, what we're doing is allowing the from the marinade we're going to make to really get in there and draw some water out as well as water soluble proteins. That will ensure a nice crust when its finished.
Alright, now that our meat is cut and ready let's go ahead and assemble our ingredients.
When I first made this recipe it turned out pretty amazing. I was so happy with the turn out. Although, I have made a few alterations. Get yourself a large bowl and cut your oranges in half and squeeze as much juice as you can get out of them. Next, use a small grater and zest 2 of the limes before you cut them and juice them into the bowl as well, while saving 1 lime for later. Then tear around 3/4 of the head of cilantro and place that into the bowl as well. Next you can add your 2 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp of Traeger's Prime rub. Yes, I know that's a good steak rub, this rub has a great, bold flavor and that adds nicely to the dish! Finally I add the 4 cloves of garlic and 1/2 c of olive oil and set to blend it all together with my stick mixer. Of course, you can use a blender or whatever you have available. I just feel this is the easiest. Once your marinade is mixed well, go ahead and coat every bit of your pork and let it sit at room temperature for one hour. I know, I know. Raw pork sitting out for an hour? Yes, with only an hour you shouldnt have to worry about any bacteria, also due to the fact the citrus will help to hinder any kind of activity of that sort. This time at room temperature will help raise the internal temperature of the meat and make it easier to cook thoroughly, rather than have to raise it from 30 degrees, or whatever your refridgerator is set at.
Now that the hour is almost up, start the Traeger on "Smoke" with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes) Once you're preheated and ready, set your temperature to 300 degrees and you're ready to place your pork on your grill. Cook your pork at 300 degrees for 3 hrs. It will be well worth it! After 3 hours is up your pork will be crispy and beautiful!
If you're anything like me, you're about ready to dive into this beautiful piece of meat. But, you must wait at least 10 minutes. This will help to hold in the juices, although you will see a nice amount of juice coming out, this stuff is moist! After the resting period slice your meat thinly, I suggest service with some nice rice! Finish off the pork with cilantro and the juice of the remaining lime. Enjoy!