Stress Free Slow Cooker Pernil
Turkey is to Thanksgiving as Pernil/Lechon is to Latin’s on Noche Buena a.k.a. Christmas Eve. Growing up, my Cuban dad would have epic Christmas Eve parties. The men would sit around in the backyard drinking Coronas as they surrounded a whole pig that was roasting underground for hours. Well… living in the City of Chicago, I definitely don’t have the real estate to roast an underground pig. So instead, I’ve adopted the Puerto Rican Pernil that is so delicious. This stress free slow cooker pernil recipe allows you to free up your oven space & focus on the other checklist items for your Noche Buena Party!
Ingredients
~ 9lb Pork Butt (Bone-In)
1 Cup of Sofrito (See Recipe)
1/2 Cup of Goya Mojo Sauce
~ 20 Garlic Cloves of Peeled Garlic (3 Garlic Heads)
4 Packets of Sazon con Achiote (Goya or Badilla Brand)
4 Tablespoons of Kosher Salt (Diamond Brand)
1 Tablespoon of Adobo Powder (Goya or Badilla Brand)
2 Tablespoons of Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons of Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon of Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon of Cumin Powder
1 Large Slow Cooker
Serves: 8 - 12 People
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Slow Cooker Cook Time: 8 Hours
Serve w/: Rice & Beans (See Easy Rice Cooker Arroz Con Gandules Recipe) & Latin Potato Salad.
Directions
Quickly rinse pork butt in cold running water and then add pork butt skin side up into large slower cooker.
Pierce deep holes on sides and bottom of pork butt. For each puncture, deeply insert garlic clove into pork. Garlic cloves will help infuse flavor deep into the meat. (Tip: Try to avoid piercing the top skin portion to allow for perfect pernil skin.)
Sprinkle salt, followed by remaining powders on all sides of pork butt.
Add Goya Mojo Sauce and then slather sofrito on all sides of pork.
Set slower cook on high for 8 Hours.
In the last 20 minuets of cooking, place pork in shallow baking dish and place in oven on 450 degrees for 15-20 mins until pork skin is crisp. Buen Provecho!