Pernil – a tender, fall apart Puerto Rican pork shoulder LOADED with flavor. This instant pot method skips the marinating time and the lengthy cooking time. Have this Instant Pot Pernil on your table in a little over an hour.
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The Instant Pot is Like Magic
Okay, I’ll admit, I was late to the Instant Pot game.
I do have a valid reason, though. Years ago I experienced a stovetop pressure cooker explosion. I was horrified. Due to my typical absent mindlessness, I knew the old school pressure cooking method was NOT for me.
Times have changed. An Instant Pot is designed to be just about foolproof, even for the most distracted like myself.
I love using the Instant Pot for cooking tough meats into tender morsels in a fraction of the time. I love it for quick dinners, for making bone broth, and cooking dried beans & lentils. It is such a time saver!
Looking for another Instant Pot recipe? Check out this Instant Pot Butter Chicken – a classic Indian dish that features tender chicken in a creamy, mildly spiced tomato-based sauce that will tantalize your taste buds. Ready in under 30 minutes!
Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder
Pernil is a vibrantly seasoned and melt in your mouth Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder. Every Puerto Rican cook I know makes a wonderfully unique & delicious pernil.
Pernil usually takes half a day to cook – that’s NOT including the 8-24 hour marinating time.
This recipe is absolutely not an authentic or traditional method of making pernil. Click here for my traditional pernil recipe.
What this recipe is, though, is a quicker, more approachable method. This Instant Pot Pernil recipe can be made pretty much last minute any day of the week.
Pressure cooking intensifies spices, seasonings & flavors. This allows us to make this recipe without a marinating period.
Ingredients & Instructions
A traditional pernil uses pork shoulder. The shoulder is seasoned, marinated, and then roasted whole in a low oven. When tender, the oven is then cranked up to high temp to crisp up the fat cap & skin.
For this recipe, we are cutting the pork into chunks. So technically you could use a pork shoulder or pork butt. I’ll go on record and say that I still prefer the texture of pork shoulder for this recipe.
The other thing to keep in mind is that you can save all the fat after cooking and crisp it up in a hot oven.
Cooking times do not include the pressurize & depressurize time. These add about 20- 30 minutes to the process. You can choose to manually release the pressure at the end of the cooking cycle – but I’ve found it’s best to let it naturally release with meats.
I love serving this Instant Pot Pernil very simply with white rice, green olives and black beans.
Hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!
Amanda ♥
Instant Pot Puerto Rican Pork Roast (Pernil)
Ingredients
- 4-6 pound boneless pork shoulder or butt roast
- 3 tablespoon adobo seasoning scant (I use Goya brand)
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder scant
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon tumeric optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup liquid stock, broth, water
Instructions
- Cut pork roast into 4″-5″ chunks. Place in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Combine all spices, except bay leaf, in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Thoroughly coat pork pieces with dry seasoning mix.
- Add pork and bay leaf to pressure cooker.
- Pour in 1 cup of liquid. Make sure bay leaf is under liquid.
- Close up pressure cooker and run on Meat/Stew function for 70 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally.
- Shred/chunk pork roast and serve. I love this served with white rice, green olives and black beans. The liquid remaining in the pressure cooker will be very salty so do not dump copious amounts of it over meat or rice.
I came close to buying a pressure cooker a couple times this past year but just haven’t gotten the nerve to do it. The horror stories of explosion is always on the back of my mind. I know, I know, I know it is safe…but I just have to get over that mental hurdle. Getting delicious slowed cooked pork like this in just over an hour might be too good to pass up.
Hi Thao & Amy! Too funny how we’re all so iffy with modern pressure cookers. I tripled checked the manual and instructions before starting it lol. I’ve used it so much since getting it – you gals will LOVE it!
i have a pressure cooker, but am afraid to use it! One of these days…… This roast looks so flavorful!
I love my new Cosori. Get over your fear and get one. It’s fabulous.
Great recipe! I made a few modifications such as omitted the salt (Adobe has plenty) and swapped sage for cilantro. I also added a few teaspoons of white vinegar.
Hi. I’m confused regarding you using the word scant after stating the amount of tablespoons for garlic and the Adobe seasonings. Doesn’t a scant mean a little?
Thanks
Hi Pam. Scant would be not quite whole – just barely reaching a full tablespoon.
I had an old stove top pressure cooker and loved it but was always afraid I wouldn’t get the pressure or the time right. I now have an electric one and I love it. Pernil takes me two days to make. With the pressure cooker it is done so fast. I do take it our of the pressure cooker and put it in a 500 degree oven for about twenty minutes to get that good crust and crackling on it.
Thank you for that tip, I was wondering about getting it crispy. Do you pour the juices in before you put in the oven?
I made this tonight and it was amazing. Couldn’t find adobo seasoning, but found a recipe to make our own that was super simple. It turned out so flavorful and tender. Served as you suggested with the rice beans and olives and absolutely loved it. You
Hi, it seems that your recipe is more of a tradicional pull pork recipe than “real Puerto Rican Pernil” as advertised. I still like your recipe for the first phase on the process but you’re done yet until you use the oven or buy a “Ninja Pressure Cooker” which has a air fry function.
One of the great things about pernil is the crispy skin that you wouldn’t get using just the pressure cooker as recommended in this recipe.
I would recommend that you use the pressure cooker and then complete the dish is a conventional oven which would still cut down on the cooking time.
Made this for my family today and this recipe was FANTASTIC!