This marinated and slow-roasted pork shoulder is often the star of just about any Puerto Rican holiday party or family gathering, but the features that make it such a perfect recipe for entertaining ...

In fall 1985, with Thanksgiving looming, my mother prepared for her 20 guests as if Jesus and his disciples were coming over. She bought dishware, glassware, linens, gold-plated cutlery and even a ...

Whereas other families might have a Christmas turkey or goose, Puerto Rican families such as my own eat pork for their holiday meal. The meal — actually a night-long party called Nochebuena — is held ...

Pérnil al caldero is a Puerto Rican staple of succulent slow-cooked pork with shatteringly crisp skin that’s seasoned with adobo, a garlicky, oregano-spiced marinade. The name is a combination of ...

In a mortar smash all garlic cloves and 1 Tbs of salt. Add lemon juice and oregano and 2 cups of Mojo criollo mix and blend. Make slits in your pork shoulder and sprinkle about 3 table spoons of the ...

Pasteles and pernil are how I define Puerto Rican Christmas. And although pork is a fixture on the Puerto Rican table, it is just not Christmas without pernil. When I was growing up, we’d celebrate at ...

Pick a small-sized pork shoulder and season it the night before you cook it. You can choose to rub your pork roast with achiote, adobo or sofrito. But you should never leave out the “mucho mucho ajo,” ...

My memories of Puerto Rico, a place I visited often as a young child, come back to me in flashes: the grassy, breezy farm my great-grandmother lived on; chickens clucking all around. Bumpy rides down ...

Use your hands to rub the sofrito mixture all over the surface of the meat, using your fingers to push the mixture into the holes. Place the skin back on top of the meat. Cover the pork shoulder and ...

Vegan versions of some classic Latin American dishes are winning new fans at the holidays. By Christina Morales In 2015, Norma Pérez adopted a vegan diet to combat her arthritis. But she worried that ...

From the savory department, Maldonado, chef/owner of Upohar, shares her recipe for pernil, the beguiling, slow-roasted pork shoulder of Puerto Rico. For those who prefer something sweet, DeChesser, ...