{"id":32470,"date":"2022-11-13T16:46:55","date_gmt":"2022-11-13T16:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/?p=32470"},"modified":"2022-12-15T02:54:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T02:54:19","slug":"pernil-venezuelas-classic-christmas-roast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/es\/pernil-venezuelas-classic-christmas-roast\/","title":{"rendered":"Pernil, el cl\u00e1sico asado navide\u00f1o de Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pernil, fall-off-the-bone pork leg or shoulder that is slow-roasted for hours, is the culinary centerpiece of the Christmas celebration in many Latino countries and certainly in her homeland, says Liliana Hernandez, one of our favorite Venezuelan cooks. In Caracas, where she grew up, and throughout the country, tradition dictates that the main meal each December 24 or 25 is a festive plate piled with four dishes, says Liliana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first is, of course, this pernil, marinated overnight, juicy on the inside, caramelized-crispy on the outside, and savory all over. Served beside it is one hallaca\u2014Venezuela\u2019s take on the tamale<\/a>, a pork, beef and chicken-filled corn masa treat wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or boiled. The last two Christmas essentials in Venezuela’s festive four are: chicken salad and pan de jamon, says Liliana. Pan de jamon is a sweet bread dough made with flour, eggs, sugar, milk and yeast\u2014and then stuffed with slices of ham, olives and raisins. \u201cNo one can stop eating it all December,\u201d says Liliana, adding that pan de jamon is one of the main reasons she and everyone she knows in Venezuela has to go on a diet every January.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Liliana
Liliana\u2019s slow-roasted family-famous Christmas pernil is juicy inside, crispy caramelized outside.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

All four dishes are deeply loved holiday essentials in Venezuela, but pernil is the slow-cooked star of the meal, says Liliana. Each year, she loves how her home is filled with the scent of caramelized, crispy-succulent roast pork. The secret to its tender flavor and crunchy texture is hours in the oven at 325\u00b0 heat, as the meat roasts to tender perfecci\u00f3n. \u201cAnd then, to get that delicious crusty-golden outside, in the last 30 minutes turn up the oven to anywhere between 380\u00b0 and 400\u00b0. The high heat gives the pernil a final zap to brown the edges,\u201d says Liliana. \u201cIt makes the pork shoulder or pork leg taste truly out of this world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the sauce. Much like we do with our Thanksgiving turkey, Liliana reduces the pan juices to make a sauce, thickened with butter and flour. \u201cIt makes the pernil tastes divino,\u201d says Liliana. \u201cEspectacular. Everyone looks forward to this Christmas cochino dish all year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Christmas
Christmas in Venezuela means a holiday feast that includes four traditional dishes: slow-cooked pernil, banana leaf-wrapped hallacas, pan de jamon, and chicken salad.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Christmas Cooking Kickoff: Making the Pernil Shopping List<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And so, every early December, Liliana sits down to write her shopping list and cooking plan to make this family-famous pernil and the other three dishes of Venezuelan Christmas. For her, that means it\u2019s officially the start of the Christmas season, she says. We love thinking about how Liliana is joined by millions more homecooks, all writing their holiday pernil shopping lists in kitchens across Latin America. This is especially true in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic<\/a>, where the holiday pork is rubbed with adobo and saz\u00f3n and served alongside arroz con gandules<\/a> (in Puerto Rico) or moro de guandules <\/a>(in the D.R.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pernil
In perparation for slow-roasting for 4 to 5 hours, Liliana marinates her Christmas roast overnight in a mixture of wine, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, onion, bay leaf and fresh herbs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For her pernil-making step-by-step guidance, check out Liliana’s video master class on how to make Venezuelan pernil <\/a>on her homecooking channel \u201cMi Show de Cocina<\/a>.\u201d For more delicioso dishes by Liliana, one of the homecooks celebrated in our Familia Kitchen Cookbook<\/em><\/a>, check out her gorgeous bienmesabe cake<\/a>, a meringue-topped, creamy coconuty cake. If you are all about savory, try her addictive teque\u00f1os, dough-wrapped cheese sticks<\/a>, and her step-by-step video how to making traditional pork, beef and chicken hallacas<\/a>, another Venezuelan Christmas season staple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing about pernil, according to Liliana, are the leftovers, \u201dif you miraculously have any left,\u201d she says. \u201dThe next day is all about the recalentado,\u201d the reheating of this dish. \u201dIn Venezuela, we love to eat nice, hot slices of pernil with our delicious arepas<\/a>. It is lo m\u00e1ximo!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to Make Liliana\u2019s Pernil Christmas Roast?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\"Pernil,\t\t\t\t
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\n\t \n\t \t\n \n <\/svg>\n\t Print<\/span>\n\t <\/a>\n\t <\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Pernil, Venezuela\u2019s Classic Christmas Roast<\/h2>\n\n
\n \t\t \t\t\tRecipe by Liliana Hern\u00e1ndez<\/span>\n \t\t\n
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