Pork Shoulder Brine Recipe ~ Brazilian Pernil

Roasted Pork Shoulder, 'Pernil' in Brazil, is a favorite for family dinners, entertaining, and holidays. The Pork Shoulder Brine recipe is easy and makes all the difference!

Roasted Pork Shoulder is known as Pernil in Brazil. It's a very traditional main course for holidays and other special occasions. The Pork Shoulder brine recipe here is so simple and helps tenderize the meat. I use a dry rub pork brine made primarily with salt plus a few other seasonings. Read more about how dry brining enhances the meat in the yellow box below.

The roasted pork shoulder is then seasoned and roasted for several hours in the oven to get melt-in-your-mouth tender. Slice it for a beautiful presentation. You can also then shred the leftover meat for sandwiches, salads, or even Feijoada: Rice and Beans with Meat. This is definitely a favorite pork recipe.

Why should you use a Pork Shoulder Brine Recipe

When you dry brine a pork shoulder, the salt draws out moisture from the meat, which helps to break down tough muscle fibers and connective tissue. This process also allows the salt to penetrate the meat, enhancing its flavor and making it more tender for the best results.

Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

This dry brine recipe has only a few ingredients.

Dry Brine

• Bone-in Whole Pork Shoulder - I like to use bone-in as it helps to keep the meat tender and impart even more flavor as it cooks. You could use a boneless pork shoulder if you want. You could use a boneless pork shoulder if you want.  You could also use Boston Butt instead of shoulder.
• Coarse or Kosher salt - You can use any coarse salt or sea salt. Table salt will also work, I just find that the coarse salt gets better coverage.
• Black pepper - You can use pre-ground black pepper or whole peppercorns that you grind in a pepper mill, food processor, or spice grinder.
• Garlic powder - I like garlic powder as it sticks to the pork and adds some flavor as the salt seeps into the meat. However, you could substitute in freshly minced or grated garlic or garlic flakes.
• Seasoning for roasting - After you brine the pork and rinse it, you will want to season it for roasting. These are the seasonings that you will be eating, so you want FLAVOR! I use my Brazilian steak seasoning blend. You can use your personal preference of any combination of dry herbs and spices that you like! Great options are salt, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, oregano, cilantro, thyme, and/or rosemary. You can even add a touch of sugar or brown sugar for a little sweet note.

See recipe card for quantities.

Simple Equipment You'll Need with Options

You need a large roasting or casserole dish that you can use for brining and then for roasting.

You also need a giant sealable brining bag or plastic wrap. The more that you can seal the brined pork, the better brining results you will get.

Tips for this Pork Shoulder Brine Recipe

TIP #1 - The biggest tip is to plan ahead because pork shoulder needs time; its a low and slow cooking process. Don't try to speed it up with super high heat. Pork shoulder is a tough cut of meat that requires a long, slow cooking time to break down the connective tissue and become tender. It's well worth the wait though and it requires very little attention, just time.

TIP #2 - Temp and Time: I like to start with high heat (450 F) to get a nice crust, then after 20 minutes, turn it down for the remainder of the cooking.

• 2-3 pound pork shoulder (likely without the bone): Cook for 2 ½ to 4 hours
• 3-4 pound pork shoulder: cook for 4 to 5 ½ hours
• 5-6+ pound pork shoulder: cook for 5 ½ to 7 hours

TIP #3 - Always test the internal temperature in the middle of the roast to see if it has reached 180 F degrees.

How to Make and Use the Pork Shoulder Brine

This brining process is quite simple.  In a small bowl, mix together kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and any other desired spices or herbs.

Start by patting the pork shoulder dry with paper towel. I place the shoulder in a large bowl to catch the dry brine mixture that doesn't stick and then I can apply it to other areas.

Then rub the salt mixture all over the pork shoulder, making sure to cover all sides.

Place the pork shoulder in a large plastic bag or wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Place the wrapped pork in a large baking dish in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Brine times can vary, so you can leave it in the fridge to up to 24 hours, to allow the dry brine to penetrate the meat.

How to Season the Pork Shoulder Recipe

If you brined overnight, the next morning remove the pork shoulder from the refrigerator.

Rinse it thoroughly under running cold water to remove any excess salt.

Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels.

SAFETY TIP!!! After rinsing the pork in the sink, make sure to disinfect the sink, the faucet, and the counter around the sink. This is raw meat and the water may have splashed, so you must clean up any potentially harmful bacteria.

Some recipes call for letting the pork come to room temperature, but I am concerned about that created bacteria and I found it cooked beautifully without letting it sit on the counter for an hour.

Once the pork shoulder has been dry brined, you can season the pork for roasting as you desire. I love to use my Brazilian steak seasoning blend, but you can use salt, pepper, garlic powder, herbs (thyme, rosemary, etc), onion powder, or any other combination you like.

Coat the pork with your seasoning and place in a roasting pan…fat side down for a crispy top or fat side up for the flavor of the fat rendering down into the meat. I prefer fat side down.

Roasting the Pork Shoulder

Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees and place pork shoulder uncovered in the center shelf of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn down the heat to 250-300 F degrees after 20 minutes and cook for 4-5 hours for a 3 pound roast (see recipe for more times by weight).

Test the internal temperature in the middle of the roast to see if it has reached 180 F degrees.

Remove the roast to a platter and let the roast rest for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can make a delicious sauce with all of the browned bits and drippings from the roast at the bottom of the pan.

I first pour off the excess fat. There is a lot of fat that renders from the pork shoulder. Then I usually just add ½ cup to 1 cup of boiling hot water and start whisking to scrape up the bottom. It will likely be very salty, so you don't want to add more salt. But, you can certainly use unsalted broth or stock instead of water.

Slice and serve with the sauce.

FAQ

What to serve with Pork Shoulder?

Here are some delicious sides to go with this Pernil, Pork Shoulder:

Pork Shoulder Brine Recipe ~ Brazilian Pernil

Carrie Tyler

Roasted Pork Shoulder is known as Pernil in Brazil. It's a very traditional main course for holidays and other special occasions. The Pork Shoulder brine recipe here is so simple and helps tenderize the meat. It's a dry brine that helps the pork get so tender. The roasted pork shoulder is then seasoned and roasted for several hours in the oven to get melt-in-your-mouth tender. Slice it for a beautiful presentation. You can also then shred the leftover meat for sandwiches, tacos, salads, or just over rice.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Brining Time 12 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Brazilian

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

Dry Brine

• 2-3 pound Bone-in Pork Shoulder
• ½ cup Coarse Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder

Seasoning and Roasting

• ¼ cup  Brazilian steak seasoning blend 
• 2-3 tablespoons Olive Oil or butter

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, mix together kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and any other desired spices or herbs.
• Start by patting the pork shoulder dry with paper towel. Then rub the spice mixture all over the pork shoulder, making sure to cover all sides.
• Place the pork shoulder in a large resealable plastic bag or wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in a large baking dish that the pork should will fit into. Place the airtight pork shoulder in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours, to allow the dry brine to penetrate the meat.
• Remove the pork shoulder from the refrigerator and rinse it thoroughly under cold running water to remove any excess salt. Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels.
• Once the pork shoulder has been dry brined, you can season the pork for roasting as you desire. I love to use my  Brazilian steak seasoning blend, but you can use salt, pepper, garlic powder, herbs (thyme, rosemary, etc), onion powder, or any other combination you like. Coat the pork with your seasoning and place in a roasting pan...fat side down for a crispy top or fat side up for the flavor of the fat rendering down into the meat. I prefer fat side down.
• Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees and place the pork shoulder uncovered in the center shelf of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn down the heat to 250 F degrees after 20 minutes and cook for 4-5 hours for a 3 pound roast.

  (4 pound pork roast: cook for 4 ½ to 5 ½ hours. 5 pound pork roast: cook for 5 ½ to 7 hours.)
• Test the internal temperature in the middle of the roast to see if it has reached 180 F degrees.
• Remove the roast to a platter and let the roast rest for 15-20 minutes. After it has rested, you can slice it on the platter.
• Meanwhile, you can make a delicious sauce with all of the browned bits and drippings from the roast. I first pour off the excess fat. There is a lot of fat that renders from the pork shoulder. Then I usually just add ½ cup to 1 cup of boiling hot water and start whisking to scrape up the bottom. It will likely be very salty, so you don't want to add more salt. But, you can certainly use unsalted broth or stock instead of water.

Keyword brine, dry brine, pernil, pork roast, pork shoulder