Wood Fired Pernil Tacos Using Wood Fired Oven

A Pernil taco or pork shoulder tacos is a sheer bliss for all the foodies who share a refined interest in food - “There is no love more sincere than the love of food.” Once you cook this piece of pork in the wood fired oven, you will never go back to using your grill or home oven. Wood fired cooking gives the food a totally different flavor not to mention the aroma and the smell of the wood burning. Make your neighbours jealous while your wood fired aroma spreads throughout your neighbourhood. They can make burgers and hotdogs while you bring the real taste of wood fired cooking to your backyard. Taco Fiesta!

How can you cook this flavoursome dish perfectly at home?

The secret to getting a perfectly tendered pernil taco is by making it in your  ilFornino wood fired pizza oven. Remember you can slow cook you’re your wood fired pizza oven. Here, Chef Simona walks you through the preparation of this amazing recipe in a wood fired oven.

Ingredients Dry Rub-

• 1 tablespoon of Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seed
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon of granulated onion
• 1 tablespoon of salt

Other Ingredients- 

• 1 boneless pork shoulder (4 pounds)
• 1-2 cups of water
• One small handful of fresh garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup of lime juice
• 2 tablespoons of Oil
• 1 cup chopped onions

Instructions:

Preparing a pernil

1. Mix all the dry ingredients and incorporate them. This is the dry rub for pernil.
2. Use a pork shoulder and score its surface. This will help the internal cooking of the meat.
Place with the fat side down. The fat will help to keep the meat moist and not dry as it releases all the cooking juices.
3. Next, make slight slits into the meat and insert garlic cloves.
4. Take your dry rub (prepared in Step 1) and cover the entire meat.
5. Place the meat in a container that you can seal and place it in the fridge overnight.

Roasting a pernil

1. Make sure to use a metal or cast iron Dutch oven with a lid. In the meanwhile pre-heat your oven about 45 minutes
2. Place oil in your Dutch oven.
3. Now, add a cup of onions (medium onion), chopped.
4. Place the marinated pernil with the scored side up. Then add half a cup of lime juice.
5. Fill the rest of the pot with water. Add the leftover seasoning, if any then cover the pot.
6. Place it in the pizza oven and cook the pork for about 2-3 hours at 300F. Place the Dutch oven midway in the oven. You can also utilize small pizza peel tool that comes with your oven to do so. There are several different wood fired pizza accessories that come in handy.
7. Check the peril periodically and add warm water when the water evirates.
8. In the meantime, warm the tortillas on the deck of the oven and wrap them with foil paper as to keep them warm and nice.
9. After almost 3 hours your pork should be tender and done. It is ready to serve.
10. Now it is time to assemble your Pernil Tacos.
11. Squeeze some lime juice over the pork tacos, season it with some fresh pepper and then serve it with a simple slaw. The nice crunch of the slaw will add more texture to the tacos.
12. Use thinly sliced scallions and some cilantro as toppings.

A delicious fresh and nutritious wood fired pernil taco in your backyard. A quick hint, while the pork slowly cooks you can use this time to make appetizer such as a wood fired cheese quesadilla.

This oven has the capability to cook slow and rich flavor dishes in your backyard as well a minute and a half pizza as well.

You can cook almost anything you like in an ilFornino wood burning oven!