Brine for Juicier Pork

• Brining adds extra moisture into your pork shoulder and provides an opportunity to impart classic pernil flavors. Fill a nonreactive pot or other large vessel with enough liquid to submerge the pork; use about 2/3 water and 1/3 cider vinegar. Stir in 1 cup of non-iodized table salt, 1 1/2 cups of kosher salt or 2 cups of coarse kosher salt per gallon of liquid. Add pernil seasonings to taste, including oregano, garlic, onion, cumin, black pepper and chili pepper. If you like, add some sugar or brown sugar to help offset the saltiness. Soak the pork shoulder in the refrigerator for at least four hours, but preferably for 24 to 48 hours. Apply dry seasonings to the pork before cooking.

Marinate for More Flavor

• Marinating is an alternative to brining. It doesn't contribute to moister meat, but it imparts lots of flavor. Combine equal parts cider vinegar and cooking oil in a nonreactive dish, preparing enough to submerse the pork shoulder a bit more than halfway. Mix in pernil seasonings -- salt, pepper, chili pepper, garlic, onion, oregano and cumin -- to taste. Soak the pork in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, turning it over halfway through for full surface treatment. Add more dry seasonings to the meat right before putting it in the oven.

Season It Straight

• If you don't have the time or interest in brining or marinating the pork shoulder, just season it before cooking -- though you can also season it a day or two ahead of time for more flavor. Score a crosshatch pattern into the surface of the pork, with cuts about 1 inch apart in each direction. Mix dry ingredients like salt, pepper, chili pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder together and rub it over all the meat's surface, working it into the cuts. If you're using fresh garlic or onion, puree them with a little cooking oil, mix in the other dried seasonings, and apply the resulting paste to the entire surface of the pernil with a knife or cooking brush.

Roast It

• Once you've brined, marinated or seasoned the pernil, you're ready to roast it. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, starting with high heat to brown and crisp the exterior. Score the surface of the meat if you haven't yet done so. Put a few cups of water, white wine or broth into the bottom of a roasting pan and grease the rack. Roast the pernil for an hour, then reduce the oven temperature to 300 F. Continue roasting the pork for about four to five hours, until it registers 145 F at center on an instant-read meat thermometer. The meat should pull apart easily by this point. Rotate the meat 90 degrees every hour to encourage even cooking, and add more liquid into the bottom of the pan if it runs low.