Perfectly Roasted Pernil with Garlic and Red Wine Marinade

Crush garlic into tiny fragments using a mortar and pestle until you have a smooth consistency. Combine crushed garlic with olive oil, salt, oregano, and black pepper in the mortar and pestle. Mix everything together until you have a smooth paste.

Make 12 deep cuts about an inch apart in the roast using a sharp knife. Fill each cut with the seasoned garlic paste, spreading it evenly throughout the cuts and over the roast.

Transfer the roast to a large bowl. Pour in red wine, making sure it completely covers the roast. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Discard the red wine. Place the roast, fat side up, in a roasting pan. Cover it with aluminum foil and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roast in the preheated oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast until it reaches a slightly pink color in the center, taking about 4 hours.

Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the foil from the roast and continue baking until the fat is crispy, about 1 hour more. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that the center of the roast has reached a safe internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.