This is our option when we want a change from the turkey Menu:

Roasted Pork Shoulder
Pernil is the most commonly prepared meat for special Christmas dinners in Puerto Rico. Traditionally, the suckling pig was big enough to use by the time December rolled along. The typical way of cooking it was whole, on a horizontal pole supported by Y-shaped strong branches, over hot coals, for hours. (A la varita)

Nowadays, while this tradition is still alive in parts of Puerto Rico (specially in the country & high in the mountains), many of us just buy the pork shoulder and roast it in the oven. And, oh, how the guests are more than ready to eat when the aroma of the roasted Pernil reaches them!

Ingredients:
1 pernil, about 6 to 7 lbs. (pork shoulder)
2 tablespoons salt
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano powder
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Method:
a) - Rinse the pernil in water and dry with paper towels. Use a very sharp knife to separate the fatty skin from the meat. Begin at the wide end and stop just before the narrow end. You will not separate completely the skin from the meat at the narrow end.

b) - Cut some of the fat away from the skin, so that you leave an even 1/4-inch layer of fat on that skin. Also remove any fat that stayed on the meat itself.

c) - Using the sharp knife again, make several deep slits all over the meat. Take the salt and rub it all over the meat, making sure to rub it into the deep slits also. Now also rub the salt all over the skin. When you've finished, return the skin to its place, covering the meat with it, the way it was when you first bought it.

d) - Take 1 tablespoon of oil, and add the black pepper, oregano and finely minced garlic. Blend well. Rub this all over the pernil.

e) - Finally, combine the vinegar with the rest of the oil, and sprinkle it all over the top of the pernil. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight to marinate.

f) - The next day, remove the pernil from the refrigerator about 2 hours before roasting, to give it time to get to room temperature. When you're ready to roast the pernil, preheat the oven to 350º for 15 minutes. Insert skewers at strategic points along the skin to hold it in place, because you want the juices of the skin's fat to go into the meat during roasting.

g) - Place the pernil, skin side up, on a rack over a roasting pan and pour the liquid from the marinade over it. Along the side, place a small oven-proof bowl with water. Roast for 31/2 hours, without turning.

h) - At the end of 31/2 hours, remove the bowl of water. Turn the heat up to 375º and allow the pernil to roast for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the skin has become toasted.

i) - Remove from the oven, and let it rest about 20 to 30 minutes before beginning to carve it.

Tip:
Calculate the roasting time to equal about 35 minutes for each pound of pernil.