Restaurante y Lechonera Principe

[KatieLoeb]

I can't explain this. I just HAD to have some pernil today. The jones was donwright overwhelming. I knew I could drive up to Tierra Colombiana, but then I remembered this little house in North Philly I used to pass on my drive to the Draught Horse. It was around 2nd and Cecil B. Moore Ave. and they had the best pernil I'd had outside of Miami. So I decided to go take a drive by and see if they were still around.

Much to my surprise and delight, that which used to be merely an off the back porch operation in a private home, is now a full scale little restaurant - Restaurante y Lechonera Principe. This roughly translates to "Restaurant and Porkery Principe", so I knew I was in the right place. I parked the car and started to cross the street. A nice gentleman ran over and opened the door for me and waved me in with a cheery, "Please come in! We're happy to see you!" There's a small heated deli case inside with gorgeous glossy roast chickens, the lacquered looking pernil, some heart-stoppingly good looking sausage and some side dishes like plantains, yuca and different fritters. Yeah baby! I knew what I wanted. There wasn't a whole lot of pernil left, but it was more than enough for just little 'ol me. It was taken to the back where the sounds of a large cleaver was heard chopping my pernil into bite sized pieces. I also requested a side of yuca with the mojo de ajo, basically like a very fibrous boiled potato drenched with a softened onion, garlic and olive oil sauce. Everything was weighed for me and close to a pound of pernil and a healthy side of yuca came to all of $7 and change.

Here's what the Pernil looked like:

And here's a shot with the yuca as well:

Photos are from my cell phone camera, so they aren't perfect, but you get the idea.

They were kind enough to give me a menu which includes the daily specials. Some of the highlights include Chicken legs and fried Plantains ($4.75 on Mondays)Arroz con Pollo or Costillas Guisadas (Chicken and Rice @$5.50 or Spare Rib Stew $5.50/lb. on Wednesdays) Lechon Asado (Roast Pork $6.00/lb. on Thursdays which is what I paid for mine) and Sancocho Soup (best Latino stew known to man) $3.00 small/$6.00 large on Fridays. They also apparently make Cubano sandwiches on the grill. The staff couldn't have been nicer. This place makes really good Puerto Rican style food and the prices are silly cheap.

I had a bite of the crispy skin the instant I got into my car. It was crackly crisp and perfect. Just what I'd wanted. I had a small plate of pernil and yuca when I got home and had proper utensils and napkins around and it was absolutely perfect. I'll be picking on my container for the next day or so and then I'll have to go back and try something else.

Restaurante y Lechonera Principe

235 W. Cecil B. Moore Avenue (between American and 3rd Streets)

215-235-9048

[Andrew Fenton]

Ooh, that looks real good, Katie. And I think that this:

Sancocho Soup (best Latino stew known to man) $3.00 small/$6.00 large on Fridays. 

would make a fine, fine lunch tomorrow. Rock!

[davidbdesilva]

Ah the quest for pernil, one of the culinary wonders known to humankind but oh so hard to find (at least good pernil). I remember ordering it from Cafe Habana when they first opened and being appalled at the cold, dry, lifeless form on my plate (have not been back so it might be better now). One of the best pernil's I've had is at a little place called Diaz in Avon-by-the-sea (near Ocean Grove) at the (northern) Jersey shore. Go there if your ever in the area! Thanks Katie, now you have me jonsing for some as well. May have to visit North Philly to fulfill my desire! Thanks for the post, I'll have to check this place out. Wouldn't a Latino restaurant crawl through north Philly be fun? Hit the porky principal, then El Bohio, then Tierra Colombiana, then others. It would be a meat and carb overdose for sure!!!

[jmbrightman]

Ah the quest for pernil, one of the culinary wonders known to humankind but oh so hard to find (at least good pernil). I remember ordering it from Cafe Habana when they first opened and being appalled at the cold, dry, lifeless form on my plate (have not been back so it might be better now). One of the best pernil's I've had is at a little place called Diaz in Avon-by-the-sea (near Ocean Grove) at the (northern) Jersey shore. Go there if your ever in the area! Thanks Katie, now you have me jonsing for some as well. May have to visit North Philly to fulfill my desire! Thanks for the post, I'll have to check this place out. Wouldn't a Latino restaurant crawl through north Philly be fun? Hit the porky principal, then El Bohio, then Tierra Colombiana, then others. It would be a meat and carb overdose for sure!!!

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I had to google pernil to learn it is slow cooked garlic, adobo, pepper and oregano seasoned pork shoulder. aside from the adobo spice, what makes it so different than an esposito's porchetta?

[KatieLoeb]

I had to google pernil to learn it is slow cooked garlic, adobo, pepper and oregano seasoned pork shoulder.  aside from the adobo spice, what makes it so different than an esposito's porchetta?

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I'm not sure I can answer specifically, but I can answer experientially. The pernil I've had (when it's well made, at least) is incredibly moist and is surprisingly not too greasy. The skin on pernil is always brown crackling crisp and entirely edible. My experiences with porchetta (even really good porchetta) has left me with the impression that it's always quite greasy, and the skin is often the meant-for-human consumption equivalent of a rawhide doggie treat. I suspect it may be that the marinade and seasonings of the pernil are better suited to the smaller cut of meat, and that the porchetta doesn't benefit from remaining whole during the roasting. I've had whole roast Puerco Asado with Cuban relatives in Miami that blew the doors off any porchetta I've ever tried, and again it was for the aforementioned reasons. Crisp completely edible skin and moist not too greasy meat. The preparations for that included cutting hundreds of little slits in the whole pigs and stuffing the slits with slivered cloves of garlic, and marinating/basting with a sour orange mojo sauce. The basting gives the meat the incredible moistness. I suspect the many cuts in the outside of the pig allow a lot of excess fat to drip off, much like pricking a duck before roasting allows a lot of fat to exit the bird.

Don't get me wrong - I'll belly up to a table with a porchetta on it and do some serious damage. I just think that pernil and the Cubano style roast pork is the ne plus ultra of porky goodness - most especially because of the skin.

[jmbrightman]

I had to google pernil to learn it is slow cooked garlic, adobo, pepper and oregano seasoned pork shoulder.  aside from the adobo spice, what makes it so different than an esposito's porchetta?

←

I'm not sure I can answer specifically, but I can answer experientially. The pernil I've had (when it's well made, at least) is incredibly moist and is surprisingly not too greasy. The skin on pernil is always brown crackling crisp and entirely edible. My experiences with porchetta (even really good porchetta) has left me with the impression that it's always quite greasy, and the skin is often the meant-for-human consumption equivalent of a rawhide doggie treat. I suspect it may be that the marinade and seasonings of the pernil are better suited to the smaller cut of meat, and that the porchetta doesn't benefit from remaining whole during the roasting. I've had whole roast Puerco Asado with Cuban relatives in Miami that blew the doors off any porchetta I've ever tried, and again it was for the aforementioned reasons. Crisp completely edible skin and moist not too greasy meat. The preparations for that included cutting hundreds of little slits in the whole pigs and stuffing the slits with slivered cloves of garlic, and marinating/basting with a sour orange mojo sauce. The basting gives the meat the incredible moistness. I suspect the many cuts in the outside of the pig allow a lot of excess fat to drip off, much like pricking a duck before roasting allows a lot of fat to exit the bird.

Don't get me wrong - I'll belly up to a table with a porchetta on it and do some serious damage. I just think that pernil and the Cubano style roast pork is the ne plus ultra of porky goodness - most especially because of the skin.

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that may be the best answer ever. it r reminds me that when I go to the Columbus Day parade gathering in Marconi Park or St Anthony festival at St. Monica's where a local butcher has a booth set up, there is always a cardboat boat or two on the counter with roasted pigskin for the taking. I always take (it looks so good!), and am invariably disappointed at the lack of flavor.

[Rich Pawlak]

Ah the quest for pernil, one of the culinary wonders known to humankind but oh so hard to find (at least good pernil). I remember ordering it from Cafe Habana when they first opened and being appalled at the cold, dry, lifeless form on my plate (have not been back so it might be better now). One of the best pernil's I've had is at a little place called Diaz in Avon-by-the-sea (near Ocean Grove) at the (northern) Jersey shore. Go there if your ever in the area! Thanks Katie, now you have me jonsing for some as well. May have to visit North Philly to fulfill my desire! Thanks for the post, I'll have to check this place out. Wouldn't a Latino restaurant crawl through north Philly be fun? Hit the porky principal, then El Bohio, then Tierra Colombiana, then others. It would be a meat and carb overdose for sure!!!

←

Damn you Katie and David. Now I'm hungry for pernil too. I'll bet there's a mess of pernil in and around the Chambersburg section of Trenton these days, too.

[KatieLoeb]

Ah the quest for pernil, one of the culinary wonders known to humankind but oh so hard to find (at least good pernil). I remember ordering it from Cafe Habana when they first opened and being appalled at the cold, dry, lifeless form on my plate (have not been back so it might be better now). One of the best pernil's I've had is at a little place called Diaz in Avon-by-the-sea (near Ocean Grove) at the (northern) Jersey shore. Go there if your ever in the area! Thanks Katie, now you have me jonsing for some as well. May have to visit North Philly to fulfill my desire! Thanks for the post, I'll have to check this place out. Wouldn't a Latino restaurant crawl through north Philly be fun? Hit the porky principal, then El Bohio, then Tierra Colombiana, then others. It would be a meat and carb overdose for sure!!!

←

Damn you Katie and David. Now I'm hungry for pernil too. I'll bet there's a mess of pernil in and around the Chambersburg section of Trenton these days, too.

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My imsomnia suffering self just crawled back up from the kitchen and a small but effective pernil raid. It's really good, even reheated.

David, I don't think any of us could last beyond the first stop of a Latino Crawl, if only because the requisite "Holy Trinity of Latino carbs" of beans, rice and plantains would appear on every plate and we'd be stuffed rather quickly!

Rich - I don't know much about pernil in Chambersberg, especially now that Mambo's is closed, but I trust you'll be happy to do the reconnaissance mission and report back?

Once you've found the new home of pernil goodness in Trenton we can have a DDC dinner there. What the heck - it's been awhile since we've closed a restaurant.

[mrbigjas]

I'm not sure I can answer specifically, but I can answer experientially.  The pernil I've had (when it's well made, at least) is incredibly moist and is surprisingly not too greasy.  The skin on pernil is always brown crackling crisp and entirely edible.  My experiences with porchetta (even really good porchetta) has left me with the impression that it's always quite greasy, and the skin is often the meant-for-human consumption equivalent of a rawhide doggie treat.  I suspect it may be that the marinade and seasonings of the pernil are better suited to the smaller cut of meat, and that the porchetta doesn't benefit from remaining whole during the roasting.  I've had whole roast Puerco Asado with Cuban relatives in Miami that blew the doors off any porchetta I've ever tried, and again it was for the aforementioned reasons.  Crisp completely edible skin and moist not too greasy meat.  The preparations for that included cutting hundreds of little slits in the whole pigs and stuffing the slits with slivered cloves of garlic, and marinating/basting with a sour orange mojo sauce. The basting gives the meat the incredible moistness.  I suspect the many cuts in the outside of the pig allow a lot of excess fat to drip off, much like pricking a duck before roasting allows a lot of fat to exit the bird.

i wonder if the acidity of the mojo marinate/baste has anything to do with the tenderness of the skin?

Don't get me wrong - I'll belly up to a table with a porchetta on it and do some serious damage.  I just think that pernil and the Cubano style roast pork is the ne plus ultra of porky goodness - most especially because of the skin.

quick question: in your pics that meat looked pretty much raw. is there something i'm missing, or is it just an artifact of a cameraphones crappy lens?

[KatieLoeb]

I'm not sure I can answer specifically, but I can answer experientially.  The pernil I've had (when it's well made, at least) is incredibly moist and is surprisingly not too greasy.  The skin on pernil is always brown crackling crisp and entirely edible.  My experiences with porchetta (even really good porchetta) has left me with the impression that it's always quite greasy, and the skin is often the meant-for-human consumption equivalent of a rawhide doggie treat.  I suspect it may be that the marinade and seasonings of the pernil are better suited to the smaller cut of meat, and that the porchetta doesn't benefit from remaining whole during the roasting.  I've had whole roast Puerco Asado with Cuban relatives in Miami that blew the doors off any porchetta I've ever tried, and again it was for the aforementioned reasons.  Crisp completely edible skin and moist not too greasy meat.  The preparations for that included cutting hundreds of little slits in the whole pigs and stuffing the slits with slivered cloves of garlic, and marinating/basting with a sour orange mojo sauce. The basting gives the meat the incredible moistness.  I suspect the many cuts in the outside of the pig allow a lot of excess fat to drip off, much like pricking a duck before roasting allows a lot of fat to exit the bird.

i wonder if the acidity of the mojo marinate/baste has anything to do with the tenderness of the skin?

Don't get me wrong - I'll belly up to a table with a porchetta on it and do some serious damage.  I just think that pernil and the Cubano style roast pork is the ne plus ultra of porky goodness - most especially because of the skin.

quick question: in your pics that meat looked pretty much raw. is there something i'm missing, or is it just an artifact of a cameraphones crappy lens?

←

It's the cameraphone lens. That's why I prefaced the pictures by saying the pictures weren't so good.

However you can get an idea of the brown and crispy skin in the lower right corner of the second pic.

This stuff is 'da bomb.

[NulloModo]

What is the major difference between Pernil and the lard simmered (Yucatan?) version of Carnitas?

There is a pretty great Latino restaurant near here, Rincon Latino off of Route 40 in Bear, DE, and they have Pernil that I very very much enjoy. As Katie said, the skin is always crispy and edible, the fatty bits moist and flavorful, and the meat itself though crispy on the outside, is very juicy on the inside. It is always served up with a mess of onions which seem to have been cooked with it.

[Greg Salisbury]

What is the major difference between Pernil and the lard simmered (Yucatan?) version of Carnitas? 

There is a pretty great Latino restaurant near here, Rincon Latino off of Route 40 in Bear, DE, and they have Pernil that I very very much enjoy.  As Katie said, the skin is always crispy and edible, the fatty bits moist and flavorful, and the meat itself though crispy on the outside, is very juicy on the inside.  It is always served up with a mess of onions which seem to have been cooked with it.

←

Rincon Latino is the preferred restaurant of most Hispanic restaurant workers I know. I have yet to work up the motivation to make it down there, but it must be good for these guys to take up so much of their precious free time to go there when they could do the Golden Mile or Washington Ave.

[NulloModo]

What is the major difference between Pernil and the lard simmered (Yucatan?) version of Carnitas? 

There is a pretty great Latino restaurant near here, Rincon Latino off of Route 40 in Bear, DE, and they have Pernil that I very very much enjoy.  As Katie said, the skin is always crispy and edible, the fatty bits moist and flavorful, and the meat itself though crispy on the outside, is very juicy on the inside.  It is always served up with a mess of onions which seem to have been cooked with it.

←

Rincon Latino is the preferred restaurant of most Hispanic restaurant workers I know. I have yet to work up the motivation to make it down there, but it must be good for these guys to take up so much of their precious free time to go there when they could do the Golden Mile or Washington Ave.

←

It is very good. I have no idea how it stays in business, as every time I have been I have been the only customer in the place, but hey, as long as it stays around I won't complain.

They do have an odd fascination with putting fried eggs on lots of dishes, but maybe this is an authentic south american thing I'm not used to. They have a great plate with is a steak, some fried yucca root, some crazy good rice and beans thing, with a couple fried eggs on top of it all and a little bowl of this awesome oniony/orangey/vinegary hot sauce.

[Greg Ling]

I got a pig roaster called a "cavachina" ,it's a cuban barbecue box ,it makes a whole roast pig in 90 minutes ,crisp lacquered skin and all it's about two hundred bucks .yall should give it a try

[Andrew Fenton]

I think you mean "caja china", Spanish for "Chinese box". I've had pork cooked that way a couple of times (most recently yesterday, from the Bridget Foy stand at the Slow Food event at Head House) and it's quite good. Ninety minutes for a whole pig sounds kind of quick, though.

[shacke]

What is the major difference between Pernil and the lard simmered (Yucatan?) version of Carnitas? 

There is a pretty great Latino restaurant near here, Rincon Latino off of Route 40 in Bear, DE, and they have Pernil that I very very much enjoy.  As Katie said, the skin is always crispy and edible, the fatty bits moist and flavorful, and the meat itself though crispy on the outside, is very juicy on the inside.  It is always served up with a mess of onions which seem to have been cooked with it.

←

Rincon Latino is the preferred restaurant of most Hispanic restaurant workers I know. I have yet to work up the motivation to make it down there, but it must be good for these guys to take up so much of their precious free time to go there when they could do the Golden Mile or Washington Ave.

←

It is very good. I have no idea how it stays in business, as every time I have been I have been the only customer in the place, but hey, as long as it stays around I won't complain.

They do have an odd fascination with putting fried eggs on lots of dishes, but maybe this is an authentic south american thing I'm not used to. They have a great plate with is a steak, some fried yucca root, some crazy good rice and beans thing, with a couple fried eggs on top of it all and a little bowl of this awesome oniony/orangey/vinegary hot sauce.

←

How far is this place from the city?

[NulloModo]

What is the major difference between Pernil and the lard simmered (Yucatan?) version of Carnitas? 

There is a pretty great Latino restaurant near here, Rincon Latino off of Route 40 in Bear, DE, and they have Pernil that I very very much enjoy.  As Katie said, the skin is always crispy and edible, the fatty bits moist and flavorful, and the meat itself though crispy on the outside, is very juicy on the inside.  It is always served up with a mess of onions which seem to have been cooked with it.

←

Rincon Latino is the preferred restaurant of most Hispanic restaurant workers I know. I have yet to work up the motivation to make it down there, but it must be good for these guys to take up so much of their precious free time to go there when they could do the Golden Mile or Washington Ave.

←

It is very good. I have no idea how it stays in business, as every time I have been I have been the only customer in the place, but hey, as long as it stays around I won't complain.

They do have an odd fascination with putting fried eggs on lots of dishes, but maybe this is an authentic south american thing I'm not used to. They have a great plate with is a steak, some fried yucca root, some crazy good rice and beans thing, with a couple fried eggs on top of it all and a little bowl of this awesome oniony/orangey/vinegary hot sauce.

←

How far is this place from the city?

←

It's in Bear, DE in the Fox Run shopping center right off of route 40(if you want to do a mapquest). So, I am guessing like 30 - 45 mins depending on how fast you drive (though I will warn you that the signs on I-95 have been warning about 'enhanced police patrols statewide' lately.... not really sure what makes them enhanced). In the same shopping center is a very good liquor store with a great wine selection and cheapish prices though.

[Greg Ling]

I think you mean "caja china", Spanish for "Chinese box".  I've had pork cooked that way a couple of times (most recently yesterday, from the Bridget Foy stand at the Slow Food event at Head House) and it's quite good.  Ninety minutes for a whole pig sounds kind of quick, though.

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it's ninety minutes for a suckling,or almost four hours for a large pig,you dump the coals on a tray on to of the skin, They give you injectors for mojo,just dont open the box while cooking.

www.lacajachina.com

[katbert]

I got a pig roaster called a  "cavachina" ,it's a cuban barbecue box ,it makes a whole roast pig in 90 minutes ,crisp lacquered skin and all it's about two hundred bucks .yall should give it a try

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hey everyone,

that sounds like an invitation to me. Roast pig party at Greg's!

[Greg Ling]

I got a pig roaster called a  "cavachina" ,it's a cuban barbecue box ,it makes a whole roast pig in 90 minutes ,crisp lacquered skin and all it's about two hundred bucks .yall should give it a try

←

hey everyone,

that sounds like an invitation to me. Roast pig party at Greg's!

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that's fine but everyone has to come up to greenport Long Island fot the pig roast.

[herbacidal]

that sounds like an invitation to me. Roast pig party at Greg's!

←

that's fine but everyone has to come up to greenport Long Island fot the pig roast.

←

Sure, how about Monday?

Edited July 19, 2005 by herbacidal (log)

[Greg Ling]

that sounds like an invitation to me. Roast pig party at Greg's!

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that's fine but everyone has to come up to greenport Long Island fot the pig roast.

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Sure, how about Monday?

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I'm only off on tuesday.

[GregD]

They serve pernil at Sabor Latino in Upper Darby. It's pretty good. Whether it measures up to the standard portrayed in those pictures, I don't know.

[jmbrightman]

There is a pretty great Latino restaurant near here, Rincon Latino off of Route 40 in Bear, DE, and they have Pernil that I very very much enjoy.  As Katie said, the skin is always crispy and edible, the fatty bits moist and flavorful, and the meat itself though crispy on the outside, is very juicy on the inside.  It is always served up with a mess of onions which seem to have been cooked with it.

←

Rincon Latino is now Las Palmeras. The pernil was very juicy (almost greasy) and flavorful, and the mess of onions over the meat was delicious as well. The $9 platter also came with rice and pigeon peas, and a couple small fried potato pancakes. I am going to make pernil at home this weekend. BJ's has them skin on, bone-in for .99 a pound. not sure yet if I am going to grill or use my electric smoker as a slow cooker.

[jmbrightman]

I am going to oven roast low and slow. we have an open house sunday and I hope prospective home buyers will find the scent irresistable.