Best Pork Shoulder Aldiavolo Recipe Epicuriouscom Recipes

SET-IT-AND-FORGET-IT ROAST PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Finely grind peppercorns, juniper berries, and coriander seeds in spice mill or with mortar and pestle; transfer to a small bowl and mix in salt and sugar.
• Set blade on a box cutter to about 1/3" (or use a very sharp paring knife or X-Acto knife) and cut long parallel lines into the skin of pork shoulder, spacing about 3/4" apart. You want to cut completely through the fat, getting as close to the meat as possible without slicing into it. Then, using a pair of kitchen shears, snip between rows to create a diamond-shape pattern, spacing about 3/4" apart. Cutting a crosshatch design into the fat will help it cook out and allow the salt and spices to penetrate the meat.
• Rub entire shoulder with spice mixture, covering any exposed meat and pushing into cuts in fat. Try to get the spices into the fatty layer and not on the surface of the skin, where they may burn as the shoulder roasts. Make sure to use all of the spices, even though it may seem like a lot. Wrap shoulder tightly with plastic and chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
• Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 225°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil (be generous with the foil unless you really enjoy scrubbing pots and pans after Thanksgiving dinner). Place rosemary sprigs and garlic in the center of baking sheet and set a wire rack on top. Set pork shoulder on rack and transfer to oven. Pour wine and 2 cups water into baking sheet and roast shoulder until meat is pulling away from the bone and skin is very dark, 9-10 hours (overnight is great).
• Let pork shoulder sit uncovered at room temperature until ready to serve (at least 30 minutes and up to 5 hours).
• Just before serving, reheat roast in a 350°F-400°F oven to soften fat and warm the surface of the roast (but don't let it take on any more color), 5-10 minutes.
• Serve warm with cranberry sauce, cornichons, and mustard.

PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Trim away any bone slivers from the exposed meat. Remove any visible excess fat. Square up the long sides of the shoulder to make it neat and uniform.
• Place the pork shoulder in a large aluminum pan. (There's no skin to hold the liquid in, as there is on a whole hog, so the pan is necessary to catch the excess liquid.) Inject the shoulder with 2 to 3 quarts of the hog injection, all over the shoulder in about 1-inch squares. Let the injected shoulder sit, loosely covered, in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Turn the shoulder upside-down in the pan, so that any excess injection that might remain infuses the meat. Let it sit upside-down for 15 to 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat a smoker to 250˚F.
• Take the shoulder out of the pan and sprinkle the rub all over it, making sure to get the area by the shank. Place the shoulder, in its aluminum pan, in the smoker and cook for 3 hours.
• Remove the shoulder from the smoker. Pour the apple juice into a clean aluminum pan, and transfer the shoulder to the pan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it in the smoker. Cook for 6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 205˚F.
• Remove the pan from the smoker. Discard the foil. Brush the hog glaze all over both sides of the shoulder. Return the shoulder to the pan, put the pan back in the smoker, and cook for 1 more hour while adding no more heat to the smoker and allowing the internal temperature of the smoker to drop. The shoulder will effectively rest in the smoker this way.
• Remove the pan from the smoker, and serve. Where I'm from, a pork shoulder is not sliced-it's pulled apart in chunks. There are a couple of different ways to do it, with knives and tongs and such, but the very best-and easiest-is with your hands. Wearing heavy-duty gloves, simply pull the meat apart gently and let your guests have at it. You can put it in a sandwich just like this, or you can chop it up after you've pulled it, if you like.
• I used to wonder why this part of the shoulder was called "Boston" anything, since it's so associated with Southern barbecue. The folks from the National Pork Board say it plain: "In prerevolutionary New England and into the Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or 'high on the hog,' like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as 'butts') for storage and shipment." So, the way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston butt."
• Here's a tip from my competitive barbecue cooking that you can use in your backyard. I make a little solution I call "half and half." It's equal parts vinegar sauce and water, and I heat it up until it's hot but not boiling. Then I dip pieces of shoulder in it before I put them in the judging box. Why do I do this? Because it keeps the meat from drying out and getting cold. You always want your meat to stay moist and warm. You can do this at home, too. Before you serve any meat like brisket or pork shoulder, toss it with a little half and half and then put it on a platter. Better yet, apply the solution to the back side of slices of brisket and pork before you place them on a platter. This technique will keep your meat from drying out.

GARLIC-ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Mash garlic to a paste with 2 tablespoons kosher salt using a mortar and pestle or side of a large heavy knife, then stir in oregano, vinegar, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon pepper.
• Pat pork dry. Using a small sharp knife, cut a wide pocket at large end of roast to separate skin from fat, leaving skin attached at sides and stopping before roast narrows to bone.
• Make 1-inch-deep slits in pork under skin and on all meaty sides, twisting knife slightly to widen openings, then push some of garlic mixture into slits with your fingers. Rub any remaining garlic mixture over roast (not skin). Wipe skin clean, then rub with remaining teaspoon kosher salt (to help it crisp). Transfer pork to a glass or ceramic shallow dish and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.
• Put pork, skin side up, in a flameproof roasting pan, discarding marinade, and bring to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Cover pork with parchment paper and then tightly with foil and roast 2 1/2 hours. Discard foil and parchment, then add 1/2 cup water to pan and roast, uncovered, adding more water when liquid in pan evaporates (check about every half hour), until skin is browned and crisp and meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours more. Transfer to a cutting board or platter, reserving juices in pan, and let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour pan juices through a sieve into a fat separator or bowl and discard fat. Add 3/4 cup water to roasting pan and deglaze by boiling over medium-high heat (straddle 2 burners if necessary), scraping up brown bits, 1 minute, then add to pan juices along with enough water to bring total to 1 1/2 cups.
• Cut skin off roast pork. (If skin is not crisp, roast in a shallow baking pan in a 475°F oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.) Cut skin into serving pieces. Pull meat from roast in pieces using a fork. Serve meat with pan juices and pork skin.

SLOW COOKER PORK SHOULDER WITH ZESTY BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook the pork: Mix garlic, oil, mustard, brown sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika in a small bowl to form a paste. Rub all over pork, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag or slow cooker insert and chill overnight.
• Place pork in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low until meat is fork-tender but not yet completely falling apart, 7 1/2-8 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Mix shallot, basil, oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt in an airtight container. Cover and let rest up to 3 hours at temperature or up to 2 days in refrigerator. Stir in lemon juice just before using.
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Slice and transfer to a platter. Drizzle with sauce and serve with additional sauce alongside.
• Do Ahead
• Pork can be rubbed 2 days ahead; chill in an airtight container. Sauce, without lemon juice, can be made 2 days ahead; chill in an airtight container.