Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

Pictured here are two pork shoulders that I roasted and shredded for CSU Summer Stages opening party. I set up a Taqueria party complete with several fresh salsas, roasted corn on the cob, and various tortillas and cheeses. It's an easy set up that requires very little maintenance and therefore, allows you to fully enjoy the party at hand! We duplicated the buffet a couple of weeks later in Texas for my dear neices graduation and this pork is a HUGE hit!

This recipe takes time but has very minimal prep for a huge payoff. Leftovers can be used in a chili (see post from a few weeks ago) or rolled into delicious enchiladas, especially if you've set up the whole taqueria. I love rolling the shredded pork with some queso blanco and rosted poblano peppers into corn tortillas (my preferred tortilla for enchiladas) and then baking the enchiladas in a salsa verde for about 45 minutes (30 minutes covered, 10-15 uncovered).

SLOW ROASTED SHREDDED PORK

• 4-6 lb pork shoulder (skin on or off...the above has skin on, which when slow roasted, becomes crisp, delicious chiccarones)
• your favorite dry rub or seasoning (TexJoy BBQ seasoning is my favorite on this recipe)
• 4 bunches of cilantro
• 1 head of garlic
• juice of two medium limes
• olive oil (enough to bring together your wet rub; the previous three ingredients)

PREP: I recommend using a disposable pan for this. It gets messy and I don't like to scrub. I have used a lasagna pan (as pictured above) with 2-3 layers of heavy duty foil lining it to make clean up a little easier. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of oil into your pan and swirl around to coat the bottom. You can use a non-stick spray if you prefer. Just make sure your pan is deep enough to allow for the drippings that your shoulder will exude...at least 2".

SHOULDER PREP: If your shoulder has the skin on, you will need to separate it from the meat. You're going to leave the skin partially attached as it will keep your meat moist while you're roasting the shoulder. It's very simple...don't be intimidated! Using a small paring knife, start away from the shoulder joint and start cutting under the skin, separating the layer of fat and skin from the meat below. The skin will fold back like a big "flap". Once you've completed this, stab the shoulder liberally working out all your frustrations from the week. Use your dry rub and cover the shoulder on all sides.

WET RUB: Add cilantro (just chop the tops off the bunches...don't worry about any stems you might get, they're just going to get chewed up in the food processor), garlic cloves and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Start your equipment of choice and slowly stream in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to pull everything together. You're essentially just making a pesto. When you've completed this step, apply your pesto over the dry rub on the pork. Fold your skin flap over, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight to let all those flavors settle in and start working on the pork.

ROASTING!!

Pull the pan with your pork out of the fridge and turn your oven on to 375degrees to pre-heat. This allows your shoulder to come closer to room temperature and relax a bit before you shock it with the heat of the oven. You have two options at this point:

• If you have shoulder with skin on and you plan on consuming the chiccarones later, you will want to roast uncovered the entire time. This will ensure crisp chiccarones.
• If your shoulder does not have skin attached, or if you're concerned about it drying out too much and don't really want to eat the chiccarones, keep it covered with foil throughout the roasting.
• As a side note, if you do choose to leave it uncovered, you can always cover it later in the roasting process. Just keep in mind you will not get the crispy skin and you should try this at least once in your lifetime...seriously.

Put your shoulder in your pre-heated oven and roast at the high temperature for 35-45 minutes. You'll begin to smell the garlic just starting to over-cook. Reduce the heat in your over to 200degrees and let the pork cook for anywhere from 6-10 hours. The time required will depend on the size of your shoulder.

When is it "done"??? The pork is ready when a fork will easily shred the outer layer of the meat. Last weekend, for instance, I had roasted the pork about 7 hours. When I checked with the fork it took some effort to shred off the outer layer of meat. I was a little concerned about the moisture content in the pan, there weren't very many drippings, so I covered the pan with foil and returned the shoulder to the oven for another 3 hours or so. TRUST ME when I say, you'll know the difference when your fork easily shreds away the outer layer of the meat and is truly ready to enjoy.

This recipe is so easy. It only requires time. As I said before the payoff is SUBLIME!

Until my next post...

May your eats be delicious and your dinners divine!!

Ashley