Rendezvous Pork Shoulder Recipes

MAGIC PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and fennel in a small bowl. Place the pork in a large bowl and rub the spices all over, being sure to cover all sides. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Bring the pork to room temperature on the countertop for 1 hour before roasting.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put the seasoned pork in a large Dutch oven, fat side up, and roast, uncovered, until lightly browned, 45 minutes. Pour the beer over the pork, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F, and cover the pot. Cook until the pork is completely tender and pulls easily from the bone, about 6 hours. Remove from the oven. Transfer the pork to a plate and remove the bone. Cook the liquid over medium-high heat until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. (I often skip this part because the liquid cooks down every time I reheat the leftover pork all week long.)
• Meanwhile, shred the pork, using two forks. Let the liquid cool slightly, then return the pork to the liquid to keep warm. Serve warm, with all the goodies.

SLOW ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper.
• In a Dutch oven or casserole set over moderately high heat, heat the oil until hot. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Transfer pork to a platter and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan. Add leek, carrots and celery stalks to pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic cloves, shallots, thyme, parsley and salt and pepper and cook the vegetables until golden. Transfer vegetables to platter. Deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar and reduce by 2/3. Add port and cabernet and reduce by half. Return pork and vegetables to pan, add stock and tomato paste and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Cover pan with foil and lid and transfer pan to a preheated 350 degree oven. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until very tender. Remove pork from oven, remove lid and loosen foil. Let cool for 1 hour in cooking liquid at room temperature or in refrigerator overnight.
• Discard all fat from surface and transfer pork to another pan. Strain cooking liquid and add enough to just cover pork. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until heated through.
• Meanwhile, reduce remaining cooking liquid over high heat until liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Cut pork into 1 1/2-inch thick slices. Swirl butter into sauce.

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.

CHEF JOHN'S PAPER PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C).
• Mix salt, black pepper, paprika, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl.
• Sprinkle rub mixture evenly and thoroughly on each surface of the pork roast, pressing it onto the surface.
• Cut a 4-foot piece of unbleached parchment. Place roast at one end and roll roast tightly in the parchment. Cut a second piece of parchment and roll the roast, positioning it in the opposite direction before rolling.
• Cut a long piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and tightly wrap the parchment-wrapped roast. Wrap the roast in a second piece of foil, and then a third, rotating the position of the roast each time. Place wrapped roast in a roasting pan with folded edges facing up to minimize leaking.
• Place in preheated oven and roast until tender, about 12 1/2 hours (or 1.75 hours per pound of pork).
• Remove pan from oven and allow the wrapped roast to rest at least 1 hour before unwrapping. Brush roast with accumulated juices in the parchment paper.

ROASTED PORK SHOULDER WITH PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the pork really well with salt, pepper and paprika. Tie the pork with kitchen twine (or you can purchase it tied from the butcher). Set a roasting rack inside of a roasting pan and place the pork on the rack. Roast for 3 hours, basting periodically.
• After 3 hours remove the pork from the oven and gently lift the rack off the pan. Scatter the carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic in an even layer and season with salt and pepper. Place the rack and pork back on top of the vegetables and continue to roast until the vegetables are caramelized and the pork is tender and yielding, another 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove from the oven and allow the pork to rest for 15 minutes while you make the pan gravy.
• Remove the vegetables to your serving platter and place the pan over the stove-top burner on medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine with the fat. Gradually stir in the stock, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan for brown bits. Bring to a simmer so the gravy can fully thicken, and then stir in the parsley. Serve the pork with lots of vegetables and the pan gravy on and around.

EASY ROAST PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Remove any packaging from the pork, retaining the string, and pat dry with kitchen paper - you want the skin to be as dry as possible. Score deep cuts into the skin in a diamond pattern using a sharp knife (you want to cut into the fat). If the skin is already scored, make sure each cut is dry and can be easily opened. Rub the oil into the skin, rubbing it well into each cut, then sprinkle the salt over in an even layer, rubbing this into the cuts, too.
• Scatter the onion slices over the base of a large roasting tin and sit the pork joint on top. Roast for 20-30 mins, or until the skin starts to blister and bubble. Put the kettle on to boil.
• Pour half a kettle of boiling water around the joint to cover the base of the tin, ensuring it doesn't drip onto the skin. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast for another 2 hrs 30 mins, or until the meat under the skin is very tender when pressed. There's a lot of fat in pork shoulder, so cooking at a low temperature this way ensures the meat doesn't dry out - if needed, it can cook for up to 3 hrs.
• Turn the oven back up to 220C/220C fan/gas 7 and continue to roast the pork for 20-25 mins until the skin is very crisp and has started to harden - it should feel brittle when tapped with a knife. If needed, cook for 10 mins more to achieve this. Remove the pork from the oven and rest for 20 mins in the tin, loosely covering with foil. Remove the crackling in large pieces, then break into smaller chunks. Carve the meat and serve alongside the crackling and your favourite sides.