291465 Mon Jan 06 03:06:41 -0800 2003 20 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1586164 I noticed my grocery store's "cheap meats" section features a few offerings of what I think was pork shoulder... a sizable hunk of meat and bone, about the size of a vollyball, for only a few bucks. It seemed more bone than meat, but volume wise it also seemed a deal for those with the skills to nurse the good stuff. I was already focused on a big recipe, so I declined to experiment. But after a recent month in China, I've developed a hankering for a variety of pork dishes. Beyond stock, does anyone have some (fairly simple - why spend $20 prepping a $4 dish)ideas for such a cut? I'm not entirely Pork Shoulder is the exact definition. Regardless, it seems to be a slice that the public doesn't want to deal with... but I might, with the right advice. Thanks in advance :) Mon Jan 06 03:06:41 -0800 2003 0 TastyJon 1 1586165 Well for braising cuts, long, low and slow is the deal. You can brown it in oil in a heavy pan--browning increases the flavor of the finished dish and is worth the trouble. Then add some seasoning, like chopped onion, celery or fennel, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and a half of bottle of white wine. Bring to a simmer, then stick it in a 325F degree oven for 3 hours or so. You want the meat falling off the bone. The tough stuff will melt away and the bone will add flavor. You can make of bit of sauce with the liquid. Leftovers are good shredded and made into enchiladas. Just get some tortillas, some canned green chile sauce, and some mild cheese. Top with sour cream. Mon Jan 06 03:18:40 -0800 2003 1586164 0 Thea 2 1586166 This cut is perfect for making Vindaloo, the Goan curry with its superb spicy sour vinegar based sauce Let me know if it sounds of interest and I will dig out an old family recipe S Mon Jan 06 03:58:41 -0800 2003 1586165 0 Simon Majumdar 3 1586167 Yes, please! Sounds excellent! Mon Jan 06 04:02:57 -0800 2003 1586166 0 Kelly 4 1586169 This is in fact a "classic" Goan Vindaloo ( The Vin coming from Vinegar which was, I believe a legacy of the Portugese occupation of this region. The Allo, is not potato, but comes from Ahlo which is Portugese ( I think ) for garlic ) My recipe is Pork Vindaloo 1 tbsp cumin seeds 2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp  green cardamom pods 1 tsp black cardamom pods 1/2 tsp cloves 1 onion chopped 8 cloves garlic chopped 1 in root ginger chopped 1 tsp paprika 6 dried red chillies, soaked in 1 tbsp cider vinegar 2 tbsp oil ( normally it is palm, but I use nut oil ) 8 fl oz cider vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 3 lbs pork, cubed ( I also use a hand of pork on occasions but this is more fatty ) Dry roast the spices in a pan until lightly coloured then grind them together with the onion, garlic, ginger, paprika, chillies and soaking vinegar. Blend in 1 tbsp of the oil, the cider vinegar and sugar. Add the pork, stir until well coated, then cover and marinate overnight in the fridge (or however long you've got). Heat the remaining oil and fry the meat over a medium heat until browned. Add the marinade and stir for 5 mins, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 45 mins - 1 hour, until the meat is tender. It is a great fiery dish with a sour sweet undernote. Hope you like it Mon Jan 06 04:45:15 -0800 2003 1586167 0 Simon Majumdar 5 1586174 Thanks, Simon -- it looks delicious. Just two questions: how much of a travesty would it be to use only green cardamom pods? I'll keep my eyes open for black ones, but I've never seen them in the asian/indian markets here in Brussels. And second, for the chilis, do you recommend the small Thai/bird chilis, or do you have something else in mind? Looking forward to trying it soon! Mon Jan 06 09:10:33 -0800 2003 1586169 0 Kelly 6 1586188 Green only is fine. As with all dishes, play around with what you have and what you can find As for chillies. The small thai ones are probably more authentic, that being said, I think they add a little too much heat so I prefer something a lot less blistering S Mon Jan 06 10:03:05 -0800 2003 1586174 0 Simon Majumdar 5 1586198 Looks great--is this bone-in or boneless pork? Thanks. Mon Jan 06 10:38:48 -0800 2003 1586169 0 aromatherapy 6 1586201 I think this is better off the bone in goodly size chunks S Mon Jan 06 11:11:43 -0800 2003 1586198 0 Simon Majumdar 5 1586221 WOW!!!!!!!!! Mon Jan 06 13:49:50 -0800 2003 1586169 0 erica 2 1586214 This sounds pretty close to carnitas, the perfect taco filling. Also, make some frijoles to go with it. First thing in the morning, put a lb. of black beans or pintos in a slo-cooker crockpot along with 7 cups of water and put 'er on high. You can add some fat and trimmings from the pork. After several hours you will have beans ready for mashing. Mon Jan 06 12:40:03 -0800 2003 1586165 0 Sharuf 1 1586171 I don't know the recipe, but isn't the Chinese dish "honeyed pork" (as served at "Yeah Shanghai Deluxe" in New York's Chinatown) made from this? Mon Jan 06 07:26:24 -0800 2003 1586164 0 newsjoke 1 1586172 I make pulled pork from the shoulder. This requires a smoker - small electric smokers are available for $50 and up. I skin, butterfly and debone the shoulder. I cut the meat into 2 smaller pieces. Then I dry rub everything (including the skin and bone) and smoke for 6-8 hours. I then sauce the meat, wrap in foil and put in the grill for another 2 hours at 250. After that, the meat can be easily pulled apart - more sauce is added. The bone is kept in the freezer for beans. The skin can be crisped up in the oven at a high temp. The smoker has been an excellent investment - I do hot smoked salmon and trout, ribs, pulled pork, brisket - even turkey. Mon Jan 06 07:29:02 -0800 2003 1586164 0 applehome 2 1586179 A lot of people, myself included, leave the bone in. I use an offset smoker. When the shoulder is nearing completion, the meat pulls away from the bone. The following forum is the best, by far, that I have seen for all things BBQ. Link: http://www.rbjb.com/rbjb/rbjbboard/ Mon Jan 06 09:30:10 -0800 2003 1586172 0 Dax 3 1586277 I used to do this - but I never got enough smoke or rub flavor in the final product. Playing with the sauce didn't yield the results I wanted. I evolved my technique - I know that it isn't traditional, but I don't have a big pit (yet). My in-laws (big family) from Oklahoma think my Q is as good as anything they get at the State Line BBQ there by the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Mon Jan 06 22:14:06 -0800 2003 1586179 0 applehome 1 1586180 I use this cut to make pernil and it is wonderful. It's unbelievably simple: just process to a paste red wine vinegar, garlic, and oregano in the food processor. Rub the roast all over with the paste. If the shoulder you bought still has the skin on it (in North Carolina, where I live, the cut is labeled "pork shoulder" or "picnic shoulder" when the skin is on, I believe; when the skin is removed, it's sold as a "Boston Butt roast"), cut 2" pockets between the skin and meat and rub paste into the pockets. Wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight; the longer the better. Roast at 325 degrees until fork-tender, usually 3-4 hours. If the skin is on, use a mister to moisten the skin every half hour during cooking. I always serve this with yellow rice and black beans and/or fried sweet plantains, and it's always a big hit with guests. Mon Jan 06 09:31:11 -0800 2003 1586164 0 Tom from NC 2 1586194 I forgot the most important part: when the roast is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes. While it is resting, combine the pan drippings with more red wine vinegar and some stock. Reduce on stove, stirring frequently. Slice pork, cover with sauce. Yum. Mon Jan 06 10:30:26 -0800 2003 1586180 0 Tom from NC 1 1586189 This is, for me, the quintessential roast pork. It costs literally pennies to prepare and tastes like a million bucks. First, brine the pork (an 8- to 10-pound shoulder, bone in, skin on): Put 4 gallons of water into a large container. Add 4 cups each of sugar and Kosher salt. Stir to combine, then place pork in and set aside in a cool place to brine overnight (8 to 12 hours). Then drain it, rinse it and dry it with paper towels. Set the oven at 350 degrees. In a roasting pan lined with silver foil, put the pork on a rack. Pierce the skin all over with the tip of a sharp knife, being careful not to pierce the flesh. Roast until the skin is crisp and brown and the internal temp reaches 160 degrees (about 5-6 hours). If you want the meat to be fall-off-the-bone tender, reduce the oven temp to 300 degrees after 5 hours and keep going for another 2-3 hours. Take the roast out and let it sit for about 20 minutes before carving. Get ready for applause. Mon Jan 06 10:05:25 -0800 2003 1586164 0 Deenso 1 1586195 I just made Carnitas this weekend with pork shoulder and it was awesome. I dusted about a tablespoon of salt and cumin on a Shoulder and choped 1 onion then poured chicken stock til it just covered the shoulder. Brought it to a boil then simmered for 3 hours. At this point the meat is tender and you can eat from there but I took the shoulder and cut it into nice size chunks (about 2 inches, some are smaller because it just falls apart) and put them on a baking dish and baked them at 400 for 15-20 minutes. This gives the exterior a nice crust. Then I made tacos with lime, pico, and avacado. Served with a salad and drunken pintos. I can't say enough about how satisfying, not to mention how great this meal was. Mon Jan 06 10:30:41 -0800 2003 1586164 0 John Scarborough 1 1586218 Last night I cooked a 4-lb skin-on bone-in pork shoulder using (simplified) Michael C's Tre Vigne recipe, Forever Cooked Pork. Simply massage it w/ a rub, s&p and cook at 275 for 6-8 hours. If you want, pierce skin after it softens (after 2 hrs in oven) for crisper cracklings. It was excellent as is, was! Mon Jan 06 13:39:30 -0800 2003 1586164 0 Sarah 1 1586268 Oven braising is a great way to cook on a winter weekend, when you've got lots of time. Here's a couple of possible ways to go: 1) Pork shoulder makes great posole. Braise at low heat in the oven for three (or more) hours, in water (can be fortified with some stock or beer) with lots of onion, garlic,celery, carrot, tomatillos, oregano, bay leaf, whole allspice, salt and ground cumin. About halfway through, add nixtamal (prepared posole corn) and soaked, dried red chile (for red posole) or roasted poblanos (for green posole). If using canned hominy, add for last half hour only. When meat is falling off the bone, remove the bone from the pot, shred or chop the large hunks of meat. Skim the fat, adjust the salt. Serve with fresh tortillas and chopped cilantro. Provide bottled hot sauce for fire eaters. And cold beer. Ahhh... 2) pork braised in milk, Swiss-Italian style. Saute and sweat a goodly amount of onion, celery, leek and carrot. Rest the pork shoulder in the bed of aromatics in the bottom of the pot--do not brown the meat. Depending on the size of the pot, add a half gallon to a full gallon of milk--2%, 1% or skim are fine, add stock or water as needed to just about cover the meat, and a bit of salt. Add bay leaves, parsley and fresh thyme, and a few pieces of lemon peel. Bring to a simmer, cover then put in slow oven for several hours. Turn the hunk of meat a couple of times during the cooking, so that as the liquid reduces, the meat spends enough time submerged on all sides. When the meat is just falling off the bone, remove it from the pot--strain the stock, and reduce by half in a different pot. Major cleanup of the braising pot may be needed, as the milk often coagulates and carmelizes on the sides of the pot. Slice or chunk the meat as best you can. Serve with a mash of potato and celery root. Enrich the reduced stock with some creme fraiche if desired, and generously pour over the meat and puree. Unbelievably delicious, and worth all the work to clean the pot. Mon Jan 06 20:45:32 -0800 2003 1586164 0 zora