I'm cooking a pork shoulder in a crock pot -

[Aimee]

I'd like it sort of Latino style. What's the best way to do this? Thanks.

[crosby_p]

mmmmm...Pozole...with green enchilada sauce and hominy...but I've never done it in anything but the crockpot...lots of cumin, coriander, onions....oh now I want some.

[toodie jane]

this is an excellent recipe; it uses roasted and peeled fresh pasillas and tomatillos. Gives it a very rich flavor.

http://www.cyberbilly.com/meathenge/a...

[BrianJC]

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, my dead simple recipe for tasty pork shoulder is:

1 pork shoulder
1 jar Cuban Mojito Sauce

Put both in slow cooker for low 8-10 hours. Flip the shoulder a couple of times during cooking. That's it. I'll usually put the pork and sauce in the crock in the fridge the night before, then pop it in the cooker when I get up.

[DiveFan]

toodie jane, Excellent recipe link!

AHEM - you mean 'poblano' chiles, mislabeled pasilla in much of the Southwest and California. The OP probably lives in the NYC metro area.

[heatherkay]

Probably too late to send you this link, but I made this Puerto Rican pork shoulder (pernil) from the Bittman column in the NYTimes a few weeks ago. I roasted it in the oven (like you, I found it was too big to braise in the crock pot). My husband thought the cut was too fatty, but I'm still using the trimmed cooked fat and I saved the bone for a later pot of beans. All in all, very tasty.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage...

[MMRuth]

A kind poster posted this recipe for me that I've yet to try, but it does involve marinating, which is an important step - so it won't work for you if you want it for tonight:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/466275

[Aimee]

I spoke to soon! The pork shoulder is enormous and doesn't fit in my crockpot. I guess I will put it in a low oven for the day. Any thoughts on this process?

[fern]

Usually I start it out at about 450 for 45 min or so so it browns, then reduce heat to 250 and cook all day. If you don't have tme for that just brown it well on the stove, then pop it in the oven and cook at a low temp all day. Otherwise, it's aboaut the same.

[Aimee]

Thanks Fern, it's in the oven now at 450. Then I will reduce the heat and leave it. Smells good already! Do you cook covered or uncovered?

[grishnackh]

Here's my method: salt and pepper the pork pork shoulder then brown in a dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. When all sides have been browned, remove roast from the pan and pour off any fat in excess of a few tablespoons. Sautee an onion or two, a bit of garlic, and a couple of jalapenos in the reserved fat, adding the jalapenos seedless if you'd like to control the heat. Cook the vegetables until the onions start to become translucent.

Return the shoulder to the pan and then finish cooking it, covered, at 350 for a 2-3 hours. I'd think that you could go lower and slower without much trouble. The pork is done when you can easily shred the meat with two forks all the way to the center of the cut. Pull apart in this manner, mix thoroughly with the pan juices, and serve. Needless to say, this makes a great taco or burrito filling.

[willygreen]

I agree with you. I think it's really important to brown the shoulder on the stove and then put it in the oven. Sauteing the onions, garlic and jalapeno in the fat adds another layer of flavor

[fern]

Sorry, Aimee, I didn't see this but it looks as though yougot lots of great advice here. fyi, when I'm making it the way we discussed here, for use in tortillas, I usually keep it loosely covered after the initial high heat sear. If we're eating it as a roast I usually coat it with tons of garlic, fennel seed and sage and leave it uncovered because the crust is so crispy and delicious that way.
Please tell us what you did and how it went! I love pork shoulder. There's one in the freezer so pretty soon I'll begin trying the great recipes posted here.

[chowser]

This is pseudo-Latino but very good.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/rec...

[fern]

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/339352

I wanted you to see this thread about it. I've done it in the crockpot by placing lots of roughly chopped onion on the bottom, the well-browned pork seasoned with garlic, oregano, cumin and loads of Mexican seasoning blend on that, and some chicken broth poured in ( we like things juicy). At the end of the day I shredded the meat with a fork and we ate it in corn tortillas that got a quick run over the gas stove burner flame. Lime wedges on the table. Very easy, very tasty.

I think I used a recipe but can't for the life of me remember where I got it. I think I've remembered everything. Let us know what you do!

[Aimee]

Thanks. That's just what I'm looking for. It's 20 degrees out here today - I'm definitely looking forward to coming home to this!

[fern]

Oh, reading the recipe MMRuth linked to reminded me that I squeezed a juicy orange into the pot also.

[dexters]

Rick Bayless has a method that is brilliant, called Tinga Tacos. It is delicious, and my husband asks for it over and over and over again!

The full recipe is available here: http://www.journal-news.com/l/content...