495121 Sun Mar 02 16:11:25 -0800 2008 37 31 Home Cooking 0 3452880 So I finally had a reason to use the absurdly large pork shoulder I bought about a month ago. It was about 20 lbs - a full shoulder - at about $1 a lb. I couldn't resist. Anyway. Party weekend. On Thursday night I trimmed off all the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat on the surface. Rubbed it generously (and I mean generously) with a dry rub (recipe in Bittman's How to Cook Everything - I think it's called somebody-or-other's rib rub), put it in the roasting pan, covered with plastic and refrigerated overnight. In the morning, I stuck it in the oven at 250o F and let it cook for about 10 hours. It may have gone a little longer - maybe 12 hours. Anyway, Friday night I served it hacked into chunks (it was falling apart tender) with the pan juices (skimmed of fat) and some side dishes. Unbelievably good. After dinner, I took all the rest of it (we'd barely made a dent) and pulled it into shreds, removing as much visible fat as I could find. Refrigerated it. Saturday evening, the shreds were mixed with all the rest of the pan juices and some of a bottle of BBQ sauce (not tons - just enough for some flavour), Reheated in the crock pot until ready to eat (late in the evening) - I have to tell you people were going crazy. Served it on small buns with miscellaneous pickly, relishy things to put on it. This is just about the biggest bang you can get for your buck. Almost no work, really, and insanely good. I had friends begging for the recipe. Sun Mar 02 16:11:25 -0800 2008 12383 Nyleve 1 3453014 Oh yes! Lately, pork shoulder has been my go to meal that my whole family will eat and it is so simple. Thanks for sharing your method, love trying new ways of preparing. Sun Mar 02 17:01:17 -0800 2008 3452880 10670 chocolate chick 2 3470763 I do this a lot too - I've perfected the pulled pork though, by adding some vinegar (usually cider) in with the BBQ sauce. Gives it a deeper flavor. I'm not from NC either. Fri Mar 07 14:18:27 -0800 2008 3453014 95577 yamalam 1 3453936 Sounds awesome! Mon Mar 03 04:53:20 -0800 2008 3452880 84784 food_eater79 1 3453944 Another reason to love pork. The only problem I believe you encountered is you over-paid for the meat. Full Shoulder Picnic and Leg cuts regularly go on sale for .59-.69/lb at my area supermarkets here in New Jersey. The only question I have is, what did you do with the bones? Mon Mar 03 05:00:04 -0800 2008 3452880 123497 fourunder 2 3454193 A whole pork shoulder for 59-69/lb? Wow!!! What is the name of that store????? Mon Mar 03 07:01:31 -0800 2008 3453944 65057 Uncle Bob 3 3454275 Uncle Bob, Shop Rite Supermarkets. The three locations I shop at are: Rochelle Park on Passaic Street Hackensack on River Street and Paramus on State Highway #4 Eastbound All stores routinely run Manager's or In-Store specials and sales are not always advertised. You can go online I believe for a weekly flyer. The Manager's specials are not always items that are approaching a sale end date either. When the pork is not on sale, it's usually sold for $1.29-1.49.....still a good value. Half portions are always higher. I prefer the Paramus location for best. They also run Pork Loin Roasts, 4-6 ribs for $1.49 or less. When they are .99 cents. I usually gobble up three or four......I prefer the smaller ones for portion size. Simply cut in half and I have some great pork chops double/triple cut. When I do the roast, I slice the meat partially off the bones and re-tie the roast together.....that way I have a cheap spare/back rib portion as well. BTW.....the 59/69 special is at least once a month. Mon Mar 03 07:31:55 -0800 2008 3454193 123497 fourunder 4 3455252 Thank You! Mon Mar 03 11:26:04 -0800 2008 3454275 65057 Uncle Bob 2 3454250 You know, I was actually surprised at what a small amount of bones were in that gigantic thing. After the meat was removed, there was only a sort of scapula-shaped bit and something more arm-bony. Since it was so cooked to death, the meat just literally slid off and it was like one of those medical skeletons - not a scrap of anything left on it. Threw it out. I'm not allowed to give cooked bones to my dog. Mon Mar 03 07:22:59 -0800 2008 3453944 12383 Nyleve 3 3454825 Nyleve, Remember this word........Soup.....next time, add the bones and cartilage...even a little fat is acceptable and make a stock for soup or future soup. Never waste a good thing. I always find roasted bones from pork or chicken makes the stock seem a little more rich and flavorful. Mon Mar 03 09:50:49 -0800 2008 3454250 123497 fourunder 4 3454922 Oh I know - but honestly, there was absolutely nothing left on the bones. There was almost no discernable cartilage, the fat was really fatty. I always save stuff like that for soup. But thanks for the reminder. Mon Mar 03 10:18:54 -0800 2008 3454825 12383 Nyleve 1 3453982 I love that rub recipe in Bittman's book; I use it on ribs all the time; it's a definate keeper. Mon Mar 03 05:37:27 -0800 2008 3452880 18353 DGresh 2 3454254 I usually make that stuff up by the double or triple batch and keep it in a large shaker. Phenomenal on ribs. I use smoked paprika instead of plain. Mon Mar 03 07:23:38 -0800 2008 3453982 12383 Nyleve 3 3456804 smoked paprika is the best---it just gives everything a unique zing and leaves people wondering what your secret is... Mon Mar 03 18:07:56 -0800 2008 3454254 12377 bella_sarda 1 3454681 do you mind posting the rub recipe?? i have a pork roast langishing in the freezer... Mon Mar 03 09:22:39 -0800 2008 3452880 44450 asiansensation007 2 3454775 Gladly - Just mix together: 1 tbsp. salt 2 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. ground cumin 1 tbsp. black pepper 1 tbsp. chili powder (I use cayenne or ground chilies) 2 tbsp. paprika (I use smoked) This is a double recipe from the original, but I always keep some around to sprinkle on stuff. I've even used it on salmon fillets that were either baked or pan seared. Mon Mar 03 09:42:15 -0800 2008 3454681 12383 Nyleve 3 3455051 Is that 1 tbsp. salt (no quantity in the original post was given)? Thanks. Mon Mar 03 10:43:04 -0800 2008 3454775 151399 velvet jones 4 3455199 Oops - sorry. I edited it to fix. Mon Mar 03 11:15:15 -0800 2008 3455051 12383 Nyleve 3 3456078 SUGAR? in a rub. Is that normal? Mon Mar 03 14:24:21 -0800 2008 3454775 159713 marcharry 4 3456241 A great deal of BBQ rubs have sugar in it. Usually brown sugar. Mon Mar 03 15:05:29 -0800 2008 3456078 12821 ESNY 4 3456428 I think it helps offset the spiciness and adds to caramelization. All I can say is that it's delicious. Mon Mar 03 15:54:03 -0800 2008 3456078 12383 Nyleve 1 3454761 Isn't roasted pork shoulder the best? I just did a half I had in my freezer yesterday after reading recipes for it in the blog earlier this week. Gave me cravings. I also found in my freezer some adobo sauce I had made and froze so rubbed the roast down Saturday, into the oven Sunday morning on 250 until we were doing our housework and yardwork. It smelled so good! I thawed out some pinto beans (mexican style) I had also frozen, chopped up white onion with cilantro and a little pineapple, made some fresh corn tortillas. Dinner! yum!!! I also find the pork refreezes well after it has been cooked and shredded. If it seems I freeze a lot, I do! I work long hours during the week so cook on the weekends and love having things I can pull out and heat up. Ok, time to go start cooking for the week! Mon Mar 03 09:38:17 -0800 2008 3452880 161922 jodymaryk 2 3454797 I happened to catch Lidia's Italy on Create and saw this episode where she braised a pork shoulder and it looked very tasty. http://recipes.lidiasitaly.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=617 Mon Mar 03 09:45:32 -0800 2008 3454761 123497 fourunder 3 3457627 I caught that episode - the braised pork looked fantastic. I love her show! Tue Mar 04 03:51:00 -0800 2008 3454797 110306 NE_Elaine 3 3470009 I made that recipe about a month ago. The whole house smelled amazing the whole time it was cooking. The pork was fantastic, and the sauce it made was delicious as well. I actually still have a large container of the sauce in the freezer, because it makes a TON. The only change I'd make next time, is to bake the pork in a dutch oven, rather than do it on the stove. I had a lot of trouble keeping the onions from burning a little at the bottom of the pot. Fri Mar 07 11:19:28 -0800 2008 3454797 11243 mwk 2 3455229 If you see you are going to feeze some for a later date...don't "pull" it. Leave it in a chunk and pull/shred when you thaw. Less surface exposed to the feezer...It's a good thing. Enjoy! Mon Mar 03 11:21:42 -0800 2008 3454761 65057 Uncle Bob 1 3454795 I just visited my sister and she did something similar for a party but instead of rub she put a whole lot of big green chilis (halved and deseeded), halved onions and whole garlic cloves on top of and around the pork (after salting and peppering it). It smelled fantastic in the oven for about 18 hours. Then discard the veggies, shred the pork and serve it on fresh tortillas with a million different garnishes, Spanish rice and cowboy beans. Fantastic!! (Agreed, very small amount of bone in all that meat.) Mon Mar 03 09:45:26 -0800 2008 3452880 13756 GretchenS 2 3454808 That sounds soooo good! Going to have to try it! Mon Mar 03 09:48:12 -0800 2008 3454795 161922 jodymaryk 2 3454839 I misplaced my Cowboy Beans recipe many years ago -- do you think your sister would share hers? Mon Mar 03 09:53:18 -0800 2008 3454795 10877 Sarah 3 3455324 Actually, a cousin brought the beans but I'll be glad to ask her for the recipe and post it if/when I get it. Mon Mar 03 11:42:03 -0800 2008 3454839 13756 GretchenS 1 3454836 I love doing this but using a Caroline style, vinegar pulled pork: http://www.recipezaar.com/191318 Mon Mar 03 09:52:44 -0800 2008 3452880 39874 chowser 1 3455076 Thanks for this timely recipe with the Bittman rub recipe. I just bought three last night and put them in the freezer - Here in AZ pork shoulder is on sale for 68 cents a pound at the Ranch Markets (I don't remember seeing these prices back in Boston!). I was going to use one of my favorite recipes (in "Nigella Bites" - rubbing with a paste made of garlic, ginger, crushed chilis, oil, and rice vinegar, and slow-roasting overnight), but now I'm going to try this one. Jodymaryk - that's a good idea too. You reminded me I have some achiote paste in the freezer. Mon Mar 03 10:47:56 -0800 2008 3452880 10271 Rubee 2 4048210 I made Nigella's recipe again this weekend to have roast pork for the week (and for some Vietnamese recipes since her rub is Asian-inspired), and thought I'd take a picture this time. The pork shoulder was about 8 lbs, so I only roasted it for about 7-8 hours. Next time I'll cut down on the 30-minute initial high-heat sear (at 500) for a smaller roast, since it blackened a bit too much. Recipe link: http://www.ochef.com/r153.htm Fri Sep 19 15:35:29 -0700 2008 3455076 10271 Rubee 1 3457583 Next time leave the skin on the pork shoulder and the pork skin will turn into tasty crunchy cracklings. Tue Mar 04 01:04:21 -0800 2008 3452880 11646 Norm Man 2 3470325 Norm Man...that's what I was thinking...but I was wondering whether cooking it at 250 degrees would produce that incredibly crackly crust, or whether one would have to crank up the temperature (broiler?) to create it....what's your (or anyones') experience....thanks Fri Mar 07 12:37:31 -0800 2008 3457583 10485 ChowFun_derek 3 3471744 I have seen a lot of recipes that call for starting it out for the first half hr or 45 minutes at 400 and then turning the heat down. This gives the skin a good head start. I know that the looooong roasting is good, but i think it probably only takes about 5 hrs. But then i've never roasted a 20 lb shoulder. Fri Mar 07 20:56:42 -0800 2008 3470325 49792 julseydesign 4 3472355 The only other time I slow-roasted a pork shoulder, I left the skin on. I don't know - it didn't turn out crispy and addictive, but chewy and tough. It was hard, yes, and I didn't love it. Also found that the thick skin didn't allow the spices to really seep into the meat. Anyway, this time I skinned it and it was, for me anyway, much much better. Sat Mar 08 08:05:26 -0800 2008 3471744 12383 Nyleve 1 3472310 I've got half a pork shoulder (the other half is in the freezer already) marinating in 2/3 mojo + 1/3 new chipotle mojo. After a few days, I'll take it out, cross hatch the skin with a box cutter (reserved for this purpose) and roast it in a slow oven. Heaven. You inspired me! :) Sat Mar 08 07:45:31 -0800 2008 3452880 166380 ldkelley