Anyone tried steamed pork "confit"?

[jeremyn]

There was some discussion on here a while ago about a method to faux-confit duck legs by steaming them and rubbing the finished legs with some duck fat before storing / cooking.

I just made a huge batch of real duck confit, so I don't really want to try that, but I have a big pork shoulder that I'd like to try it with. Has anyone used this method for pork?

I'm thinking of wrapping it tightly in foil and oven "steaming" it. I feel that I could get more even and lower heat this way than by throwing it in a steamer basket on the stove. I'm also planning on doing a salt cure like with real confit.

Any suggestions from people who have tried this, either with duck or pork?

[PBSF]

I have never tried steamed pork butt but I have made kalua pig for a luau by wrapping a dried rubbed pork butt in foil (in lieu of banana leaves) roasting it on a rack in a low temperature oven with a shallow pan of water underneath. The pork came out very tender, like confit or pulled pork. I don't think this method or steaming will give you the same result as confit. Confit is cooked in fat which gives it a rich velvety texture. Also duck pieces, being small, absorbs the salt rub better, resulting a slightly salty meat.

[Will Owen]

The pork butt has cooked itself in damn near as much fat as it would in a pot of lard. No, it is not confit, but it is probably porchetta, or maybe carnitas, all of which are pork cooked in enough fat to make a difference.

My fake kalua pig recipe is very much as PSBF, above, has specified. I happen to live where banana leave are commonly found in supermarkets, though I also resort to kosher salt and roasting bags to make the final product as delicious as possible...

[jeremyn]

Interestingly enough, in blind taste tests, most posters could not distinguish between the steamed version and real confit. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't comment.

What seasonings do you suggest for pork? For duck, I use the Thomas Keller recipe, which uses bay leaf, parsley, and black pepper.

[PBSF]

For duck confit, I use Paula Wolfert's French version: salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme and bay leaf.
The result of the blind tasting is interesting. I would be very interested in how they do the steamed version. Were both versions tasted right after both were made? Did they crisp up the skin? Duck confit taste different the longer it is kept in the duck fat.

[jeremyn]

I chickened out and just made it with olive oil.

I used the same spices I used for duck confit -- the same as yours but sans garlic -- and it turned out quite good. However, I'm not sure I'm a fan of crisping the pork? It gave it an odd flavor. I think I'll try a more subtle crisping next time.