Slow-roast Pork Shoulder, Perfected

https://www.reddit.com/r/raerth/comments/1oga0h/slowroast_pork_shoulder_perfected/

created by zesty_zooplankton on 14/10/2013 at 20:48 UTC

27 upvotes, 1 top-level comments (showing 1)

*Edit**: Oh god, wrong sub. Really wrong sub. Fucking hell, sorry guys.

*Hello everyone!**

After all the interest in slow-cooked pork, I felt I should share my experience. Note that this is done with an **oven**, and I apologize if that's against this sub's rules. It is, however, definitely "slow-cooked", so maybe it's ok?

I am presenting my findings, because a dish this delicious needs to be shared, and my girl doesn't like meat of short-pig as a general rule :(

I have cooked about seven of these in a row, and I think I've worked out most of the kinks. I started with this[1] recipe from Serious Eats, but I've made a few adjustments.

1: http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/12/the-food-lab-ultra-crisp-skinned-slow-roasted-pork-shoulder.html

I'll go to the good part first. This makes a fantastic, delicious, mouth-watering mound of melt-in-your-mouth meat that's loaded with flavor and so tender you'll cry when you eat it. Getting fiber into your diet will be difficult because you'll want to eat this ALL THE TIME. Maybe it's just me, but I find I just don't get sick of this.

*How to Do**

*I begin with the biggest piece of pork I can find**, because I'm lazy and I hate cooking all the time. This particular piece[2] was about 22lbs, and I believe it's the whole shoulder. It lasts me about two weeks. If you are using a smaller piece of pork, see note #2.

2: http://i.imgur.com/Oy7M8oGh.jpg

Notice that this has a thin layer of fat on top, but the "skin" has been removed. Have your butcher do this for you if the skin is still on, because removing the skin yourself is a huge pain.

As you can see, I cut criss-cross patterns into the meat. I find this makes for more delicious crust, and helps the rub soak into the meat.

*After the criss-crossing, time to massage some flavor into the meat**. I've tried a number of different rubs (Montreal steak spice works well), but this roast tastes fantastic with just salt. I recommend, for your first time, that you *just* use salt. Experiment once you've got the rest figured out.

*I place the roast on a grid-thing**, which keeps the bottom getting soggy from the juices. I put the grid thing over a baking pan, to collect said juices. This cut of pork has a lot of juice, and a crispy exterior is one of the best things about making this. If you don't have a grid-thing, you'll have to get clever and figure out a way to "suspend" the roast over the baking pan.

*So, rub with salt, and leave at room temp for like an hour**. Is this step necessary? I'm not sure, but I do it and it seems to work. Ignore at your own risk. During this time preheat your oven to 220F, regular bake. You can try convection, but I'd be worried it would dry out the meat too much.

Anyway, yes, that's right. 220. Super low.

*After the hour is up, place the roast in the oven**. This is a picture of my roast in the oven[3]. I am using a temperature probe here because I was still figuring this out, but I don't think temperature matters that much. If you are using a smaller piece of pork, see note #2. If you have observed that my oven is filthy, yes, it is. I feel shame. Thank you.

3: http://i.imgur.com/hpr0uVfh.jpg

*The work is done. Leave your chunk of meat in the oven for 24 hours**. One day. After that, you can check it hourly with a fork. The meat should part without any resistance, everywhere you try. Check the top and the bottom and sides. When it is done, the meat will come apart like so[4].

4: http://i.imgur.com/dNAfPa8h.jpg

When it's done, you will see it has a nice, cripsy crust[5]. This tastes better than bacon. Yes, BETTER THAN BACON. Gorge yourself upon this crust, for it will never taste better than right now.

5: http://i.imgur.com/dsATvpdh.jpg

*So, that's it! Delicious slow-roast pork**. I've never had anything like it, anywhere. Enjoy!

*Note #1: IMPORTANT** Do not reheat this in a microwave. What's that, you say? I said DO NOT HEAT THIS IN THE MICROWAVE. It will make your tender meat rubbery and tough as saddleback leather in less than thirty seconds! NEVER DO IT, or your pig will have died for nothing!

To heat this pork up, and to me it really must be heated up, you **must** put it on a dish and throw it in the toaster oven or regular oven for a few minutes, which will retain the tenderness and flava. This way of reheating will also give the surface pieces a nice, delicious crispy layer.

*Note #2:** If your piece of pork is much smaller than mine, or larger(!), then you should monitor temperature. Keep your oven temp low (220), and wait for the internal temperature of the roast to reach 190F. Put the probe in the center of the the roast, ideally close to a bone. Once the roast reaches 190 internally, it must stay at that temperature for at least 5 hours. Check the consistency of the meat with a fork, in several places: it should part with zero effort. Check multiple places because the shoulder is a complex cut, and some sections of the meat will cook faster than others.

*Recipe TLDR:**

Cut criss-cross into roast.
Rub with salt, let sit at room temp for 1 hr
Preheat to 220F
Place roast in oven, elevated somehow
Wait 24 hrs, and then check hourly until roast is completely fork-tender
Enjoy

Comments

Comment by Raerth at 31/10/2013 at 04:40 UTC

10 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Thanks for the tip.