Rendezvous Pork Shoulder Recipes

MAGIC PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and fennel in a small bowl. Place the pork in a large bowl and rub the spices all over, being sure to cover all sides. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Bring the pork to room temperature on the countertop for 1 hour before roasting.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put the seasoned pork in a large Dutch oven, fat side up, and roast, uncovered, until lightly browned, 45 minutes. Pour the beer over the pork, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F, and cover the pot. Cook until the pork is completely tender and pulls easily from the bone, about 6 hours. Remove from the oven. Transfer the pork to a plate and remove the bone. Cook the liquid over medium-high heat until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. (I often skip this part because the liquid cooks down every time I reheat the leftover pork all week long.)
• Meanwhile, shred the pork, using two forks. Let the liquid cool slightly, then return the pork to the liquid to keep warm. Serve warm, with all the goodies.

SMOKED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Sprinkle pork with salt. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
• Prepare charcoal fire with half of charcoal in grill. Let burn 15 to 20 minutes or until covered with gray ash. Push coals evenly into piles on both sides off grill. Carefully place 2 hickory chunks on top of each pile, and place food rack on grill.
• Place pork, meaty side down, on rack directly in center of grill. Cover with lid, leaving ventilation holes completely open.
• Prepare an additional charcoal fire with 12 briquettes in an auxiliary grill or fire bucket. let burn for 30 minutes or until covered with gray ash. Carefully add 6 briquettes to each pile in smoker. Place 2 more hickory chunks on each pile. repeat procedure every 30 minutes. You will continue to cook the pork, covered for 5 hours and 30 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers at least 165 degrees F. Turn the pork once during the last 2 hours.
• Remove pork from the grill. Cool slightly. Chop and serve with Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce or Peppery Vinegar Sauce.
• Stir together all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cover over medium heat, stirring constantly for 7 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill sauce until ready to serve.
• Yield: 2 cups
• Stir all ingredients together, blending well.
• Yield: 4 cups

ALL-PURPOSE PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Rinse the pork, place on a cutting board, pat dry with paper towels and rub in the salt and pepper. Set the pork in the bowl of a slow cooker, scatter the onion over the pork, sprinkle in the garlic and add the wine. Cook until the meat easily pulls apart with a fork, about 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
• Turn off the slow cooker and transfer the pork to a platter. Use two forks to shred the meat.
• If you don't have a slow cooker, you can braise the pork shoulder in a 325 degrees F oven for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.

KONRAD'S PORK SHOULDER GRAVY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the caraway seeds, garlic powder, smoked paprika and salt. Remove and reserve a third of the spice mix in a separate small bowl. Score the pork shoulder on the cap side with a sharp knife, making 8 shallow cross-cuts. Add the pork shoulder to the large bowl with the spice mix, then rub the entire pork shoulder with the spice mix. Cover with the mustard and let sit for 20 minutes.
• In a soup pot, heat the olive oil and vegetable oil on high heat, then add the pork shoulder on the scored-skin side. Sear all sides of the meat to lock in the deep flavor and juices. Add the garlic and thyme. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and pickle juice and let it simmer, covered, until the meat falls off the bone, 1 1/2 hours. Shred the meat to bite-size pieces in the pot. Add more of the reserved spice mix to taste. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 cup water in a small bowl, adding a bit more cornstarch and whisking together well until you have a "buttermilk" consistency. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the gravy slowly, a little bit at a time, stirring to the desired thickness.

EASY ROAST PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Remove any packaging from the pork, retaining the string, and pat dry with kitchen paper - you want the skin to be as dry as possible. Score deep cuts into the skin in a diamond pattern using a sharp knife (you want to cut into the fat). If the skin is already scored, make sure each cut is dry and can be easily opened. Rub the oil into the skin, rubbing it well into each cut, then sprinkle the salt over in an even layer, rubbing this into the cuts, too.
• Scatter the onion slices over the base of a large roasting tin and sit the pork joint on top. Roast for 20-30 mins, or until the skin starts to blister and bubble. Put the kettle on to boil.
• Pour half a kettle of boiling water around the joint to cover the base of the tin, ensuring it doesn't drip onto the skin. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast for another 2 hrs 30 mins, or until the meat under the skin is very tender when pressed. There's a lot of fat in pork shoulder, so cooking at a low temperature this way ensures the meat doesn't dry out - if needed, it can cook for up to 3 hrs.
• Turn the oven back up to 220C/220C fan/gas 7 and continue to roast the pork for 20-25 mins until the skin is very crisp and has started to harden - it should feel brittle when tapped with a knife. If needed, cook for 10 mins more to achieve this. Remove the pork from the oven and rest for 20 mins in the tin, loosely covering with foil. Remove the crackling in large pieces, then break into smaller chunks. Carve the meat and serve alongside the crackling and your favourite sides.