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Pork Shoulder


snowangel

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Made the Mock Porchetta from the Zuni Cafe cookbook.  Wonderful.  The leftovers made great sandwiches and an outstanding hash.  Yum.

Judy's Mock Porchetta is one of my favorite newish recipes. To make those yummy sandwiches even more outstanding, I like to sizzle up the slices in a frying pan.

Ouch. That's seriously good.

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

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Hi Suzanne,

No need to cook it first. We like to trim off excess fat and then cut it to one inch cubes. I think I posted the 'recipe' at the congee thread. It's one of my all time favorite dishes. Great for a warm breakfast during the winter. I'm glad pork shoulder hasn't "come into fashion" so the price doesn't get hiked. It's by far some of the most tender meat you can get when cooked properly - melts in your mouth!

Someone told me pork shoulder and green chili is a very popular (and tasty) Mexican dish. I may have to try it...

:wink:

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Make ersatz Memphis 'Q:

A fresh 'picnic' pork shoulder appears to be the front arm

from just below the shoulder joint to just below the elbow

joint. So, the bone is still in the piece. There is skin

still on just below the elbow joint. The skin wraps 360

degrees around the bone; there is much more skin on one side,

likely the 'outside' of the shoulder, than the other.

Weight is commonly 8-9 pounds per shoulder.

This is the source of pork for Memphis BBQ.

In my area, these shoulders are typically sold wrapped in

Cryovac. So far the sources for my efforts have been Farmland

and IBP.

I'm using the 'recipe' (process) below not as a candidate for

especially good food but just as 'daily cooking'. I am

finding that the result permits preparing fast and easy meals

with comparatively a lot of meat. I am regarding recipe as a

good combination of flavor, nutrition, preparation time, and

cost.

Here's what I do:

Take one fresh pork shoulder, place on a stainless steel wire

roasting rack, bone roughly horizontal, the side with the

greater amount of skin down, set in a stainless steel roasting

pan, sprinkle on the cut surfaces some dry 'rub' (currently

I'm using Emeril's Essence because it was handy), insert a

meat thermometer deeply into the meat but not in contact with

bone, place in an oven at 225 F, and cook until thermometer

reads 190 F.

I use skin side down to reduce sticking on the wire rack and

to make the cut surfaces easier to sprinkle with the

seasoning.

For the oven temperature, as is common, the dial for my oven

does not read very close to the true temperature. So, I

determine oven temperature with some separate oven

thermometers placed in the oven. I set these on a piece of

aluminum foil to keep them from falling between the wires of

the oven rack.

When the meat thermometer reads 190 F or so, I remove the

roasting pan, etc., from oven and let the meat rest until

thermometer reads about 140 F. Now the meat is mostly cool

enough to handle.

I leave the oven on; I will need it again soon.

I will need the meat thermometer again soon so set it aside on

small clean plate.

I set the wire rack and meat on a large dinner plate, pour the

liquid fat from the roasting pan, discard the fat, and place

the meat in the roasting pan.

I take the roast apart putting lean meat in one bowl and

discarding skin, bone, and fat. A three quart bowl is about

the right size for the lean meat.

I get a simple BBQ sauce -- currently I'm using Kraft's -- and

measure out about 2 1/2 C.

Memphis 'Q is not "pulled" but chopped. So, I use some tongs

to place some of the lean meat on a cutting board and make a

few cuts to chop it into bite sized chunks. I dump the

chopped portion into a second 3 quart bowl, stainless steel,

mix in some BBQ sauce, and continue filling the second bowl

with lean meat and BBQ sauce. I save about 3/4 C of sauce and

pour it over the top.

So, I get a 3 quart stainless steel bowl with chopped lean BBQ

mixed with and topped with BBQ sauce.

I cover the bowl with foil, push the meat thermometer through

the foil and deeply into mixture, place bowl in oven, and

cook, at 225 F, until meat thermometer reads about 180 F,

about 4 hours. The goal here is to sterilize the meat again

after the handling. Here an oven temperature higher than 225

F might be as good or better.

I remove bowl from oven, remove the meat thermometer and foil,

and set the bowl uncovered in refrigerator overnight to

thoroughly chill. When the mixture is thoroughly chilled, I

cover bowl with a dinner plate or more foil.

Note: I set the bowl in the refrigerator uncovered to let

moisture from the meat mixture just evaporate into the

refrigerator. If we used a cover on the bowl, then the

moisture would condense on the inside of the cover, drip back

onto the meat mixture, and possibly contribute to spoilage.

To serve, the traditional Memphis approach is a large white

bread bun containing warmed 'Q topped with coleslaw. Instead

of a bun, I just use lightly toasted wheat bread.

For a fast, big, meaty dinner of three sandwiches, I put 13

1/2 ounces of the meat mixture in a microwave proof bowl, top

with 2 T of hot sauce (Tabasco or Louisiana style hot sauce),

cover with a microwave proof cover (to keep any splatter off

the interior of the microwave oven), and heat in microwave for

5 minutes at 50% power. I use about one ounce of coleslaw

(purchased) per sandwich.

For my last batch, I had trouble finding just one pork

shoulder and instead bought a single Cryovac package with two

shoulders. Not so good:

I wanted to cook both shoulders at once so arranged them both

on the one wire rack set in the one roasting pan.

Surprise: With the two shoulders, the meat thermometer took

much longer to reach 190 F, took about 25 hours. So, the time

the meat was under 140 F was likely much longer, which is a

concern.

So, if I do two shoulders at once again, then will start with

a hotter oven, say, 350 F, and then reduce the temperature to

225 F once the meat thermometer reaches, say, 140 F.

The BBQ that results from this process appears to be

relatively low in fat. The 4 1/2 ounces of BBQ per sandwich

makes a meaty sandwich.

The popularity of BBQ is somewhat understandable: As we see

in

Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky, 'The Elements of Taste', ISBN

0-316-60874-2, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 2001.

food that tastes good tends to do well on some or all of salt,

sugar, pepper, acid, and onion-garlic, and BBQ hits on all

four and sometimes all five. Also BBQ cooked in a traditional

'pit' with charcoal gets flavor from browning, which is a good

candidate for the sixth secret of food that tastes good.

Gee, my local sources are charging me about $0.99 a pound for

shoulders and about $1.80 a pound for well trimmed pork loins.

So, the pork loins may be not much more per pound of cooked

meat ready to eat than the shoulders. So, we could use a

similar thread on what to do with a whole pork loin.

Hint: It's apple season.

Question: With pork loin, do we want to do well on all of

apple, salt, sugar, vinegar, pepper, and onion-garlic? If no,

then why not? If so, then how?

What would be the right food and wine to go with

R. Strauss's 'Ein Heldenleben'?

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I made Posole following Huevos del Toro's general directions with Suzanne's technique of cooking it whole until it falls off the bone. This I did Sunday evening, and it tasted quite bland. I thought I must have really blown it. But after sitting for two days (and scraping off the layer of fat on the surface), it is absolutely wonderful tonight. I added a little hot sauce, cilantro and lime while warming it up and simmering for about 15 minutes.

Thanks HdT and SuzanneF. :smile:

Richard

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I made Posole following Huevos del Toro's general directions with Suzanne's technique of cooking it whole until it falls off the bone. This I did Sunday evening, and it tasted quite bland. I thought I must have really blown it. But after sitting for two days (and scraping off the layer of fat on the surface), it is absolutely wonderful tonight. I added a little hot sauce, cilantro and lime while warming it up and simmering for about 15 minutes.

Thanks HdT and SuzanneF.  :smile:

Richard

Agreed. Mine was "limp and thin" eaten immediately.

Two days later, heaven. Just as good leftover just slightly warmed up.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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  • 1 year later...

Tonight after work i picked up a 4 pound pork shoulder. Usually when i buy one of these i either make pulled pork sandwiches or i shred the meat to make tacos.

This time i want to do something different! Does anybody have any ideas on what else i can do with this?

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Pork shoulder is extremely versatile. It is my cut of choice for making sausages because it has just about the right proportion of fat.

It is also great just simply cut into chunks and braised. I like tossing them in paprika, salt, and pepper and then braising the chunks in whatever liquid they release over low heat (starting cold and dry).

This also a cut of choice for making carnitas.

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ooh good question, I have ther same dilemma. I love the fatty pork shoulder, but i'm in a rut too, I'd love to hear some good ones on this too. you've probably thought of this already; cubanos or media noches use the shoulder insted of the loin ( :wub: )

does this come in pork?

My name's Emma Feigenbaum.

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It's very good braised in beer with onions, carrots, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Keep in mind the veggies aren't very good, don't count on them for sides, but the meat is great. Brown the meat first coated with salt and pepper.

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Love the pork shoulder.

Lustily score the meat. Slow roast generously seasoned with quatre epices and salt. Rubbed first with some olive oil and cooked on top of mirepoix vegetables, thyme and garlic. Also slide some garlic slivers into the meat. Bring heat up at the end of cooking for crispy skin and baste frequently over the last couple of hours with pan drippings that should include some added stock and white wine.

Last weekend I confitted a small piece of shoulder (1.5lbs) in pork fat. I used the classic seasonings for choucroute since a choucroute was the ultimate destination of the pork. 275 in a covered pot in the oven for six or seven hours.

You can use the leftovers from either preparation in a cubano.

You shouldn't eat grouse and woodcock, venison, a quail and dove pate, abalone and oysters, caviar, calf sweetbreads, kidneys, liver, and ducks all during the same week with several cases of wine. That's a health tip.

Jim Harrison from "Off to the Side"

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I second the slow roasted pork idea. I made this recipe from Epicurious Six Hour Pork Roast and the meat was incredibly tender and juicy - excellent with mashed spuds. The lefovers went into empanadas.

You may want to adjust the amount of salt if you make this dish, as my found it to be a bit too salty.

Edited by hazardnc (log)
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Marcella's pork braised in milk, from Classics, is my favorite. I think she calls for a loin, but I always use a shoulder roast

You season the pork with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and cinnamon, then let it sit overnight before braising in milk.

Jim

olive oil + salt

Real Good Food

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I second the slow roasted pork idea.  I made this recipe from Epicurious Six Hour Pork Roast and the meat was incredibly tender and juicy - excellent with mashed spuds.  The lefovers went into empanadas.

You may want to adjust the amount of salt if you  make this dish, as my found it to be a bit too salty.

There is a slow cooker version of this in the Washington Post Food Section this morning.

Bill Russell

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Marcella's pork braised in milk

In milk!! Holy cow.

You shouldn't eat grouse and woodcock, venison, a quail and dove pate, abalone and oysters, caviar, calf sweetbreads, kidneys, liver, and ducks all during the same week with several cases of wine. That's a health tip.

Jim Harrison from "Off to the Side"

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Marinate in leeks, apples and gewurtztraminer. (Use the French Laundry book as a guide, if you'd like the short ribes recipe). Slow cook in marinade plus cider and calvados for many hours. Rest overnight. Skim, strain, bring slowly back to temperature. You should be able to remove the bones with your fingers. Reduce the braising liquid while the shoulder sits. Serve with sauteed apples, braised cabbage. Two days later, make some barbecue sauce and have the leftovers on toasted hamburger buns.

Life will be good.

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

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I learned how to make Jambon Persille from French Provincial Cooking, by E. David. She suggestts using leg or shoulder, and I always preferred the shoulder, fresh or smoked, but soaked first.

It gets marinated with white wine spices and herbs in the fridge for a few days, then gently braised and cooled. The reserved marinade is prepared by simmering with a pig's foot so you have a quart of clear gelatinous filler. Then the pork is pulled apart and layered in a crock, with alternate layers of chopped parsley. Each layer is dampened down with the gelatinous filler, and this is used to top it off. The crock is set in the fridge for 24 hrs., then removed upside down and served.

It's an excellent warm weather entree.

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For an Alsatian pork. Brown the shoulder.

In a large oven roasting pan layer bottom with sauerkraut, turnips, sliced onions, sliced and peeled granny smith apples and waxy potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the shoulder on these ingredients then layer with the same ingredients again. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour a dry white wine over. Shoulder should be 3/4 covered by vegetables and wine.

Bake until shoulder is tender.

Smoked jowl meat can be added for a nice smoky flavor.

-------------------------

Water Boils Roughly

Cold Eggs Coagulating

Egg Salad On Rye

-------------------------

Gregg Robinson

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going a whole other route/continent:

marinate in a combination of stock or water (whichever you have on hand, maybe 3-4 cups), 1 cup soy sauce, 1/2-1 cup black vinegar/rice vinegar/shaoxing rice wine (or combination thereof), maybe two pods of star anise, a 3-inch long cinnamon stick, a roughly chopped onion, an inch-long chunk of ginger, sliced into rounds, a couple Tbsp of brown sugar and a few cloves of garlic. overnight is best.

before cooking, pat dry, then season generously with salt and pepper and brown on all sides over high heat. dump in your marinade, veg, bits and all, and put on a low, slow simmer (the rare, occasional bubble). braise for a couple of hours or until done, tasting and adjusting seasoning as needed.

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