As some on you may know, I have been making hot sauces for a while. You may even remember that I made a second and arguably evermore useful ingredient for your cooking adventures. I am talking about our Extra Bits. I even wrote a post about how versatile and unique this product is. Now I’m going to give you a very simple recipe that I made on Boxing Day. It was a huge hit and very simple to make.
2 Tbsp Extra Bits separated into thirds and a little extra
1 large orange
salt and pepper
olive oil
Roasting pan
Instructions
Pre heat oven to 300 degrees
Remove shoulder from packaging a pat dry
Score the fatty side
Pole holes with knife in cuts between the fat
Make sure you puncture though the meat, but not too far
Cut garlic in halves
Take the a little extra of the bits and put in the holes made by knife punctures
Then push the garlic halves in holes made by knife punctures
Generously rub fatty side of pork with ⅔ of Extra Bits.
Make sure to get in all the crevices(If you need more use more.)
Then take the rest, and rub the rest of the shoulder with it
Drizzle a little olive oil, just to cover the bottom of the roasting pan and spread it around
Lower heat to 250
Place shoulder I middle of pan and place on middle rack.
In around 3 hours pull shoulder out and squeeze orange juice all over the fat side
Return shoulder to oven and continue to cook for 2-3 more hours
Or till the meat start to fall away with a fork and knife
If you want really crispy skin then the last hour of cooking turn the heat up to about 350
Keep an eye on it as it can burn the skin.
Notes
Try to find one that doesn't have the ball socket/joint. It looks sort of like a handle. This will make it much easier to score. It may not always be possible but it really helps.
The size of the shoulder may vary. I prefer on closer to 7 pounds but one that size isn't always available. The last one I used was 9 lbs. The main difference will be the cooking time. The bigger the roast the longer to cook it.
Also sometimes there is a little extra fat that is not needed so I cut that off.
I love pork shoulder. Well, it’s fair to say I love pork. Be it bacon, ribs, the shoulder, or chops, I’m ready to cook and or eat! Pork shoulder is a pretty easy piece of meat to cook. You either slow roast in the oven or in a crock pot. Although it does take some time, it’s worth every minute. I usually like to make pulled pork tacos with the shoulder. In my mind, which may not be saying much, it’s probably one of the most common ways to have this cut of meat. Most of the time I keep it pretty simple with garlic, salt, pepper and a squeeze of citrus, but this time I added a spice rub to give it that extra oomph. I made this for an Oscar party I convinced some friend give, well the promise of pulled pork tacos really helped. And, everyone loved it! I hope you do too.
Cut excess skin and fat from under side of shoulder
You only need the top part of the skin and fat.
Score the skin
In some of the slits poke holes to put garlic pieces into
Rough chop garlic and place in holes
How to make rub
Add chile powder, salt, pepper and oregano florets to a bowl
On low heat roast cumin seeds and chipotle chile
Roast till cumin gets smokey and chipotle dries out
The jarred chipotle is little sticky thats why you want to roast it.
Also it give is even more smokiness.
Grind cumin seeds and chipotle chiles in mortar and pestle
Add ground cumin and chipotle into bowl with the rest of the rub
Give it a stir and crush the oregano florets
Rub the spices into the scored parts of the pork
Drizzle roasting pan with olive oil
Place pork in oven for 5 - 6 hours
After about 2 hours place a sheet of foil over pork till its done.
It should fall apart with touch and or fork.
Notes
I mentioned two ways to cook a pork shoulder. Here you have the oven version. The crock pot version is just as simple, just cut off all the skin. If left on it will be super chewy and not at all appetizing. Next use the same rub but just add it to the pot, you may want to increase the amount and add a bay leaf. Also still you can still poke holes into the meat and put garlic in them. Or rough chop the garlic and add it like the spices. Also you will need water to keep it from drying out. Adding a little orange citrus is nice, but not necessary.
* You should treat this like you would a regular roast*
So I came up with this recipe one night when we had some friends come over and convinced them to stay for dinner. We were already three hours into making a pork shoulder but hadn’t decided what else to go with it. I looked around the kitchen as I usually do to see what we need and I found a fennel bulb and thought, medical hmmmmmm what can I do with this? I was already making and Asian inspired pork shoulder, for sale Why not continue that theme with a fennel coleslaw? So here is the recipe for both!!!
Check with meat thermometer, should read 185 degrees when done.
Remove from oven cover with foil again and let sit for 20 minutes before serving.
FENNEL SLAW
Julienne fennel bulb, carrot and red pepper.
Chop onion
Toss in bowl
Mix dressing and pour over slaw
Toss slaw to coat with dressing
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve immediately at room temperature.
Notes
Cooking time and temp varies with each oven. Keep an eye on your roast and baste the shoulder with juices. I like to check and baste every 30minutes or so. You don't want a dry shoulder. Dressing for slaw - taste and add more fish sauce or vinegar for your preference. Prep time does not include marinading time. If it's already too hot for you to have the oven on for 5-6 hours then use a crock pot for the roast. Just cut the fat off and pierce the meat then put the garlic cloves in the holes before you marinade. Also since you've cut off the fat, keep a good eye on it so it doesn't get dry. Cook on low for about 4-6 hours. You will know when it's done, it should fall off the bone.
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