Braised Pork Shoulder

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Zhizara

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The last couple of times I braised a pork roast, I used the low and slow method. Unfortunately, the meat turned out pretty tasteless and bland, as if all the flavor was in the drippings. (The gravy was great.)

Yesterday I bought a nice half pork shoulder (5#) which came with package directions (Tyson) that suggested cooking at 350° for 45 minutes a pound.

I decided to try it their way, so I placed it face down (the meatiest side) and just poured a beer over it. I cooked it in a large pot, with a lid on it. I didn't open the oven or check the internal temperature until the end of the suggesting time.

The beer and drippings were caramelized and the meat came off with a twist of a fork. The meat was full of flavor this time.

I think I'll keep doing it this way. Now I'll have plenty of flavorful pork to freeze for other uses.

I can hardly wait to see how the gravy turns out.

The gravy is the reason I almost always use beer as a braising liquid. It makes such a wonderful gravy.

Although I did have the option of buying a boneless shoulder roast, I couldn't imaging not getting a nice bone to add to a pot of beans.
 
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That sounds like a (fairly) low and slow method to me - almost 4 hours, right? What did you do differently before?

275° until an internal temperature of 200°.

I think that it might have something to do with the fact that I had to check the internal temperature more often, losing the steam from the covered pot several times before I reached my desired temperature.
 
does the beer gravy make the meat taste bitter? I like pork to taste sweet, as it already is a sweet meat. I'm curious as to what beer does to its flavour....or does it even out the sweetness a bit? or does the beer grow sweet in the braising?
 
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