What can I do with Pork Shoulder?

[mdq]

Look up Chinese pork shoulder recipes (yummy!), you can make mexican carnitas with pork shoulder! Like many comments, long, slow cooking is key.

 

[Addie]

I need to find and make friends with someone who grills with charcoal. The next time I am out I will have to follow my nose when I smell smoke and let Teddy run into their backyard. A perfect excuse to introduce myself. And get a little something for Teddy also.

 

[rockey_f_squirrell]

Pulled Pork a Success

Thank you for your imputs again.

Sorry I did not see the Liquid recipe before I started, much less am limited in materials. I put it in a crock pot the night before, and added a raspberry vinigarette dressing. Then the next day it was good and tender.

when adding the BBQ Sauce, to shake the rest of the sauce out of the bottle, I used soda instead of water. added pepper, garlic, a little cayenne pepper, Marjoram, coriander. It came out real good.

Thank you

 

[CraigC]

Here is an earlier post with my Cuban style method. Besides roasting in the oven and braising, I have also done this roast on the weber using an indirect method.

Pork Butt

 

[Mad Cook]

Pulled pork is a process that takes a long time. It is fairly easy. You can do it in a pot with some flavored braising liquid. Make sure there is enough to almost cover the meat. It can be done in your oven on low, 220 to 250, for at leas 8 or more hours. You can add many different flavorings to the liquid. Garlic, onions, ketchup, cola, beer, Worcestershire sauce, or many other things depending on what you have or what you like. It is ready when it falls apart easily when pulled apart with a fork. Drain the liquid, and pull the meat apart when it is still hot. Add a bit of bbq sauce to your liking and Bob's your uncle.

And in the end the meat tastes of nothing on earth but the cooking liquid will be delicious. I often see "pulled pork" on American cookery programmes and I find it significant that the resulting meat has to be served with strongly flavoured sauces and other items.

Look up James Martin's recipe for roasted shoulder of pork with Parisienne potatoes, glazed carrots and Oxford sauce which is on the BBC website - delish!!

 

[Andy M.]

And in the end the meat tastes of nothing on earth but the cooking liquid will be delicious. I often see "pulled pork" on American cookery programmes and I find it significant that the resulting meat has to be served with strongly flavoured sauces and other items.

Look up James Martin's recipe for roasted shoulder of pork with Parisienne potatoes, glazed carrots and Oxford sauce which is on the BBC website - delish!!

I have to strongly disagree. A Boston Butt (top of the shoulder) is a roast that's well marbled. After slow roasting for 12 hours or so it's a most delicious and succulent meat. The unadorned meat is fantastic.

It's the tradition of barbecue that calls for the addition of sauces. Not to provide missing flavor but as an added enhancement.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

And in the end the meat tastes of nothing on earth but the cooking liquid will be delicious. I often see "pulled pork" on American cookery programmes and I find it significant that the resulting meat has to be served with strongly flavoured sauces and other items.

Look up James Martin's recipe for roasted shoulder of pork with Parisienne potatoes, glazed carrots and Oxford sauce which is on the BBC website - delish!!

Done traditionally, pulled pork adds no other flavors but smoke from the fire, and maybe salt and pepper. The pork flavor is strong, and complimented by the light seasonings. I catch drippings from the bbq in a drip pan, and use it to make soup, sauce, or gravy for other meals. The sauces are served seperately in bowls, and also compliment the pork flavor.

A proper pulled pork is not braised, though after it's cooked, it can be combined with the drippings in a slow cooker to keep warm, to to take to a pot luck. In fact, the subject of pulled pork is very near to me right now, as I made it for today's pot luck after church services.

I agree that saucing the pork while it's cooking, or braising in flavored liquids can take the pork flavor right out of the meat. I've had it at restaurants, where all you could taste was the sauce.

Pulled pork done properly, produces and intense pork flavor.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[buckytom]

And in the end the meat tastes of nothing on earth but the cooking liquid will be delicious. I often see "pulled pork" on American cookery programmes and I find it significant that the resulting meat has to be served with strongly flavoured sauces and other items.

Look up James Martin's recipe for roasted shoulder of pork with Parisienne potatoes, glazed carrots and Oxford sauce which is on the BBC website - delish!!

i read the recipe and am a little confused. is the oxford sauce only poured over the carrots, the potatoes, the pork, or all three. if it's the latter two, then your response is quite contradictory. i thought pork doesn't need a sauce or other items. why glaze the carrots, then?

Done traditionally, pulled pork adds no other flavors but smoke from the fire, and maybe salt and pepper. The pork flavor is strong, and complimented by the light seasonings. I catch drippings from the bbq in a drip pan, and use it to make soup, sauce, or gravy for other meals. The sauces are served seperately in bowls, and also compliment the pork flavor.

A proper pulled pork is not braised, though after it's cooked, it can be combined with the drippings in a slow cooker to keep warm, to to take to a pot luck. In fact, the subject of pulled pork is very near to me right now, as I made it for today's pot luck after church services.

I agree that saucing the pork while it's cooking, or braising in flavored liquids can take the pork flavor right out of the meat. I've had it at restaurants, where all you could taste was the sauce.

Pulled pork done properly, produces and intense pork flavor.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

i guess i should tell the hundreds of people (yes, hundreds. i've served it several years at various company, family, and sporting league parties) that they were wrong and the recipe they asked for after eating it really sucked.
that my recipe didn't taste of good pulled pork in a spicy vinegar. just spice and vinegar.




don't worry, though chief. i won't think any less of you for getting things wrong here and there, lol.

I have to strongly disagree. A Boston Butt (top of the shoulder) is a roast that's well marbled. After slow roasting for 12 hours or so it's a most delicious and succulent meat. The unadorned meat is fantastic.

It's the tradition of barbecue that calls for the addition of sauces. Not to provide missing flavor but as an added enhancement.

agreed, that's why i put adding the bbq sauce as an option.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

BT, it's not that suaceing pulled pork will ruin the recipe. I was only stating that I have had it sauced so strongly, that you could no longer taste the pork flavor. And I'm aware that many, many people add sauce to their pulled pork. I just prefer not to, as I want to give the people at my table a choice as to which sauce they use. I always make three different sauces when I make the meal.

So don't go out and tell everyone that you've made it for that you did it wrong. You just did it differently.

Done correctly, sauceing the pulled pork before serving will enhance the meat. It just allows for less creativity on the eater's part.

So no, I was not wrong, just different. As I am so fond of saying, there is rarely only one war to produce a particular recipe.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[buckytom]

just to pick some nits, chief, while i agree about letting folks choose to sauce or not, you did say braising in flavored liquids can take the pork flavor right out of the meat. i think my spicy vinegar braising liquid enhances it. that's all.

but like you said, there's more than one way.

 

[Andy M.]

People have been braising for some time now. I suspect if the flavor wasn't there we wouldn't be doing it anymore. No more pot roast, no more osso buco, no more chicken cacciatore. Imagine.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

just to pick some nits, chief, while i agree about letting folks choose to sauce or not, you did say braising in flavored liquids can take the pork flavor right out of the meat. i think my spicy vinegar braising liquid enhances it. that's all.

but like you said, there's more than one way.

I also said that done correctly, the sauce (interpret as braising liquid) can compliment, or enhance the pork. We are agreeing here. I'm not arguing with you, though I may not have been as clear as I needed to be.

Little bro, I would eat your pulled pork without hesitation. I already know that. Like Andy and several others around here, I trust your skills without reservation.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Addie]

Any time I have bought a fresh shoulder I have just inserted some slivers of garlic through out the meat, salt and pepper and roasted it in the oven on 300ºF. Since it took a long time to cook thoroughly, it went in the oven early on a Sunday morning and was usually ready by 2 p.m. I placed the roast of a bed of whole carrots and onions. The drippings made for a great and plentiful gravy. The meat was never dry. And it tasted like pork. I always started it with the scored rind side down and turned it half way through.

 

[Gravy Queen]

James Martins recipe isn't for pulled pork though so that's a different kettle of fish , err, pork ......

I used Got Garlics recipe for my first pulled pork it's absolutely wonderful .

 

[Robt]

I started one in my smoker about30 min ago.

If I don't feel like smoking it, I season the butt and put in a Le Creset on some sliced onions [ kind of a meat trivit in the bottom] and put in the oven at 200 degrees for twelve hours. I pull it out and fork pull it or sometimes, chop. Oh yes, I will put a cup or so of stock or even just water in as well. this is done with the lid on the Dutch Oven.

I've never done the liquid smoke before but I think "Cooks Illustrated" had a recipe that did a couple years ago.

Also another use for butt is just a plain roast at 350 degrees to 145 and rest for 20 minutes then serve. Great food.

Of course this shoulder would be perfect for grinding sausage too.

 

[Andy M.]

I started one in my smoker about30 min ago.

If I don't feel like smoking it, I season the butt and put in a Le Creset on some sliced onions [ kind of a meat trivit in the bottom] and put in the oven at 200 degrees for twelve hours. I pull it out and fork pull it or sometimes, chop. Oh yes, I will put a cup or so of stock or even just water in as well. this is done with the lid on the Dutch Oven...

I have done a pork shoulder in the oven for pulled pork but never in a closed pot. I slow roasted it just as if it were in the smoker. I like the bark you get from dry roasting.

 

[CraigC]

Everyone has their own particular preference about saucing. When I smoke butts or whole shoulders, they get 24 hours with a dry rub in the fridge and I use the leftover rub to make a mop. Unlike ribs, I do not wrap after so many hours. They stay "naked" throughout the cook. So far I haven't had anyone turn their nose up at my pork. Some use sauce, some don't.

 

[buckytom]

Of course this shoulder would be perfect for grinding sausage too.

i just bought a butt for exactly that reason, my first attempt at italian pork sausage. hopefully, i'll get to it saturday.

t

 

[Zhizara]

I just posted this: Pork Chop Suey - Discuss Cooking - Cooking Forums

This is how I use pork shoulder. I keep the cooked meat frozen in hunks.

This makes quite a lot, but it freezes especially well.

It's not colorful, but you could always add colorful bell peppers, but that changes the taste quite a lot.

 

[Kylie1969]

James Martins recipe isn't for pulled pork though so that's a different kettle of fish , err, pork ......

I used Got Garlics recipe for my first pulled pork it's absolutely wonderful .

GQ, could you please point me in the direction of GG's Pulled Pork