The Kings of Meat, pt. 1

It was perhaps not the smartest decision to start a blog one week before moving into an internet-less apartment.
But no matter, I have continued eating and cooking and dreaming about pork in the meantime.

image from here

To keep things interesting (and to make myself keep writing), I have some ideas for a few series. The Kings of Meat is one such series, where I'll take a look and try my hand at cooking some severely underrated cuts of meat.
Pork shoulder deserves so much more love than it gets. Perhaps it gets overlooked because it takes time to transform from a tough, unremarkable hunk of meat to a juicy, tender, rich dish. You also can't shouldn't really buy it in small quantities - you need to cook a big piece of it for it to get tender. This is why there's no such thing, for example, as a pork shoulder steak. But don't feel intimidated - it requires remarkably little attention while it's cooking, and the one I cooked last weekend (photographed below) was 7 lbs and cost about $15. It fed 5 people, plus enough leftovers to make a pile of breakfast tacos and a ramen shop-worthy pork stock.
This recipe is more a description of a method than a detailed set of instructions. It's inspired by Momofuku's Bo Ssam recipe, but you can take it in any flavor direction you want. I used a barbecue rub from Texas, but my dad frequently makes it with Momofuku's Korean flavors, and he brines it for 24 hours beforehand. So do as you like! 

There's also a lil' bonus recipe at the bottom for crackling. The King of Garnish. 

DON'T BE SCARED PORK SHOULDER 

INGREDIENTS

Salt

Brown Sugar 

Barbecue Dry Rub (or any other spices/herbs you like) 

6-7 lbs of pork shoulder 

METHOD

Take the pork out of the fridge for at least half an hour before you're going to put it in the oven - this brings it to room temperature and ensures even cooking. 

lots of love given

Preheat your oven to 275°F. 
Season the pork ALL OVER with generous amounts of salt and whatever herbs/spices you're using. I capitalize because it's very, very important not to forget the bottom and sides the meat, and you must also do your darndest to rub the flavor into all the nooks and crannies of the meat. This is where all the delicious fatty bits are hidden, so you need to show them a lot of love by giving them extra attention. 

Put it in the oven for about 6 hours. You really don't need a more specific time measurement than that - it's about an hour per pound, but it's really hard to under or overcook if you're just leaving it in for an extra half hour or need to take it out 15 minutes early.  You can only really know when it's done by sticking a fork in. If it's tender and falling apart and beautiful clear fat is running out of the meat like a quiet stream made of pig fat, then you're good to go. 

6 hours later...

Take it out of the oven and crust the top with brown sugar (light or dark, doesn't matter). Pack about a 1/4-inch layer just on the top of the pork, crank the oven to 500°F, and let it brown for about 20 minutes. Watch it, though, because ovens are different, and it's just a moment that separates caramelized and burnt. 
Let it rest for fifteen minutes and enjoy! 

HEY SEXY

serving suggestion: coleslaw

You can put it in wraps, tacos, salads (you're already eating pork shoulder, though, so just go whole hog and stop trying to make it healthy). It's super delicious on it's own, with a bunch of fresh, acidic, vegetable-y sides. Pickles required. 

Safety note: please, please watch it when you take the pan out of the oven. Like when you cook duck or goose, a lot of fat comes out of the meat and it is super hot and super easy to take the pan out of the oven too quickly and pour hot fat all over yourself. 

BONUS RECIPE: CRACKLING.  

INGREDIENTS

The skin your pork shoulder came with

Salt 

METHOD

Using a very, very sharp knife, cut the skin into 2-inch wide strips. You need a sharp knife because the skin is tough and if you have to go to the hospital for your sliced hand you're going to miss dinner. Priorities, people!
Put it out onto a baking tray and season generously with salt. Slip it into the oven next to the pork when you're caramelizing the top, and it'll be done by the time the pork is done. Enjoy!