A boneless pork butt roast comes from closer to a pig's head than its tail. This meaty shoulder-cut, usually between 3 and 6 pounds, is striped with some intramuscular fat, and, unlike a number of slenderized cuts of pork, still requires a good old-fashioned long cooking until tender. Dressed with Latin, Southern or Asian flavors, its succulence makes it well worth the wait.
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Herb Paste
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
10 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (6-pound) boneless pork shoulder Boston roast
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 275°F.
Blend together sage, rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper in a food processor until a thick paste forms. With motor running, add wine and oil and blend until combined well.
If necessary, trim fat from top of pork, to leave a 1/8-inch-thick layer of fat. Make 3 small incisions, each about 1 inch long and 1 inch deep, in each side of pork with a small sharp knife, and fill each with about 1 teaspoon herb paste. Spread remaining herb paste over pork, concentrating on boned side, (tie roast with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals, if not yet tied).
Put pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 6 hours. Transfer roast to cutting board and let stand 15 minutes.
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Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder: Step-by-Step
Start at High Heat, Finish at Low Heat
For the spice rub, mix up the following ingredients in a small bowl:
1 Tbsp dried crushed red peppers
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp Kosher Salt (NOT sea salt or table salt)
1 tsp ground white pepper
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
These precise measurements and ingredients aren't critically important, but what we're doing is creating a blend of sweet, salty and spicy.
Mix everything together to form a paste and smear it all over the roast.
Roast the pork at 500°F for the first 20 minutes. We start at a high temperature so that the outside of the roast will turn all brown and crispy and delicious. You might see a bit of smoke inside the oven, but that's OK — don't panic!
After 20 minutes, lower the heat to 250°F and cook for another 2 hours or so. This lower temperature prevents the meat from drying out. The roast is done when the outside is nice and brown and the internal temperature reaches 145°F as measured with an instant-read thermometer.
After 20 minutes, lower the heat to 250°F and cook for another 2 hours or so. This lower temperature prevents the meat from drying out. The roast is done when the outside is nice and brown and the internal temperature reaches 145°F as measured with an instant-read thermometer.
Resting the meat before slicing it results in a much juicier roast. That's because cooking tends to drive all the meat's natural juices into the center of the roast. Resting it before slicing gives the protein molecules a chance to reabsorb some of that moisture, so those juices don't all spill out onto your cutting board
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Pan Roast
In spite of its size, boneless butt can be traditionally dry-roasted in a shallow pan. This skinless, fat-capped roast is rolled and tied, then placed on a rack to prevent dripping fat from soaking the bottom of the meat. Slow-roast it between 275 and 325 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing at least 45 minutes per pound. You can both season this thick cut and help seal in juices by coating the roast with a paste of garlic, aromatic herbs and oil or mustard. When the meat has come to 180 F when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer, it's ready to come out. Let the roast sit for 10 minutes before carving, so that meat will be juicier and not shred when sliced.
Pot Roast
A rolled, tied pork butt can be browned lightly in a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed roasting pan, then braised in liquid and finished with the addition of vegetables. Brown all sides of the meat in a little oil, season as desired and add 2 to 3 cups of water or broth. Add onion slices and other aromatics as desired. Cover the roast, and cook at 350 F for approximately 3 hours for a 5- to 7-pound roast. Take the pan out of the oven, and add potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables, cut into chunks. Recover the pan, and bake for another hour, or until vegetables and meat are tender.
Ultra-Slow Roast
This is a favorite method for cooks who want meat tender enough to create pulled pork. While boneless butt is often sold with skin removed, slow roasting begins with a skin-on cut. Some cooks prefer a bone-in butt, but the goals of ultra-slow cooking are tender meat and uniquely crispy skin, which can be achieved with a boneless cut as well. For an ultra-slow roast, seasonings can be as simple as salt and pepper, or as complex as your favorite barbecue dry rub. Set your oven to 250 F, allow up to an hour per pound and remove from the oven when the internal temperature reads 180 F. Add barbecue sauce to individual servings, or shred the meat and skin, then stir in sauce.
Boneless Butt Flavor Profiles
Whatever your roasting strategy, boneless pork butt works particularly well with tart and fruity flavors. For a pre-cooking marinade, choose the Portuguese mixture of vinegar and garlic known as vinha d'alhos, a simple salt brine or a mixture of wine and citrus juices, in imitation of the sour orange juice used in Spanish and Caribbean cooking. Allspice, fennel and peppers add flavors that blend well with and cut through the fattiness of the meat. Vary with Asian barbecue sauce or one of America's tomato-based classics. Boneless pork butt travels serenely through the thorny thickets of barbecue opinion, benefiting equally from red, white and brown variants. Vary the classic buns for pulled pork with corn muffins, spoonbread or rice. Corn on the cob or corn pudding and dark leafy greens, from steamed collards to spinach-orange salad make your meal a feast. Leftovers go great in whole grain wraps with coleslaw and a bit more sauce.
by Janet Beal, studioD
References
- Cooks Thesaurus: Pork Shoulder Cuts
- Portuguese Cooking: Vinha D'Alhos (Garlic Wine Marinated Dishes)
- Washington's Green Grocer: Roasted Sunday - Oven-Roasted Pork Butt with Garlic, Sage and Mustard
- Epicurious: Six Hour Pork Roast Recipe
- Williams-Sonoma: Cuban-Style Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Mojo Sauce
- Pork Be Inspired: Be 145 Degrees F
- Pork Be Inspired: Fat in Pork
- Serious Eats: The Food Lab: Ultra-Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder Recipe
- Serious Eats: The Food Lab: Ultra-Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder
- Leite's Culinaria: Slowly Roasted Pork Shoulder With Fennel and Orange
