Crispy Skin Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

I will put this roast in the oven and enjoy the aroma ALL DAY LONG!

I grew up on this roast.  My family is German and Bohemian, and we always put Caraway Seed on it, and served it with sauerkraut, potato dumplings, and a brown gravy made from the roast drippings.  If you're interested, the recipe, Pork, Sauerkraut & Dumplings, is in our first Harter House Cookbook.

I bet, it’ll feed your entire family for a few days! 

It makes the best Pulled Pork and it's just plain delicious. 

There are 2 parts of the pork shoulder – the Picnic Roast (what we’re using) and Boston Butt (which comes from the upper part of the shoulder).

The Picnic roast will have meaty chunks of pork that we can literally pull apart with our fingers. It does take a little extra cooking time, and a little more patience  - and a really great value.

When you purchase a fresh picnic at Harter House, it is usually frozen. (Fresh meaning not cured, as in a ham) I have learned that if I put the roast in the oven frozen, at 350 degrees for 7-8 hours, it turns our perfect and the skin is ALWAYS crispy.

The following recipe comes from ruled.me  blog.

"This recipe cooks the roast from a thawed state, at a lower temperature, for a longer period of time.

Since I am a huge fan of the crispy skin, I have always cooked the roast from the frozen state to ensure the crispy skin."  ~Shelly

8 lbs. Pork Shoulder (bone-in, skin-on)
3 1/2 tbsp. Salt
2 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder

1. Completely wash and pat dry the pork. Leave on the counter-top for 2-3 hours to come to room temperature.

2. Once the pork has been dried and is coming to room temperature (after a few hours), preheat your oven to 250F. Mix together all of the spices in a bowl.

3. Starting skin side down, pat the salt rub all over the pork to completely cover it. Once the bottom is done, flip and place on a wire rack that’s sitting over a baking sheet covered in foil. Spread the rub on all sides and top of the pork.

4. Once your oven is preheated and pork rubbed, place into the oven and bake for anywhere between 8-10 hours. I did 10 hours for my 8 lb. roast, but if you have smaller sizes or bigger sizes, you will have to adjust accordingly. You essentially want the internal temperature to be about 190F.

5. Remove the pork from the oven and cover with foil. Allow the pork to rest for 15 total minutes. Preheat oven to 500F.

6. Once pork is rested and oven heated to  500 F, remove the foil tent from the pork and place into the oven. We will rotate the pork every 5 minutes to allow for even cooking of the skin (YAY CRACKLINS’). There may be smoke that comes out of your oven during this process due to the fat that dripped off during the roasting time. You can either open the window or remove this fat previous to putting into the oven.

7. Take the pork out of the oven and let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing/digging in.

8. Serve up for family and friends alike – the pork should be completely tender, easily separating from the roast by pulling the meat off with your fingers.

This makes a total of 20 (6 oz.) servings of Crispy Skin Pork Shoulder. 

ENJOY!

Beef Tenderloin (in the oven)

INGREDIENTS

1 Harter House, trimmed, Beef Tenderloin

Kosher Salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh thyme 

2 cloves minced garlic

Instructions

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F

Preheat cast iron skillet on the stove
Add 2 Tbsp oil

Sear the tenderloin on all sides until well browned.  About 2 minutes per 4 sides.
Then rub the tenderloin all over with the paste made of oil, parsley, thyme, & garlic.
Place meat in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 125 - 130 degrees.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. 

Careful monitoring of your internal temperature is key.

Pineapple Bundt Cake

 

Pineapple Cake
1 yellow Cake Mix
1 small box vanilla pudding mix  (regular or instant)
4 eggs
1/3 Cup Oil
20 oz. Can Crushed Pineapple, divided  (Do not drain.)

Glaze
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup crushed pineapple
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour bundt pan or angel food cake pan.  Set aside 3/4 cup of pineapple for glaze.
In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, and remailing pineapple.
Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow to rest about 10 minutes before flipping onto cake plate.

For Glaze
In a small saucepan, melt butter, add the 3/4 cup crushed pineapple and powder sugar.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Spoon glaze over cooled cake.

If glaze is too thin, you can poke small holes in the cake to absorb the glaze.

Grilled-Pineapple Salsa

I do love Pork topped with a fresh fruit salsa.

This Grilled Pineapple Salsa is one of my favorites. It's super simple and healthy! Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

5 (1-inch) slices fresh pineapple (about 4 1/2 pounds)

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

Cooking spray

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced crystallized ginger

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced

1 drained canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced

Preparation

Preheat grill.

Place first 3 ingredients on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side. Discard stems and seeds from bell peppers; then dice pineapple and bell peppers. Combine pineapple, bell pepper, onion, and remaining ingredients; toss gently.

Cheesecake Bars

CHEESECAKE BARS

Ingredients for crust:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soft butter

1 cup flour

Cream the brown sugar and butter together. Then blend in the flour until crumbly. Separate 1 cup for topping. Place the rest in a 8x8 inch ungreased baking pan and press down to make crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

Ingredients for filling:

2 - 8 ounce bars of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

4 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, milk, lemon juice and vanilla and beat well. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the reserved flour mixture (topping), over the cream cheese filling. Bake at 350 degress for about 25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. Cut into bars and enjoy!

from Lynda's Recipe Box

Blueberry, Apple and Pineapple Dump Cake

There really are no easier recipes than "Dump" Cakes.

Ingredients

• 1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling
• 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 package (12 ounces) frozen unsweetened blueberries, OR Fresh blueberries.
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 package white cake mix (regular size)
• 2/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Mix pie filling and pineapple in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish until combined. Toss blueberries with sugar; spoon over pie filling mixture. Sprinkle with cake mix; drizzle with butter. Top with walnuts and almonds (do not stir).
  
• Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 45-55 minutes. Serve warm.

Test Kitchen tips

Try serving this dessert in a dish with half-and-half, heavy cream or ice cream.

Toast the nuts separately before adding to the dish for extra crunch and flavor.

Roasted Boneless Pork Loin with Apple Cider and Brussels Sprouts

This recipe comes from my good friend Marina Backes who, together with her husband John, own Circle B Ranch, in Seymour, MO.
Find her recipe here;
CircleBRanchPork.com

Ingredients

For the pork

• 1  4-5 lb Boneless Pork Loin
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 1 thyme
• 3 Bay leaves
• 1 quart apple cider
• 4 springs rosemary leaves (roughly chopped)
• 9 Sage leaves (roughly chopped)
• 2–3 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
• Salt and Pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the chunky applesauce

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4–5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

For the roasted brussels sprouts

• Brussels Sprouts (about a pound)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

For the pork

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In your food processor, combine the rosemary, sage, garlic, salt and pepper and olive oil to make a paste. Spread the paste on the outside of the boneless roast.
3. Place the onions into the roasting pan and toss with olive oil. Add the thyme, bay leaves and 2 cups of the apple cider.
4. Roast the pork at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until a beautiful brown crust has formed. Stir the onion and check that the cider has not evaporated. You can always add apple cider if necessary.
5. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and roast for 30 minutes or until your meat thermometer reads 150 degrees.
6. Let the pork roast rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. When ready cut the loin into thin slices.

For the chunky applesauce

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Add the apples and saute over medium-low heat until the apples start to soften.
3. Add the apple cider and cinnamon and cook until most of the cider has evaporated and the apples are cooked and very soft. Serve either warm or room temperature.

For the roasted brussels sprouts

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the brussels sprouts in quarters.
2. Place in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Place the brussels sprouts into a pan and cook until golden brown. Serve either hot or room temperature. We like them both ways!