take this easy path to pork heaven

i have fond memories of the pig ‘n’ pepper fair in westford, ma, from my childhood. my best friend’s mother ran the pepper tent, where people entered pepper products to be judged, and we helped out and ran around the fair. one of the staples of running around was getting a pulled pork sandwich from redbones for lunch: a soft bun containing a small mountain of pork, liberally doused with bbq sauce. a few months ago, while at star market, i saw a good-looking pork shoulder and snapped it up. it languished in our freezer until i finally thawed it and popped it in the oven.

it’s nice to know that slow-cooker recipes also work without the slow cooker. really, it’s a logical conclusion, but i guess that it’s hard to leave the oven on overnight. i would be on board with a pressure cooker – i find that pretty intriguing – but slow cooker, not so much. i try not to use more exotic appliances unless i really need to, since i don’t have a kitchen aid, pressure cooker, slow cooker – any of the really big-ticket items. i do, however, have pretty much everything else, and i make good use of my roommates’ kitchen appliances.

anyway, this pork is great, and the easiest thing i’ve made in a while. you just pop a pork shoulder in the oven and cook it at low heat until it’s done. i did actually let the oven cook it overnight, and it was fine, safety-wise – after all, 235F is not a particularly high temperature. the meat near the bone and under the fat cap is the most flavorful and tender, while the meat closer to the baking pan’s surface adds a bit of chew. shredded together…mmmm.

i love condiments, and i served this to my friends with a few different salads, including a bit of watercress to add a bit of balance to the richness of the pork. i had some potatoes on hand, so i made a mustardy potato salad; the coleslaw was also mustardy and tangy, since i swapped out some of the mayo for yogurt. serve this with whichever condiments you like, and you and your guests will be very happy.

note: the yield of this recipe depends on how hungry you are, and how much people like condiments. i had a pork shoulder that was about 8 lbs. the pork stretches further if you balance it with condiments (and just don’t eat ridiculous amounts of meat in the bun). the size of the bun also limits how much pork people tend to put on the bun. anyway, i had 10 people over and a few people went back for seconds, just so you get an idea of how many this will feed.

pulled pork

1 7-10lb pork shoulder
salt and pepper
buns
1c bbq sauce
whole wheat hamburger buns

condiments: mustard, coleslaw, bbq sauce, watercress, carrot slaw, potato salad

1. preheat the oven to 235F. rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper.

2. place the pork in a roasting pan (or on a foil-lined baking sheet) and roast for 8-12 hours, overnight. your pork is done when when it’s starting to fall apart and the fat cap is browned.

3. remove the pork from the oven and cool until it’s not too hot to touch. shred the pork with forks or your hands, discarding bits of fat and gristle. stir in about a cup of bbq sauce (see previous post), to keep the meat moist. cover with foil until ready to serve. (refrigerate if not serving that day; reheat in the oven.)

4. serve on toasted buns, with condiments.

[serves 8-12]