Pork Shoulder aka Pork Butt

Pork shoulder is also called pork butt (also called a boneless chuck roast) .  It is, however, from the shoulder.  This is the best meat for a pot roast.

The reason it is called Pork BUTT is because the pieces of meat were thrown into a barrel called a butt.  This originally took place around Boston, so it used to be called Boston Butt.  As the cut gained popularity across the country, it became simply Pork Butt – Leaving Boston’s claim to fame as Boston Cream Pie and Boston Baked Beans.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-4 LB Pork shoulder – Much (but not all) of fat trimmed – Cut into large pieces that are about 3/4 pound each
• 2 TBL safflower oil for searing
• Accompanying veggies
  • 4-8 cloves garlic (sliced)
  • 14-16 oz frozen pearl onions
  • 8-10 oz button mushrooms (halved)
  • 1 LB carrots (peeled and pieced
  • 1 LB baby fingerling potatoes, red potatoes or Yukon gold (pieces)
  • 1 medium piece of ginger
• Dry Rub
  • 1/4 C Grandpa's Thunder Powder or Arghhh Powder
  • 2 TBL kosher salt
  • 2 TBL brown sugar
• Deglazing Liquid
  • 1 C tomato juice
  • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 C white wine
• Braising spices
  • Dried basil, oregano, chives, pepper, whole cloves, 1/2 cinnamon stick

STEP BY STEP

1. Mix Thunder Powder, salt and sugar
2. Cut shoulder into nice fat 1-1/2 inch steaks
3. Rub deeply into meat
4. Wrap each cut in plastic and let rest overnight in the refrigerator
5. Let butt come up to room temperature for 30-60 minutes when you are ready to cook.
6. Pat the meat dry, leaving as much seasoning remaining on the meat as you are able.  Then sear the meat (all sides) in a heavily oiled pan VERY HOT cast iron pan.  Don’t overcrowd the pan.
7. Set steaks aside and put HALF of your veggies (including the ginger, but not the potatoes) into the pot and stir to caramelize.
8. Add in your deglazing liquid
9. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 C white wine and 2 TBL EVOO
10. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat
11. Add meat back into pan
12. Sprinkle with just a bit more Thunder Powder
13. Cover and bake at 250º for 4-6 hours.
14. Remove meat (briefly), turn up heat to 300º,  and remove and discard all solids in the pot. 
15. Add meat back in with the uncooked half of your veggies, cover and cook for another two hours
16. Uncover, flip meat and cook for 30 more minutes at 325º
17. Remove meat and veggies and set aside.  Cover with foil.
18. Pour into a glass and let cool for 10 minutes, then spoon off the fat that will rise to the top.
19. Put the cleared liquid back into the pan, and return to a simmer to reduce the liquid on medium high
20. Combine meat, veggies and broth.  Serve half tonight, and refrigerate the rest until another day.
21. When ready, but the Dutch oven back in the oven at 400º for 45 minutes.
22. Cut thin slices against the grain and serve a nice thick slice as a meal,
    or shred remainder for BBQ sandwiches, tacos, burritos, etc.

Optionally, at Step 13, you an cook on the stovetop for 2 hours or a crock pot for 5 hours

BRAISING LIQUID

• Brown sugar
• Soy sauce
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sambal olek, Sriracha or Franks Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• Big strips of orange zest (to be removed later)
• Juice of the orange as well
• 2-3 C chicken stock

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Here is a recipe from All Recipes