Cooking Pork Shoulder
If you need some help with cooking pork shoulder, you have come to the right place. While many people argue about the proper method when it comes to this meat, there is only one right way to do it.
When it comes to cooking pork shoulder (or butt roast), you will want to make sure that the meat is nice and tender. Though this may sound easy, it is actually difficult given the fact that the actual cut of meat is rather tough. So, how do you go about making a tough cut fall into pieces when you cut it? Well, that depends… do you have a lot of time on your hands? If so, the best method is a slow roast. If not, well, crank up that oven to 350 and have your meat thermometer handy.
According to The United States Department of Agriculture, this cut of meat should read 160 when a thermometer is inserted. Now, some people like their meat a lot more rare than that and since many other countries see no harm in preparing it rare the temperature is entirely up to you. If you cook this hunk of meat in a 325 degree oven, you can expect it to take around 40 minutes to cook (4 ½ pounds). However, as previously mentioned, the best way to cook this meat is to allow it to roast for a few hours.
If you have the time, place the meat in a cast iron (or other roasting dish) dish and cover it slightly with about one inch of water. Then, turn your oven to a mere 200 degrees, and allow the meat to cook for three hours (until it reaches the right temperature). If you wish, you can add basic “mirepoix” ingredients (two parts onion, two parts carrot, and one part celery) in order to give the meat a bit of flavor, but this is not necessary (in fact, some chefs do not believe that this flavors the meat at all, but it is up to you). Also, prior to popping it in the oven, give it a nice dose of spices, salt, and pepper. This is the best method of cooking pork shoulder if you have a few hours to kill.
Really, there is nothing overly complex about preparing this meal. All you really need to know is how to roast the meat properly, check the temperature, and carve it nicely.
Now that you know the two basic ways of cooking pork shoulder, you should be able to whip up a gourmet meal in no time flat.