My latest "Lucky" market deal; Pork shoulder

Pork butt is a good deal, but not if I don’t eat it.


I thought the first boneless roast was a good deal, but the second “pork shoulder arm picnic whole” at $0.88/ pound seems even better! I can’t seem to keep straight when I might want the pork shoulder/butt, picnic, or ham.

So of course, I have both, and soon leaving town for a week for Thanksgiving!

I’m doing my homework, but would love my fellow Onion’s thoughts; can there be TOO much pork?

I love pernil,
New York Times on Pernil

but also love this article from seriouseats eats on Conchita pibil.

Sorry, Pulled Pork, It’s Cochinita Pibil’s Moment
I made it in an Instant pot some time ago! Very good!

Soooo…
Is $0.88/pound a good deal?, and
What would you do with all this pork-o-liciousness?

This might help.

What’s the Difference Between Shoulder, Picnic, and Boston Butt

We boughy a 4 lb chunk a week ago. At less than $5 total, too good to pass.

Scored the skin crisscrossed about half inch grid. Into the oven. Half hour at 450 F, then F 350 F for about an hour and a half. Until internal temp at 150 F. Came out tender and juicy and the skin was crackling.

Will do again if I see the same deal. Gonna brine with The Costco brine mix next time.

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Love pork shoulder! If you don’t mind washing your pot, I have an excellent and simple recipe of pork shoulder cooked with milk.

If not, you have to try mariacarmen’s Puerto Rican pernil, pulled pork recipe. So good!

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Thank you both! Since I posted, I have been reading about how the “picnic” end is different from the “blade” end, and about how to get crispy skin. I remembered a Serious Eats article about using a baking soda “wash”. Anybody tried this?

Ultra-Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder Recipe

I don’t see mention of baking powder in that one, so maybe it wasn’t Seriouseats.

The baking powder is mentioned here;

Cuban-Style Marinated Slow-Roasted Pork Picnic Shoulder

In any case. I think I’m going to wait until after Thanksgiving.

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I enjoyed this:

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Yes! I remember trying that!

A favorite in our house is pulled mojo pork for tacos:

Get a large bone-in pork shoulder/butt; cut slits in the meat and stuff with slivered garlic; season with salt, pepper, and a little cumin and Adobo con Sazon (Mexican seasoned salt). Brown the meat well on all sides, then transfer to a slow cooker/casserole and cover with 1 bottle of Goya Mojo Criollo marinade and 1 bottle of light Latin beer. Add a bay leaf and scatter half a sliced onion and a few cloves of whole garlic over the top. Cover and braise on low heat until the meat is very tender and pulling away from the bone. Let cool a bit in the cooking liquid, then take the meat off the bone (separate out as much fat as you can). Shred the meat into chunks with two forks, drizzle with a little of the cooking liquid, and crisp up under a broiler before serving.

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That sounds good! Do you brown the meat whole, or cut it up?

Brown it whole:)

Pork vindaloo and Char siu pork would be on my list.

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Wow! Browning a 9 pound shoulder sounds like it might take mad skills! Might be outside my “scope”. I might have to try it with the boneless shoulder first. I don’t think my pans and cookers would be big enough for the picnic.

Good ideas! I’m thinking one of these dishes should include something I cut up, and that might benefit from freezing in portions for future meals. Have you tried freezing either of those?

The char siu says pork butt; have you tried it with the “picnic” cut? I love char siu too. I can buy it nearby though, and I’m thinking better than I can make.

I LOVE Pernil, a dish I associate with my mother. We often ate it with my brother’s and sister’s friends, while growing up in NYC, and my mom was always trying to make it.

I’ve tried a few times, trying to get a cut with skin, but not yet in milk !

ETA; so it’s not the Pernil that is cooked in milk. Seems like I recently considered a recipe for a protein cooked in milk, then had second thoughts after reading the reviews. I think it was chicken.

Share the pork in milk recipe please, but it will probably go on the back burner! (Ha ha).

This is always good and freezes well: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pork-stew-with-sweet-hot-peppers-from-the-abruzzo-351490/amp

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Both freeze well. I agree on purchased char siu… maybe red cooked pork or one of its variations instead.

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Yaaaaas!

I do love pork belly!

Here it goes, quite straight forward and easy!

Pork shoulder in milk / Palette fraîche au lait
recipe of Stéphane Reynaud

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg / 3.3 pound pork shoulder
  • 2 L / 2.1 quart milk
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves

In a dutch oven, cover meat completely with milk, add herbs and garlic. Bake in a covered pot at 180ºC / 355ºF until the milk is completely evaporated.

The pork is eaten both hot and cold, accompanied by the confiture of milk at the bottom of the casserole.


I usually rubbed the interior of dutch oven with garlic to ease the cleaning of cooked milk. It usually works.

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No, there can’t.

As you’re going away, I’d suggest some sort of casserole for freezing. If you come up with a good recipe, please share it - as we bought a shoulder joint at the market today. It’s gone straight in the freezer pending a decision on casserole - we’ll eat half and freeze the remainder for a future quick “brown gloop” dinner.

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