Okay so normally you would have a butterflied shoulder of pork put your seasoning on and then roll it up and cut into slices for a sandwich. Well my family, not sure how long ago, got lazy and decided that they would simply roast the whole shoulder with the spices and then shred the pork just like pulled pork BBQ.
Here's a guideline for making it:
Whole pork shoulder (I just made a 7lb piece last night)
About 1 clove of garlic per pound smashed (so you can retrieve it later if you chose to do so)
Extra Virgin olive oil eyeball to about a quarter cup
Balsamic vinegar eyeball about a quarter cup
generously cover roast with:
Fennel seed
Anise seed
Oregano
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Parsley
Okay so I did mine in a crockpot but you can use the oven to roast the pork. I started by putting some olive oil and balsamic vinegar in the crock, then I threw in the roast and generously covered the roast with the listed herbs. Now I know people like having measurements but that's why I say generously cover. I was taught when making this if you think it's about enough put a little more in and then you'll be good. Once you have the herbs/spices applied you can roll the roast to coat it with the oil and rub the herbs around. Now you can opt to cut it into about four pieces for increased contact with crockpot sides (faster cooking too) or just leave it be. It's important to not trim the fat off though. Then you just let it cook.
Once you have cooked your 7ish lb shoulder you can cut it at this point or if you already have cut it, just start pulling the pieces out and start shredding it. I just use a fork (not the tines) or a spoon. The meat pretty much falls apart unless you get a stubborn piece (which usually gets immediately eaten). You can discard the large and easy to remove chunks of fat at this point. There will be lots of juice at the bottom of the crockpot, don't discard yet. As soon as you shred all the pork throw it back in the juice and serve up on your favorite sandwich rolls. For storage as left over I just use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer out of crock into a container. The meat will hold the juice it wants and you can discard the excess at this point. If you cool the juice you can separate the fat off the top and you will have a delicious gelatinous blob of pork goodness at the bottom to mix in with the shredding if you so choose.
Now the best thing about this is that it's CHEAP to make. Shoulder is going for .99 a pound here at the nearby wegmans. It's idiot proof really and hard to screw up because if you don't add enough herbs/spices/salt to begin with you can always fix it later on. Plus as good as it may taste the day you make it, it's always better a day or two later. There is one problem, you will want to eat half of what you're shredding while you're doing the shredding. The smell of it while cooking is so enticing, I had visions of bottling it and selling it as air freshener or cologne.
Here's a guideline for making it:
Whole pork shoulder (I just made a 7lb piece last night)
About 1 clove of garlic per pound smashed (so you can retrieve it later if you chose to do so)
Extra Virgin olive oil eyeball to about a quarter cup
Balsamic vinegar eyeball about a quarter cup
generously cover roast with:
Fennel seed
Anise seed
Oregano
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Parsley
Okay so I did mine in a crockpot but you can use the oven to roast the pork. I started by putting some olive oil and balsamic vinegar in the crock, then I threw in the roast and generously covered the roast with the listed herbs. Now I know people like having measurements but that's why I say generously cover. I was taught when making this if you think it's about enough put a little more in and then you'll be good. Once you have the herbs/spices applied you can roll the roast to coat it with the oil and rub the herbs around. Now you can opt to cut it into about four pieces for increased contact with crockpot sides (faster cooking too) or just leave it be. It's important to not trim the fat off though. Then you just let it cook.
Once you have cooked your 7ish lb shoulder you can cut it at this point or if you already have cut it, just start pulling the pieces out and start shredding it. I just use a fork (not the tines) or a spoon. The meat pretty much falls apart unless you get a stubborn piece (which usually gets immediately eaten). You can discard the large and easy to remove chunks of fat at this point. There will be lots of juice at the bottom of the crockpot, don't discard yet. As soon as you shred all the pork throw it back in the juice and serve up on your favorite sandwich rolls. For storage as left over I just use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer out of crock into a container. The meat will hold the juice it wants and you can discard the excess at this point. If you cool the juice you can separate the fat off the top and you will have a delicious gelatinous blob of pork goodness at the bottom to mix in with the shredding if you so choose.
Now the best thing about this is that it's CHEAP to make. Shoulder is going for .99 a pound here at the nearby wegmans. It's idiot proof really and hard to screw up because if you don't add enough herbs/spices/salt to begin with you can always fix it later on. Plus as good as it may taste the day you make it, it's always better a day or two later. There is one problem, you will want to eat half of what you're shredding while you're doing the shredding. The smell of it while cooking is so enticing, I had visions of bottling it and selling it as air freshener or cologne.
