Preparing The Perfect Pork Shoulder Roast Recipe 475

Steps:

• Combine oil, pepper, and salt in a bowl; rub oil mixture over pork and refrigerate while oven preheats.
• Preheat an oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
• Place a roasting rack in a large roasting pan; arrange pork on the roasting rack.
• Roast in preheated oven until pork with browned, about 30 minutes. Remove pork from oven and reduce oven heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Allow pork to rest uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read between 115 degrees F (46 degrees C) and 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).
• Return to oven and continue to cook until pork is slightly pink in the center, 15 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).
• Let the roast stand uncovered at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Steps:

• Thoroughly rinse the roast in cool water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Let the roast rest on a plate covered with plastic wrap on the counter for at least 30 minutes to come up to room temperature. Massage all sides of the roast with cooking oil. I often use olive oil, however if I am preparing the roast for carnitas or pulled pork I use vegetable oil which does not add flavor. Liberally sprinkle all sides of the roast with salt and pepper (do not season the roast until you are ready to cook, salting the meat ahead of time will draw moisture out of the roast). Heat your grill on high and brush to clean. Reduce the heat to medium high and place the seasoned roast directly over the heat source and brown on all sides. You are not trying to cook the roast, rather just get some good color on it. Do not be alarmed if the grill flames up, it will. Due to the high fat content of the meat it is bound to do so. Some fire won't hurt the roast but do keep an eye on it and move it out of the way if it begins to burn. Once the roast is browned on all sides it is ready for the crock pot. Chop the onions into large pieces and place them in the bottom of the crock pot. Peel the garlic and add the whole cloves to the onions. The onions will not only add flavor, but hold the meat up off of the bottom of the crock pot. Place the roast fat cap up directly on the onions. This will allow the fat to drip down through the meat as it cooks keeping it extremely moist. Put the lid on the crock pot and set heat to high. Do not add any liquid to the crock pot. That might sound different to how you have cooked in the past, but please just trust me on that. Cook on high for two hours. Reduce heat to low and cook for about another four hours. Keep the lid on, resist the temptation to open the crock pot to check the roast. You will see the meat pull away from the bone through the lid. Roast is done when the bone can easily be removed with tongs. If you prepared a boneless roast, test for tenderness with a fork. The meat should easily fall apart when tested. Lift the roast from the crock pot and loosely tent with foil on a platter or cutting board for 15 - 20 minutes before slicing or shredding.

Steps:

• Put a large ovenproof Dutch oven, without the lid, into the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, rub the pork all over with 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
• Once the oven is preheated, carefully remove the Dutch oven and add the pork to it fat-side down. Roast until golden all over, 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and flip the pork so it is fat-side up. Continue to roast until the internal temperature is about 175 degrees F, about 3 hours. Cover the pot with the lid and continue to cook until the internal temperature is 195 to 200 degrees F, about another 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven, uncover and let rest until the meat is cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Skim off the fat from the liquid at the bottom of the pot with a spoon or ladle and discard it. Reserve the liquid for re-warming the meat.
• Pull the meat from the bone and discard it. The part of the meat that was in the bottom of the pot and cooks in the liquid is perfect for shredding with two forks. The top part that roasts for most of the cooking time should be sliced in to 1/2-inch pieces for browning in other recipes Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 5 days.