Roasted Pork Shoulder with Tomatillo Sauce

Roasted Pork Shoulder with Tomatillo Sauce

I roasted a 5-6 lbs. pork shoulder in the oven low and slow for about 5 hours and it turned out perfectly tender. It did not require a lot of babysitting and it was easily enough for couple of dinners for our family of four. Roasted pork shoulder can be used in a number of recipes such as Cuban sandwiches, Carolina pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, pork stew, pork pies, ravioli, pho, pot stickers, etc. In the first use of the roast, I like to serve it in big chunks so the crusty bark can be really appreciated. This version included serving it with a fresh roasted tomatillo sauce. Jalisco Supermarkets carry fresh tomatillos year round here in Norcross. They were very inexpensive at .99/lbs. This recipe uses 1.5 lbs. Since the roast has to rest for about an hour, there is plenty of time to make the sauce. It is fresh and flavorful without being too spicy hot. This sauce can be used with an enchilada recipe as well so make an extra batch and freeze it.

Roast Pork Shoulder

5-6 lbs. pork shoulder/butt with bone

1 recipe of Southern Succor Rub

Pat the dry rub all over the pork rubbing it in as it is turned. Place on a foil line glass baking dish and refrigerate uncovered overnight. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray the rack of a roasting pan with plenty of oil before placing the roast on the rack. Place the pork shoulder on the rack in the roasting pan. Since I have a large roasting pan (that fits a turkey) I poured in 6 cups of water on the bottom of the pan. If your roasting pan is smaller, use 1 quart of water. Place in the lower third of the oven and roast for about 5 hours basting halfway through. If it is fork tender it is ready. Remove from the oven and rest for 1 hour.

Tomatillo Sauce

1.5 lbs. of tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed and halved

2 large jalapenos, both stemmed, 1 seeded and finely minced and the other split in half and seeded

2 medium onions, 1 peeled and quartered, the other, chopped

5 large whole garlic cloves with skin

1 lime, juiced

1 ½ t apple cider

2 t kosher salt or more to taste

½ c cilantro leaves, minced

While the roast is resting preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Smear olive oil over it so the tomatillos will not stick. Place the tomatillo halves cut side down, add the onion quarters, the jalapeno halves cut side down, the whole garlic cloves with their skin and roast for about 25 minutes or until tomatillos collapse with a little pressure. Halfway through, separate the onion layers so that they continue to soften. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Remove the skin from the garlic cloves and discard the skin. Add everything including the juice to a food processor. Add the minced jalapeno, the chopped onion, the lime juice, apple cider, salt and the cilantro. Pulse on and off until desired consistency about 6 – 8 times for a little chunky. Re-warm gently in a saucepan over the stove.

Roasted Baby Potatoes

3 cups of baby potatoes cut in half

Olive oil

Sea salt

Fresh black pepper

While you are making the tomatillo sauce, slip in a tray of split baby potatoes to roast in the oven. Toss the potato splits with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out over a rimmed baking sheet. Place in a 400 degree oven and roast for 20 -25 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and serve.

Garnish

1 avocado, sliced

Assembly:

Place about 1 cup of tomatillo sauce in the bottom of a bowl. Add two three chunks of roast pork shoulder to one side and add ¾ c of potatoes to the other side. Garnish with avocado slices and serve.

Serves 4 with plenty of leftover roast pork