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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Something new for Easter dinner - Pork Shoulder Roast




Easter dinner usually consists of ham, a few vegetables, and pan-roasted potatoes in our house.  This year I wanted to try something new, almost an adventure in pork, and decided to try a pork shoulder.  I have to tell you, when I unwrapped my roast, I was taken back a little.  This thing was huge!  It was all tied up and covered in a layer of fat.  I remembered what the butcher told me....the fat is a good thing...so I left it alone and covered the meat with a mixture of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  I wrapped it back up and left it in the fridge so the seasonings could do their thing over night.  First thing in the morning, it is time to make the herb sauce that will cover the roast.

You will need the following (use fresh herbs):

about 20 sage leaves
3 sprigs of rosemary leaves, stem removed
4 cloves of garlic
1 ½ tsp each of sea salt and pepper
2 tbs olive oil
½ cup of dry white wine





Blend together the sage, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil.  With a sharp knife, make deep cuts randomly over the top of the roast and leaving the knife blade inserted, pour a small amount of the mixture so it flows down the blade, into the cut.  Spread the rest of the mixture over the entire roast.  Now, I know anything that looks green does not look appetizing, but believe me, when this is finished cooking, it comes out beautifully golden brown.



















Heat the oven to 250 degrees.  Set the roast in a roasting pan, fat-side up.  Roast for 2 hours.  Then pour the ½ cup of white wine over the pork and baste with the wine and juices.  Continue roasting, basting once every hour until the skin is well-browned and the meat registers between 170-180 degrees Fahrenheit.  For a 4 pound roast, it should be another 2-3 hours.  My roast weighed over 6 pounds, and was in the oven for a total of about 6 hours!


 This came out so juicy and tender, and the flavors of all the herbs cooked into the roast were delicious..... and no more green!






1 comment:

  1. Hi Suzanne…I'm at UA too but found your blog through Sue's pinterest page and saw this great recipe. Looks amazing! I want to try this! I learned from my husband how to make something similar that his Italian mom makes. Here is what we do…usually for football games, parties. Pork Shoulder/Picnic weighing 7-9 lbs. We take about 12 cloves of garlic and with a long knife, make deep holes throughout the roast. Fill the holes with salt and ground black pepper. I use my finger to stuff it in fully. Then add the cloves. Then we take a food processor and grind up one bottle of Pickling Spices into a powder. Massage the entire roast with olive oil and then massage the pickling spice powder all over. Cook the same way you did…slow until it is crispy and browned on the outside, turning several times. Or we use a Rotisserie Oven we have. Thanks for the inspiration!

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