Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder

This recipe fed a crowd at the 2015 Bona-ROOTS dinner. But it lends itself beautifully at home too. The sweet-savory dry rub and searing before slow-cooking adds wonderful depth of flavor.

July 18, 2015

Ingredients

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
6 pounds bone-in pork shoulder (or butt), skin removed
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1 cup green onions or chives

Preparation

Combine brown sugar, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl and blend well. Cut pork into 1-2 pound pieces, trimming off excess fat. Rub the pork with the mustard, and pat on the seasoning mixture.
On a grill, sear the pork on both sides for 5 minutes per side. Place the seared pork into an electric roaster and set at high heat (400℉). Cook for 3-5 hours, depending on how much pork you have, until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork.
Remove the pork from the roaster and shred the meat piece by piece. Return the shredded pork to the juices in the roasting pan, skimming off any fat from the top as the pork rests.
Garnish with mint, fennel fronds, green onions or chives.

Serves 15