SLOW ROAST PORK

Growing up my mother made roasts weekly.  The warmth and aroma of caramelized onions, vegetables and meat was comforting and certainly a joy to come home to in the colder months.  I have been searching for a roast that fills my home with pleasant aromas and is attuned to my present day palate.  This pork shoulder roast is inspired and modified from The Kitchen, my all time favorite restaurant in Boulder, Colorado.

2 lbs pork – shoulder is best, though you could also use loin or butt.

for pork rub:
2 tbsp cumin seed
2 tbsp coriander seed
2 tbsp mustard seed
2 tbsp fennel seed

for pork trivet:
2 fennels worth of fronds (stems + tops)
1 apples
2 carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 fresno pepper
1 c quality white cooking wine
1 c quality apple cider
1 c water
3 bay leaves

  1. Heavily salt the exterior of your pork. Allow this to rest for some time and set aside.
  2. Chop all the ingredients for your trivet and place in the bottom of the roasting pan with the remaining ingredients of the trivet to form a base on which you will place your pork. The pork will cook for a long time so you must be careful to make sure the pork does not touch the bottom of the pan.
  3. In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, place all the ingredients for the pork rub and grind to a fine dust. Use the dry rub to generously coat the outside of the pork shoulder and place the pork on top of the vegetable  trivet.
  4. Cover the whole pan in heavy duty foil.
  5. With your oven set to 250 degrees, put the pork roast in the oven and cook for approximately 12 hours.
When it comes out, the pork should fall off the bone with no meat left behind. It should come out easily and cleanly. Take the pork out of the pan on to a tray and shred it roughly. Set aside. Strain the liquid from the bottom of the pan into a small pan. You will use this liquid to reheat your pulled pork and it is also a great reserve for soups.  You can serve the pork with salsa verde aoli or with a BBQ sauce.  Makes 4 sandwiches.

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