# Pork Butt



## Bolas De Fraile (Jan 13, 2011)

Is this the shoulder of the pig or its backside, I want to make Cuban Pulled Pork and I am sure you people have some good home style tips and recipes.


----------



## Zereh (Jan 13, 2011)

It's from the shoulder of the pig.

The quickest, easiest and best pulled pork sandwiches I've ever made were made by rubbing a 3.5-lb pork butt (also called a Boston Butt) roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I roughly chopped a sweet onion and placed it in the bottom of my slow cooker, placed the pork on top and poured a 20-oz bottle of root beer over the top. Cooked it for about 2 hours on high and 3 hours on low. I took the meat out, shredded it and added it back to the juice. 

It made the best sandwiches ever! We added BBQ sauce to taste as we made our sandwiches (I like a little and he likes a ton). 

I can't wait until it goes on sale again because now I'm seriously craving some! I think I found some a couple months ago for $.99 / lb with the bone in.


----------



## Zhizara (Jan 13, 2011)

Even though pork butt is a large piece of meat, and the fact that I live alone, I keep buying it for myself.  It makes a lot of delicious, tender meat that I freeze in main dish size portions, plus I get a nice meaty bone for beans.

I love to make pressed Cuban sandwiches with it.


----------



## Hoot (Jan 13, 2011)

'round here, we cook it low and slow on what we call a pig cooker. We  seldom use a rub, but we mop it with a sauce that is simply apple cider  vinegar, mixed with just enough sugar to take the hard bite off the  vinegar and some crushed dried cayenne peppers (add some salt if you  think you need it). Mop it every hour or so, or whenever you turn the  butt over. 
We often cook 8-10 boston butts till they are falling off the bone, chop  it into what we call barbeque, here in eastern NC. Call the family and  neighbors (everyone will bring a side dish), and while we wait for the  pork, we will break out the banjos and guitars and your beverage of  choice....Next thing you know there is party going' on!!!
This is what is known in these parts as a pig pickin', (we call it that  when we do a whole pig, but shucks, pig is pig, I reckon.)


----------



## Andy M. (Jan 13, 2011)

The top part of the front legs is called the pork butt or Boston butt.  The rear legs are called hams.


----------



## 4meandthem (Jan 13, 2011)

I boil mine first for about an hour in water,salt,bay,whole peppercorns and 1 onion.

I then shred and remove as much fat as I can.This and the boiling gets rid of alot of it.

I then slow cook another hour with some of the water and/or other liquids for flavor.


----------



## pacanis (Jan 13, 2011)

I'm going to agree it's the shoulder, too. You can tell by the blade bone. I think the top of the leg is a different cut and has a round bone.
But like the song goes... the leg bone's connected to the... hip bone, the...


----------



## sparrowgrass (Jan 13, 2011)

Here is a technique from Nigella Lawson, I think, for cooking a large butt.  Preheat your oven to 400.  Set the butt on a rack, in a roasting pan, and put it in the oven.  Immediately turn the oven down to 225.  10-18 hours later, you will have melt in your mouth pork with a nice brown crust.  I do mine overnight for lunch or dinner on the following day.

I season mine before I put it in the oven with a dry rub made of 1 cup of brown sugar, a couple tablespoons of chili powder and a tablespoon of salt, but just plain salt and pepper is good, too.  (Maybe a a handful of garlic cut into slivers and inserted?  I will try that next time.)

If you like smoke flavor, you can use some liquid smoke, but be careful--that stuff is strong.


----------



## pacanis (Jan 13, 2011)

If you're cooking it in the oven, don't forget some onion slices on top


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 13, 2011)

I like mine smoky, but don't have a smoker, so I cheat.  I cook the boston butt on low in the slow cooker overnight, with an onion sliced and added.  Season with salt.  The next day, about noon time, I remove the meat and shred it.  I then put the shredded meat into my largest cast-iron pan.  I use a Webber Charcoal kettle with a solid bed of coals.  I place apple or maple wood on the hot coals, put the cooking grate on, place the pan over the smoking wood, cover, and close all vents to the half-closed position.  I let it go for 15 minutes, stir the meat, and cover again for ten minutes more.  Remove the pan and put back in the slow cooker crock to serve.  Stir to spread all of those juices through the meat.  Serve with good buns, and traditionally, three barbecue sauces.  The meat has a huge amount of surface area as it's shredded, and so picks up great smoke flavor in a minimum of time.  It's fall off the bone tender, and so very smoky and juicy.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North


----------



## FrankZ (Jan 13, 2011)

When I make pork BBQ I cook the shoulder (one of these days I am doing a whole shoulder) whether it is the picnic or butt at about 215-225F.  I use hickory chunks for the first 6 hours of cooking then just charcoal.  My rub contains (let's see how much I can do from memory) salt, brown sugar, paprika, dry mustard.  My mop sauce is just cider vinegar with onions and jalapenos in it.  The finish sauce adds sugar.

I serve with Carolina mustard.

I love some pork BBQ and it goes on a plate, not a bun.


----------



## jennyema (Jan 13, 2011)

I cook my pulled pork (butt -- which is the shoulder) on the charcoal grill over indirect heat for an hour or so and then put into a LC french oven for 3 or 4 more hours with a some mopping sauce.

When done I shred the meat, degrease the sauce/juices and mix the two together


----------



## pacanis (Jan 13, 2011)

I always use cheap buns, GW. I like them to get on the soggy side and a good bun is well, too good 

I use turbinado sugar in my rubs, Frank. It doesn't clump like brown sugar does so I can make a batch ahead of time and keep it in a shaker bottle.


----------



## Bolas De Fraile (Jan 15, 2011)

Thank you for all the replies, I thought Butt was the shoulder but I was confused by your other use of Butt.
Boned Pork shoulder is very cheap over hear, I presume from the recipes that I will have to skin it? 
Sparrowgrass, Nigella Lawsons Big Butt and Baps are a visual feast.


----------



## pacanis (Jan 15, 2011)

Pork butt doesn't typically come with the skin on it over here, just the fat cap. And even that is trimmed pretty well.


----------



## sparrowgrass (Jan 15, 2011)

Goodweed, I like your idea of smoking after shredding.  Bet you could put a shallow pan of baked beans in there, too.


----------



## Kayelle (Jan 15, 2011)

Hoot said:


> 'round here, we cook it low and slow on what we call a pig cooker. We  seldom use a rub, but we mop it with a sauce that is simply apple cider  vinegar, mixed with just enough sugar to take the hard bite off the  vinegar and some crushed dried cayenne peppers (add some salt if you  think you need it). Mop it every hour or so, or whenever you turn the  butt over.
> We often cook 8-10 boston butts till they are falling off the bone, chop  it into what we call barbeque, here in eastern NC. Call the family and  neighbors (everyone will bring a side dish), and while we wait for the  pork, we will break out the banjos and guitars and your beverage of  choice....Next thing you know there is party going' on!!!
> This is what is known in these parts as a pig pickin', (we call it that  when we do a whole pig, but shucks, pig is pig, I reckon.)



Hoot, I sure wish I was a neighbor of yours. You've painted such a great picture of southern Americana and hospitality......ahh, the music and food and good company.  Thank you.


----------



## sysco_guy (Jan 15, 2011)

putting in in a slow cooker overnight will do it justice


----------



## Frenchys (Jan 15, 2011)

And don't forget to add some pepper


----------



## Hamden (Jan 15, 2011)

Hi, this is my first post here.  Just discovered this site.

OK, you've gotten some advice on how to cook a pork shoulder, mostly from an American perspective.

But you said you want a Cuban style sandwich, which means what you actually want to cook is the pork shoulder of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo.  That dish is called in Spanish, "pernil."  It is very different from American style roast pork, although it uses the same cut of meat.

My SO is Puerto Rican.  Not only that, but she grew up in a restaurant that her mother owned.  Not only that, but she has spent the last 10 years trying to perfect her pernil even more!  

So this is the recipe for Cuban/Puerto Rican/Dominican roast pork shoulder.  Please don't be shocked by the excesses of flavor I'm about to describe.

The main thing to remember about C/PR/D pernil is that it is garlicy.  Take one to two heads of garlic depending on how much you like garlic.  Peel and chop the garlic finely.  You can also add a small finely chopped onion or half onion.  

To this add about 1 tbs of fresh ground black pepper, 1 tbs kosher salt, 1 tbs garlic powder (or if you have a local Spanish grocery, Goya's Adobo, which is basically garlic powder with extra spices).  1 Tsp of finely ground cumin is also good to add, depending on your taste.  Mix this stuff together with olive oil to make a paste.

Now it's time to get medieval on your pork shoulder.  

Take a sharp pointy knife and start stabbing the pork shoulder.  You want to make holes that you are going to stuff with the paste.  Some holes go straight through the skin, some under it, deep into the flesh.  

Many non-hispanic cooks think that if you stab the flesh, the juices will run out.  This may be true for other cuts, but won't happen with this one, which is so fatty that it's hard to make it come out dry if you cook it slowly.

At this point, if you like a less porky, "cleaner" flavor, you can rinse the pork shoulder in fresh squeezed lemon juice.  Pour off the lemon juice when done; you don't want a lemony pork shoulder, just want the acid in the lemon to give the pork a clean flavor.

Now start stuffing the garlic/olive oil paste into the "wounds" of the pork shoulder, really deep into the flesh.

As with the American recipes, you now cook it low and slow, skin side up.  250 at 5-6 hours is about right.  It will make a lot of juices, and you should baste the pork shoulder with the juices.  This braising will make it incredibly tender and juicy.

Now here is where it becomes again uniquely C/PR/D.  When the shoulder done, drain off all the liquid.  C/PR/D is actually served kind of dry, and this is the point at which you let the meat get crispy.  You don't need to cook it for very long after this.  The juice is very garlicy, and diluted with stock, makes good gravy.

When the shoulder is just about done, turn off the oven and put on the broiler on high, with the pork about 6 -12 inches below the fire.  

Watch it very carefully.  You don't want to ruin all your work at this point by burning it.  What you want to do is get the skin to crackle and bubble and for the fat just under it to liquify.  In other words, you are making what Americans call "crackling" on the pig.

Take it out.  You probably won't want to let it rest.  The crackling ("cuero" in Spanish) is so good that your family will fight over it and no one will allow the pig to rest at this point.

Crack off a piece of cuero and hide it for yourself.

Enjoy!


----------



## Hoot (Jan 15, 2011)

Hamden, Welcome to D.C.!!
Thank you for the information on cooking pig in a Cuban/Puerto Rican/ Dominican manner.
I am absolutely gonna have to try this approach!!
Shucks, just reading that has flung a craving on me!!!
I reckon I will see about doing this for Super Bowl Sunday!!!


----------



## pacanis (Jan 15, 2011)

Wow. That's a heckuva first post Hamden. 
My mouth is watering over here.


----------



## Bolas De Fraile (Jan 19, 2011)

Hamden said:


> Hi, this is my first post here. Just discovered this site.
> 
> OK, you've gotten some advice on how to cook a pork shoulder, mostly from an American perspective.
> 
> ...


Thank you Hamden I will try this first. In the UK slow cooked belly pork is loved because of its cuero and the soft juicy nature of the meat, the only spice we add is black pepper. This one got a little burned, we eat it hot with gravy and apple sauce or cold in a sandwich with gravy and apple sauce.
The funny thing is I have been to Cuba about 7 times but never ate Cuban pulled pork, I have had it a few times in Miami and it was beltingly good.


----------



## Josie1945 (Jan 19, 2011)

Welcome to DC

Josie


----------



## CraigC (Feb 19, 2011)

Late, I know, but here goes.

I usually get a 4-5 lb butt for this.

peeled cloves from 1 head of garlic.
freshly toasted and ground cumin seeds
kosher salt
sour oranges (Seville oranges) enough for a couple cups of juice
very large sweet onion

Crush the garlic cloves with the flat of a knife, add some salt and cumin. You are going to make a paste. I'm sure you have seen this done using the flat of the knife. I add salt and cumin until I get the consistency I want. Use a pairing knife to punch deep slits into the roast. Then rub with the paste, being sure to get it into the slits.

Thinly slice the onion. I use a mandolin. Juice the oranges, they have a ton of seeds which you don't want. In a large plastic bag, put the sliced onion and juice. Place the roast in the bag, seal and roll around to coat the roast. Marinate over night in the fridge, turning every few hours.

Normally I would roast this in the oven, but if you are looking for fall off the bone, pulled pork, I would braise it with the marinade and additional chicken stock if more braising liquid is needed. Stove top or oven, your choice. Remember to brown off if braising.

Craig


----------



## Bolas De Fraile (Feb 19, 2011)

Dont worry C better late than never, if a pig could fly Colonel Saunders could keep his secret


----------

