Sunday, May 12, 2013

Edge of Summer Roast Pork

On the edge of summer, just before the temperature rises, you can make this tasty dish without breaking a sweat. I usually make pork in either a crock pot, or roasted for many hours in a hot oven. This time, I tried an abbreviated version of the oven-roasted pork. I made a pernil paste with garlic, salt & pepper, oregano, vinegar, and oil, coated a pork shoulder (bone-in) with the paste and refrigerated it overnight. The next morning, I placed the coated pork shoulder into a roasting pan with about 2 cups of vegetable broth. I covered the pork with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and popped it in the oven for about 5 hours at 300 degrees. We served it with white rice, black beans, cilantro, sauteed spinach, and sliced avocado--a nice change from the pulled pork tacos we usually make. It was so moist it didn't even need any sauce. But later this week, I think a nice juicy pulled pork sandwich on a potato roll is in order.

Easy Oven-Roasted Pork

1 3/4 - 2 lb pork shoulder
16-20 garlic cloves
3 tbsp oregano
3 tbsp fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp salt
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth

Chop garlic cloves in a mini-chopper with black pepper, salt, and oregano. Once its chopped into a nice paste, add the vinegar and oil. Coat the shoulder with the paste, and refrigerate overnight in an air-tight plastic bag. The next morning, rest the shoulder in a roasting pan atop 2 cups of vegetable broth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then tightly with aluminum foil. Pop in an oven at 300 degrees Farenheit. Leave it without looking for about 5 hours.

You can serve as roast pork by itself, chopped into empanadas, or shredded in tacos or on a sandwich.