Pork shoulder
Used in 4 recipes on RecipeWiki.
Pork shoulder is a hard-working cut with plenty of fat and connective tissue running through it, which is exactly what makes it good. Cooked quickly it is chewy, but given hours of low heat it turns soft, juicy and easily pulled apart, with a richer flavour than leaner cuts. That makes it the cut for Carnitas, slowly cooked in lard, for Cochinita Pibil, marinated in achiote and citrus, and for the spiced, vinegar-sharp Pork Vindaloo; Tacos al Pastor use it too. Leave the fat on, as it bastes the meat while it cooks. Cut it into large, even chunks so the pieces finish at the same time.
Most often cooked with
Garlic
Onion
Corn tortilla
Achiote paste
Cinnamon
Clove
Cumin
LimeRecipes with pork shoulder
Carnitas
Pork shoulder simmered in its own fat until it falls apart, then crisped in the same pan so half of it shatters.
Mexican
Pork
Cochinita Pibil
Pork buried in achiote and sour orange, slow-roasted in banana leaf until it falls apart. A Yucatecan dish that asks for one shopping trip and then leaves you alone.
Dinner
Pork Vindaloo
Pork marinated in vinegar, garlic and dried chillies, then cooked slowly until sharp, dark and much more sour than hot.
Curries
Indian
Tacos al Pastor
Chilli-and-pineapple marinated pork, grilled hard and served in small tortillas with onion, coriander and more pineapple.
