Recipe Friday 8/31: Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

Alright everyone, it's the last Friday before the big Labor Day weekend and I wanted to give you a recipe that you could make to feed the masses as I am sure you are attending a BBQ or 2 this weekend. This is super easy, it uses a pretty inexpensive cut of meat, but the key is to cook it low and slow (preferably in a slow cooker) for 5-6 hours depending on the size of the roast. Today we are using pork shoulder, bone in. At our local Whole Foods (which can be overpriced at times) it was about $5 a pound, so I am sure you can find it at a local market, or meat counter for pretty cheap. This cut tends to be really fatty, so the key is to melt away that fat retaining moisture and flavor. I use a dry rub (that includes my chipotle salt!), which I will attempt to make you a recipe for, we usually just eyeball it, but really any flavors that you like will probably work. The flavor profile for the cooking process can be simple, that way you can throw in some BBQ sauce to make pulled pork sandwiches, or some hot sauce for pork tacos... it is more versatile that way. So enjoy your long, last weekend of summer with your friends and family and don't forget to eat good food! And as always Happy Cooking!

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder
4 1/2 pounds bone in pork shoulder
1-2 large yellow onion, large chop


Dry Rub:
4 Tblspns Chipotle Salt (enough to get a good coating on all sides)
black pepper, all sides
1 tspn teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 yellow onion, zested or pureed
2 cloves garlic zested or pureed
Chili flakes, depending on the amount of heat you want
1 lime, juiced and zested.

* Coat all sides of the meat with the above mentioned rub.
* Placed chopped onion on the bottom of the slow cooker, enough to cover the base. Set pork on top of onions, and cover. Cook on low for 6 hours. The pork should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork. Remove meat, drain 2/3 of the fat out, and fold the other 1/3 and the cooked onions as well into the shredded meat.

* At this point it is up to you how to serve. Fry it on a pan, carnitas style, add bbq sauce to make pork sliders, make a cuban sandwich with it. the possibilities are endless, and you have a lot of meat, so you can do multiple things with it!! Enjoy.