Slow-roasted pork shoulder w/maple, mustard, whisky glaze

Name: Slow-roasted pork shoulder w/maple, mustard, whisky glaze
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1.4 kg boneless pork shoulder roast; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 cup maple syrup; 3 tbsp whisky; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tbsp Dijon mustard; 3 tbsp unsalted butter

Robert Gonzal @robert

Vancouver BC

It might just be a Filipino thing, but in my family, big events and special occasions were almost always marked by cooking up big ol' slabs of pork. This was an amusing shock to my wife, who for our first family get-together wondered why a whole roast pig sat next to the Christmas turkey. Anyway, because of this it seemed somehow appropriate that my 200th recipe post be marked the same way. Just to break with tradition a little bit, I added a sweet glaze to the roast when it was almost done, then poured it over again at the end. It was delicious, and went perfectly with a generous heap of potato salad and brightly-dressed greens.

Robert Gonzal @robert

Saved

Ingredients

4+ hours

4 servings

1.4 kgboneless pork shoulder roast
1 tspkosher salt
1 tspfreshly cracked black pepper
1 tspgarlic powder
1/4 cupmaple syrup
3 tbspwhisky
2 tbspapple cider vinegar
2 tbspDijon mustard
3 tbspunsalted butter

Saved

Steps

4+ hours

1

Cut shallow slits into the skin of the pork. Be careful that you don't cut all the way down to the meat. Season the skin with salt only. For the rest of the roast, season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place the roast on a rack sitting in a shallow baking tray.
2

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Once at temp, put in the roast and let cook for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 300 F and continue roasting until you reach an internal temperature of 185 F. This can take 4 or more hours, so be sure to make good use of your thermometer. While you wait, make the glaze.
3

In a small pot on medium heat, whisk together the maple syrup, whisky, cider vinegar and mustard. Once smooth, whisk in the butter a little at a time and cook just until the butter melts and incorporates. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and take the pot off the heat.
4

Once the roast reaches 185 F, pull it from the oven and give it a brush of the maple glaze. Put the roast back in the oven. Continue roasting (and basting every 15 minutes or so) until the pork reaches 205 F. Once there, pull the roast out and set it aside to rest.
5

Put the pot of glaze back on medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Let it cook about 5 minutes until it reduces and darkens into a sauce about the consistency of pancake syrup.
6

Remove any strings holding the roast together, then pull the meat apart using a couple of forks. Be savage about it; the dish isn't supposed to be pretty. Drizzle the maple sauce over the shards of meat and eat immediately.