Rub entire surface of pork shoulder evenly with the fennel, kosher salt & pepper.

Arrange half of the thyme sprigs on the bottom of a glass baking dish and place the pork over the thyme, pressing it into the thyme. Press remaining thyme on top of the pork. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight. (up to 24 hours) When ready to prepare the pork, put the porcini in a swall bowl and cover with the hot water & let sit for about half hour or until soft & pliable.

Heat a dutch oven or a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter & let it melt (careful not to burn the butter!) Remove the pork from the baking dish, discard the thyme & add the pork to the pan & brown all sides of pork (about 3-4minutes per side) turning as needed until evenly browned. Transfer the pork to a plate.

After transferring pork to plate decrease heat to medium & add the pancetta or guanciale (whichever you're using) & cook, stirring till browned (about 4-5 minutes) then add the diced onions, carrots & garlic and cook, stirring often till onions begin to brown (about 5 minutes) next, stir in wine & increase heat to high & cook until reduced by half (about 10-12minutes) then stir in tomatoes & tomato paste & cook for 5 minutes.

Drain the porcini BUT RESERVE THE LIQUID! Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth lined sieve into the sauce. Chop the porcini & add to the sauce. Stir in the stock, add the oregano, thyme, sage, crushed red pepper & bay leaf. Return the pork to the pan & bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low & cook uncovered 3-4 hours or untill the pork is tender enough to be broken apart with a fork. Turn off heat & let cool in pan for about 30 minutes. Skim away any fat on the surface of the sugo & discard along with the bay leaf. Serve over pasta or creamy polenta. Hope u enjoy this dish!! ~Gorda Ramsey