Slow-Roasted Pork with Cherry Sauce

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SERVES 8 TO 12

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Pork butt isn’t just for barbecue—we used it for our hearty, old-fashioned roast. This cut is loaded with intramuscular fat that builds flavor and bastes the meat during roasting; on the outside, its top layer of fat renders to form a perfectly bronzed crust. We didn’t need much to enhance the roast’s texture and flavor; a simple rub of kosher salt and brown sugar did the trick, and scoring the meat first helped the rub penetrate. For an accompanying sauce, we combined cherries, red wine, port, red wine vinegar, and a tad more brown sugar with the drippings, then reduced it all. To round out the sweetness and punch up the brightness, we finished it with an extra spoonful of vinegar. We prefer natural to enhanced pork, though either will work in this recipe. We also prefer to use kosher salt in step 1, but 2½ tablespoons of table salt can be substituted if necessary. Add more water to the roasting pan as necessary during the last hours of cooking to prevent the drippings from burning.

1	(6- to 8-pound) bone-in pork butt roast
⅔	cup packed light brown sugar
10	ounces fresh or frozen pitted cherries
2	cups dry red wine
5	tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼	cup ruby port

1. Using sharp knife, cut slits 1 inch apart in crosshatch pattern in fat cap of roast, being careful not to cut into meat. Combine ⅓ cup kosher salt and ⅓ cup sugar and rub over entire roast and into slits. Wrap meat tightly with plastic wrap, place in large bowl, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat V-rack with vegetable oil spray and set in large roasting pan. Brush off any excess salt and sugar from roast, blot dry, and season with pepper. Lay roast in prepared V-rack; add 6 cups water to pan.

3. Roast pork until meat is extremely tender and registers 190 degrees, 5 to 6 hours, basting twice during cooking and adding more water to pan as needed to keep juices from burning. Transfer pork to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 1 hour. Pour drippings from roasting pan into fat separator. Let liquid settle for 5 minutes, then pour off and reserve ¼ cup defatted liquid; discard fat and remaining liquid.

4. Bring ¼ cup defatted liquid, cherries, wine, remaining ⅓ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup vinegar, and port to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1½ cups, about 45 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar; cover to keep warm.

5. Using paring knife, cut around inverted T-shaped bone of pork until it can be pulled from roast (use clean dish towel to grasp bone). Using serrated knife, thinly slice pork and serve with cherry sauce.