Getting to Cooked
Garlicky Pork Shoulder in a Pressure Cooker (or Not)
Pork shoulder is sometimes called picnic shoulder, and I like the expression; you know that if you have some cooked you’re always ready for a picnic. Or a taco, as the case may be. This version—tender, garlicky, and supple—can travel from setting to setting, and this recipe also yields a delicious juice; I like to serve chunks of pork in a spoonful of the juice at dinner. The broth is also a brilliant ingredient in an impromptu soup.
Time: pressure cooker, 1 hour 30 minutes; oven, 3 hours 25 minutes (25 minutes active)
Makes 6 to 8 servings
3 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of any large fat deposits
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon rosemary needles, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium canned
1 cup dry white wine (pinot grigio, unoaked chardonnay, or what’s on hand)
2 garlic heads, pointy top sliced off
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves, to serve
1. If you have the time, season the pork shoulder the night before cooking with an even sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Roll in the rosemary needles. If you don’t have the time, season just before cooking. Let the seasoned meat sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes before cooking.
2. If using an oven, preheat it to 325°F. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid, and add the seasoned pork shoulder, fattiest side down. Cook until nut brown (about 7 minutes), then turn and brown all sides. Pour in the stock and wine and bring to a boil. Throw in the garlic. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven; cook the pork until it shreds easily with a fork, about 3 hours.
3. If using a pressure cooker, brown as above on a stovetop or using the brown setting on an electric cooker. Pour in stock, wine, and garlic and affix the lid and cook at high pressure for 65 minutes.
4. Remove the pork and garlic to a platter and bring the juices to a vigorous simmer over high heat in the uncovered pot or pressure cooker (or if using an electric pressure cooker, the sauté setting with the lid off), skimming away any large pools of fat or scum. Reduce the juices over high heat heat until they are a little viscous but not syrupy, about 8 to 10 minutes. If you have used a pressure cooker, this will take longer, about 10 to 15 minutes of simmering.
5. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and return it to the jus. Serve pork sliced or shredded, with a ladle of juices and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Eat right away or after cooling, store the pork in its broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s easiest to shred the meat before it is refrigerator-cold, and then store. Keeps well for 3 to 4 days.
HOW TO USE THE PORK
Elegantly, in a pale winter bean salad
Family style, in meaty tacos
Spicily, in chilaquiles
Breadily, warmed with tomatoes in a hero sandwich
Crisply, in fried rice
Soupily, supplementing a quick bean and vegetable soup (use the cooking liquid for some of the broth, too)