Today I roasted a pork shoulder with the skin on. Braised it, more specifically. I asked my butcher yesterday for an "epaule de porc" (shoulder of pork) and he pointed to the de-boned, tied one that he keeps in the display case. But I've had that one (which is generously wrapped with a skin of fat and tied up for you) and it's good, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
So I tried to tell him that I wanted it with the bone in, but I don't know the word for bone. I pointed to my wrist, but that's just another cut of pork, a "jarret" and he never has that (even though I love it so much).
Anyway, after some gesturing and hemming and hawing, he understood that I wanted the shoulder "entier" or entire. So, get this, he brought out a side of pig, put it on the giant wood cutting board, and cut the shoulder out for me. Now that's just nuts! What a guy my butcher is! Je l'aime bien! After he plopped the half a pig down on the cutting board, he asked if that would suffice, the whole side he meant. He was kidding. I said in feeble French "I think my pot is too small for that!"
It had a thick skin which I cut into a diamond pattern (I didn't know it was so hard to cut) and I covered the whole roast liberally with salt and pepper and a bit of chipotle powder. I braised it in a liquid containing pork stock, a bit of sweet wine, onions, garlic, salt, freshly ground pepper, and red pepper flakes. I used a recipe as inspiration that suggested roasting the pork for 45 mins in a very hot oven first to toast the outside, so from the beginning, the skin had an awesome bubbly crispy appearance.
My father used to make pork roasts like this one when I was a kid, and I was so excited to eat the crispy skin that I nearly burned myself more than once. After only 6 hours, we had awesome tender pork, crispy cracklins, and home-made bourbon scented barbecue sauce. Here's a picture:
I also wanted to share this picture from Copenhagen of the best carousel animal ever. Some of you know this, most of you probably don't, but I have this thing for chickens and roosters. I toned it down a bit when I moved into Dennis' house, but there were at least 10 roosters and chickens in my house in Palo Alto. And the other morning when I was jogging I saw a soft stuffed one that I may well go back and buy. I have no idea why I love them, but they just make me feel at home.
Alton Brown (cooking show on FoodTV) has a ceramic chicken in his kitchen that I'm in love with, too.
Anyway, pigs and chickens. Mmm!
--Aimee
So I tried to tell him that I wanted it with the bone in, but I don't know the word for bone. I pointed to my wrist, but that's just another cut of pork, a "jarret" and he never has that (even though I love it so much).
Anyway, after some gesturing and hemming and hawing, he understood that I wanted the shoulder "entier" or entire. So, get this, he brought out a side of pig, put it on the giant wood cutting board, and cut the shoulder out for me. Now that's just nuts! What a guy my butcher is! Je l'aime bien! After he plopped the half a pig down on the cutting board, he asked if that would suffice, the whole side he meant. He was kidding. I said in feeble French "I think my pot is too small for that!"
It had a thick skin which I cut into a diamond pattern (I didn't know it was so hard to cut) and I covered the whole roast liberally with salt and pepper and a bit of chipotle powder. I braised it in a liquid containing pork stock, a bit of sweet wine, onions, garlic, salt, freshly ground pepper, and red pepper flakes. I used a recipe as inspiration that suggested roasting the pork for 45 mins in a very hot oven first to toast the outside, so from the beginning, the skin had an awesome bubbly crispy appearance.
My father used to make pork roasts like this one when I was a kid, and I was so excited to eat the crispy skin that I nearly burned myself more than once. After only 6 hours, we had awesome tender pork, crispy cracklins, and home-made bourbon scented barbecue sauce. Here's a picture:
I also wanted to share this picture from Copenhagen of the best carousel animal ever. Some of you know this, most of you probably don't, but I have this thing for chickens and roosters. I toned it down a bit when I moved into Dennis' house, but there were at least 10 roosters and chickens in my house in Palo Alto. And the other morning when I was jogging I saw a soft stuffed one that I may well go back and buy. I have no idea why I love them, but they just make me feel at home.
Alton Brown (cooking show on FoodTV) has a ceramic chicken in his kitchen that I'm in love with, too.
Anyway, pigs and chickens. Mmm!
--Aimee
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About me
- I'm off2paris
- From Paris, France
- off2paris at wonky point org
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