Sometimes we find ourselves cooking for a large group and that always requires a more thoughtful approach to the kitchen. Usually that means we have guests over and of course we will be wanting to spend time with our guests. That means I am going to be cooking something that requires little prep time and likely a slow and low oven.
This pork shoulder is perfect for that. I had it prepped and in the oven with a cleaned kitchen in under 20 minutes and then it hung out in the oven for hours and hours while I spent time enjoying myself.
I turned half the pork into a pasta sauce and the rest I saved for another dish. That pork can be made into sandwiches, tacos, paired with another sauce to go over mashed potatoes… sky is the limit.
Just because I am feeding a lot of people, doesn’t mean I want to compromise on flavor and this dish hits on all fronts.
Serves 8-10 people
Ingredients:
Cook’s Note: in this dish, the pork shoulder will cook low and slow for about six hours, so you may need to plan ahead, or make it for the following day
Bone In Pork shoulder (mine was about 2.75 pounds)
1 tablespoon Maldon salt for the pork
4 large leeks, cleaned and roughly chopped - whites and greens used
3 garlic cloves, peeled smashed and left whole
2 shallots, roughly chopped
2 rosemary sprigs - roughly chopped
1 teaspoon chopped sage
8 or so thyme stems - left whole
1 teaspoon Maldon salt for the veg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 cups water to deglaze the pan
1/2 cup microplane-grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1.5 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
24 ounces pappardelle
Salt for the pasta water
Pasta cooking water
Dusting of Parm and sprinkle of chopped parsley to finish
Method
Preheat your oven to 225° F convection.
Season the pork shoulder on all sides with salt. Brown it on all sides in a skillet, starting with the fat side down. The fat that rendered out what enough for me to brown the pork in. If yours doesn’t have as much fat, add some. While the meat browns, prep your vegetables. Place the veg and herbs in a covered casserole and season with salt and stir in the olive oil to coat everything in the oil. When the pork shoulder is nicely browned, place it on this bed of veg. Deglaze the pan with the water and skim off the excess fat. Pour this liquid over the pork, cover, and pop into the preheated oven for 6 hours. You don’t need to do anything else.
After 6 hours, the pork should be fall-apart tender. Remove the bone and any tough herbs stems. Shred about half of the pork and set aside. I find is easiest to use my hands to do this.
Skim off any fat off the top of the vegetables, remove the thyme stems and then add it to a large pan to finish cooking. To the beautifully cooked leeks, add the Parm, heavy whipping cream, and parsley and a bit of water if needed. Cook briefly, about a minute or two or three on medium heat, to thicken the sauce. Then stir in the shredded pork.
Cook the pappardelle in water salted to the saltiness of the sea. Cook until just under al dente. Then remove with a slotted strainer directly to the sauce. Finish the pappardelle in the sauce, adding some pasta water as necessary.
Plate up and spoon more of the sauce over the pasta. Finish with a dusting of Parmesan and some more parsley. This would be equally delicious served over mashed potatoes.
The other half of the pork can be used for another dish.
This was another one that Bear gave a 12 out of 10. Big big hit and it’s truly delicious without a ton of effort. You and your guests will love it.
Enjoy!
xx Corre
Chefs Equipment:
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