Place the pork on the rack fat side up. As the pork cooks, the fat will render and liquefy, running down the pork. Essentially, this allows the pork to baste itself.
When in doubt, a simple rub of salt, pepper, garlic, and a few basic spices of your choosing (especially thyme and coriander) works great. If you can’t get the seasoning to “stick”, try rubbing the pork shoulder with a light coating of olive oil first. To marinate your pork, you’ll want to submerge the pork in a solution that usually contains oil, one or more acidic ingredients, and the seasonings of your choice. The acidic ingredients “cut” the oil in the marinade, providing flavor and keeping the finished product from becoming too greasy. Let the pork sit in the marinade for at least 4 hours and as long as a day or more. Additionally, you may want to consider using the sample dry rub and marinade recipes above.
As a general rule, when pork shoulder is done, the skin should be crispy, the meat should reach an internal temperature of 160-185 degrees (70-85 degrees Celsius), and any bone in the meat should “wiggle” easily when grabbed and shaken.
After the brief rest, you’re done. Enjoy your delicious roast pork shoulder!
Feel free to add any vegetables you like. Chopped onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes all work well. Additionally, any seasonings are fair game. For Latin-flavored carnitas, you might try cumin, garlic powder, and pepper, while for a more European flavor, you might try sage, rosemary, and thyme.
As an example, if you’re making the carnitas described above, you might try slow cooking your pork in Mexican beer for a delicious, complex taste. Also, when you’re picking liquids for slow cooking, it’s important to remember that the leftover liquid can be used as a sauce or gravy for the finished pork.
The pork shoulder is done when it is very tender and pulls apart with little effort.
You have many options when it comes to dry rubs. For instance, for a BBQ-inspired rub, try rubbing the pork down with a mix of white and brown sugar, salt, pepper, and other spices of your choice (like cinnamon and cumin).
If you have a gas grill, it’s relatively simple to set the grill to a medium-high heat. If you have a charcoal grill, however, it’s a little more difficult. Light your charcoal and allow the flames to die down before cooking your pork. The charcoal is ready when it is mostly or entirely grey and glows with a red-orange heat.
Because pork cooked in this way can take a very long time to cook, you may want to begin the grilling process in the morning to have the roast ready in time for dinner.
Alternatively, to learn how to smoke your pork shoulder with an actual smoker machine, see wikiHow’s guide on How to Use an Electric Smoker
