Mojo Braised Pork Shoulder

I was at a friends house over the weekend, as always, food was part of the conversation. Generally, about the next meal, and, how to cook it. She suggested a pork shoulder. Well, off I went on how delicious my slow cooker pulled pork is, and, how much I love carnitas. She said “But I don’t have a slow cooker”. “Ok”, I said, “Then low and slow in the oven, let it cook pretty much all day, comes out really good” “Nope”, she said, “That’s too long”, well, now I’m stumped, how do I cook a pork shoulder quickly? And here is where I learned something, “Cut it up” she said, wow, how simple. So, this is Mojo Braised Pork Shoulder, delicious pull apart pork on half the time.

A guitar has 6 strings, and, 22 frets, but there are millions of combinations to make some incredible music. Well, the same goes for cooking. There are only so many ingredients available to cook, and, only so many cooking styles, but the combinations of the two are endless. I’m always open to different ways of preparation, taking culture and geography into account. This, is no exception. With mojo braised pork shoulder, I now have 5 ways to cook this wonderful cut of meat. Barbecue, Oven, Slow Cooker and Country Style Ribs, trust me, they are all delicious.

A trip to the store is required, so, off to the local Latin grocery store. Obviously you don’t have to go to a Latin Grocery store to buy a pork shoulder. I just enjoy going to look at the wonderful selection of fruits, vegetables, meats and spices. Things that I don’t see at a regular store, plus the prices are good. We are now in possession of a 5lb bone-in pork shoulder and some Mojo sauce, now to prep.

There are two ways to buy a pork shoulder, bone-in or boneless. I always get bone-in, I think it tastes better, but that’s not scientific, just a personal preference. For most of you, when braising pork shoulder, boneless will work better, it’s easier to prep. It seems my friend has more confidence in my ability to remove the bone than I do. But it came out well, lost very little meat. Remember a 5lb bone in shoulder will produce about 3-4lb meat, once the fat and bone are removed. The bone, will go straight into the slow cooker with some peppercorns, a bay leaf and some garlic. After 10hrs, I’ll get some really good stock.

Back to the pork shoulder. Cut the meat into large chunks, about 4″x4″ works well, put in a braising pan with a jar of Mojo, cover tightly, and put in a 350 degree preheated oven and let cook for about 4 hours. Turn the meat periodically so the tops don’t dry out.

What you now have are pull apart chunks of deliciousness, swimming in a combination of sauce and their juices, this is good eats. You can serve directly from the oven, there is no need to rest the meat. How you serve is up to you, rice, beans, greens, lots of options.