Pulled Pork Shoulder to Die For

Grant loves to eat, fish, play poker and video games, rock climb, and shoot hoops. Grant does not like to cook. I can probably count on my two hands the number of times that Grant has cooked a meal for me in the 21 years that we’ve been married.  When Grant cooks, it’s because:

  1. I’m really sick and don’t want take-out;
  2. I am too overwhelmed with work and school; or
  3. We are having date night at Sur La Table.

I remember walking into my kitchen on a study break to grab a glass of water while Grant was cooking  It looked like a tornado had blown through it. Dishes, pans, and ingredients were spread haphazardly all over my counters. Grant was scraping a pan with a spatula as if he was fighting with whatever was in there. I asked him a question and his frustration came out:

“I can’t talk while I am cooking. I’m not you!”

The wild look in his eyes and the stress in his voice made me wonder if this is what I look like when I am holding a fishing pole with a fish tugging on it. It’s the look of lostness and panic.

When I found this recipe from Julia Turshen‘s cookbook, “Small Victories” I knew that it was perfect for Grant. I made it once with him to show him how super easy it was. Then I had him make it all by himself for us when I was deep in law school exams and we were having friends over for dinner. Everyone said it was delicious and thought I had made it.

Besides the fact that this pork shoulder tastes amazing, it requires little to no work. I tell our friends this recipe is so simple that even Grant can make it.  They don’t believe me. At first, they are a bit scared when I tell them Grant is cooking.

“Are you sure? You are going to help him a little, right?” I encourage them that it will be delicious and in the end they all become believers.

Grant calls this “pork shoulder to die for” because he hasn’t tasted another pork shoulder recipe that he likes better. We’ve been to a few BBQ places that people rave about around town but Grant says this pork shoulder is way better than the pork shoulder at those restaurants. Also, he doesn’t know Julia Turshen is so he calls this recipe “Tammy’s pork shoulder.”  Sorry, Julia!

I guess it is natural for people to give more credit to the cook than the person who came up with the recipe.

Kiss-the-Cook.png

That is probably why you hear, “Kiss the cook” or “compliments to the chef” and not “compliments to the one who came up with this recipe.” Julia, every dish I’ve made from your cookbook has gotten me numerous compliments and I am setting the record straight right here.  Once again, this is truly Julia Turshen‘s pork shoulder recipe:

2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup dijon mustard
One 4 1/2 pound boneless, skinless pork shoulder at room temperature, patted dry with paper towels (Cuts labeled Boston butt and pork butt will work, too.  We have used the bone in pork shoulder and it turns out fine.  Do NOT feed the cooked bone to your dog!)
2 cups apple cider

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

In small bowl, whisk together the salt, maple syrup, and mustard. Rub the pork all over with the mixture and put it fat-side up in a large roasting pan or cast-iron skillet that holds it comfortably. Pour the apple cider around, not over the pork.

Roast pork for 15 minutes, just enough to let the maple syrup start forming a crust on top, then turn down the temperature to 250 degrees. Let the pork roast for 7-8 hours. Shred pork with fork and serve.