Turkey has always been the staple of a Thanksgiving meal (though we are more partial to a delicious ham), and because of that, you have to plan weeks in advance to make sure you secure the right size turkey before they sell out. This year, we think you should mix things up with a delicious Boston Butt pork roast! This meal can be prepared a couple of days in advance and cooked the night before, which means your oven is free for other delicious treats this Thanksgiving.
Move over turkey; this Boston Butt pork roast will steal the show this holiday. Try this fabulous recipe by bon appétit and let us know what you think:
Photo by Rick Martinez of bonappetit.com
Author: Rick Martinez of bon appétit
Skill Level: Intermediate
Servings: 8 people
Prep Time: 3.5 hours
Cook Time: 9-10 hours
Rest time: 30 minutes
Reheat time: 5-10 minutes
Total Time: 13 hours & 5 minutes – 14 hours & 10 minutes
Ingredients:
¼ cup of black peppercorns
3 tbsp of juniper berries
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
¼ cup plus 1½ tsp of kosher salt
3 tbsp of sugar
1 8–10-pound skin-on, bone-in pork shoulder (Boston Butt)
5 sprigs of rosemary
10 garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly crushed
2 cups of dry white wine (plus a glass for yourself!)
Cranberry sauce, cornichons (pickles), and whole grain mustard (for serving)
Instructions:
Finely grind the peppercorns, juniper berries, and coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle (we’ve heard a coffee grinder can work too). Transfer the spices to a small bowl and add the salt and sugar.
Using a very sharp knife or box cutter, score long parallel lines into the pork’s skin, spacing the cuts about ¾" apart. Cut completely through the fat and get as close as you can to the meat without slicing into it. Next, using a pair of kitchen shears, cut between the parallel slices to create that gorgeous diamond-shape pattern. Scoring the fat on the Boston Butt will help it cook better, allow your spices to flavour the pork, and it will be easier to slice once you are ready to serve.
Grab your spice mixture and add into the scores in the fat and cover any exposed meat, but try to avoid covering the surface of the skin as the spices may burn when cooking the pork. When you’ve used all of your spice mixture, cover the pork tightly in plastic wrap and leave it to chill for at least 3 hours and no longer than 3 days.
When you are ready to cook, move your oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat to 225°. Lay at least two layers of heavy-duty foil on a rimmed baking sheet (this will make the clean-up MUCH easier!) and add your rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves to the center. Unwrap your spiced, chilled pork, place on top of a wire rack on the baking sheet, and set in the oven. Pour the two cups of wine and two cups of water onto the baking sheet and roast the pork until the meat is pulling away from the bone, and the skin is very dark. This will be roughly 9–10 hours.
After roasting, let the pork sit uncovered at room temperature until you are ready to serve to your hungry family (at least 30 minutes and no longer than 5 hours).
Just before slicing and serving, reheat the pork in a 350°–400° oven. This will soften the fat and warm the surface of the roast (but don’t let it take on any more colour). This should take only 5–10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, slice and serve right away with the cranberry sauce, cornichons, and mustard.
Stop by our meat shop in Rosemary or Calgary this week to pick-up your pork shoulder for this recipe. If you are looking to also pick-up a last-minute turkey or ham, please call in advance to confirm availability for our remaining stock.
SPRAGG’S MEAT SHOP CALGARY
9675 Macleod Trail SE
Calgary, AB, T2J 0P6
P: 403.255.1232
E: calgarystore@spraggsmeatshop.com
SPRAGG’S MEAT SHOP ROSEMARY
438 Centre St
Rosemary, AB, T0J 2W0
P: 403.378.3800
E: meatshop@spraggsmeatshop.com