We had a hankering for a pork roast recently and found this relatively easy stuffed pork shoulder recipe in an old The Good Cook cookbook on pork from Time Life (1979). These Time Life Good Cook books are by the way terrific if you can get a hold of them, filled with details of methods of an earlier time.
Stuffed, Braised Pork Shoulder Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lb pork shoulder roast, boned
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups stock, beef, chicken, or pork (boiling)
Marinade:
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (can use an herbes de provence blend)
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 6 juniper berries, lightly bruised
Herb-stuffing:
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (herbes de provence)
- 2 garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
Method
1 Combine all the marinade ingredients and put in the meat. Let it marinate in the refrigerator several hours, turning it occasionally. Remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Reserve the marinade.
2 For the stuffing, pound the garlic to a purée with some salt and pepper. Combine the remaining stuffing ingredients until the mixture has the consistency of a paste.
3 Smear the stuffing onto the top surface of the meat. Tie up the meat to enclose the stuffing, resulting in a roughly spherical shape. Rub the meat with olive oil.
4 Place the meat in a large roasting pan and sear it in a pre-heated 425°F oven for 30 minutes or until the surface is golden brown.
Remove the meat to a Dutch oven just large enough to contain it. (We used a 2 1/2 quart Le Creuset.)
5 Drain off the fat from the roasting pan, then strain the marinade into the pan and heat, stirring to deglaze the pan juices. While deglazing, in a separate saucepan bring stock to a boil.
6 Pour the heated marinade over the meat and add enough boiling stock to come one-half or two-thirds of the way up the side of the meat. Cover the pot and place it in a 325°F oven for about one and a half hours, basting the meat occasionally. During the last half hour, remove the lid, increase the heat to 375°F and baste often to form a glaze.
7 Transfer the meat to a warmed platter. Strain the liquid from the pot into a small saucepan and simmer, skimming the fat, until the sauce is reduced and free of fat. Remove the strings from the meat, slice it or cut it into wedges, and serve with the sauce. Excellent served with mashed potatoes.
Yield: Serves 8.
Oh my. I can’t resist a good pork shoulder. This sounds heavenly. I wonder if you could do something similar with a slow-cooker (once you’ve got the initial browning done)?
The Good cook series are terrific books, and can often be found, by the individual volume, in thrift shops for pennies! I’ve been collecting the set, bit by bit, at the Goodwill shop.
They are fun to read, for their detail, as well as useful cookbooks.
Pork shoulder is one my favorite cuts of meat. I can just smell the goodness coming from the photo.
Ciao!
I’ve done this recipe for the Easter lunch: a great success!
The best meat course I’ve ever done!!!!
Thank’s!
Simona
I have to agree with Mario Battali, the pork shoulder is simply the best cut of meet if cooked properly. I’ll take this over filet mignon any day.
How is the meat cut? Is it cut down the center? Is this something to ask the butcher to do?
Recipe looks amazing!
I have just made this for dinner this evening using ‘Rouelle de Porc’ which is a french cut similar to shoulder. I just sliced it through the middle with a sharp knife, spread the stuffing and rolled it. It was great and I can recommend it to anyone!
I can’t find juniper berries. Any ideas for substitutions?
Your guess is as good as mine. ~Elise