Here's what I'm cooking for the Session Zero this weekend.
Sticky Pig
(oven-roasted pork butt)
Ingredients:
1 bone-in pork shoulder, 4-10 pounds
Molasses
Brown sugar
Pickling salt
Water
Instructions:
1. Wash the pork shoulder and pat dry. Place it in a large dutch oven or food-grade bucket, some kind of container large enough to completely submerge it in liquid. Because that's what you're gonna do!
2. Make enough brine to completely cover the pork shoulder. To each quart of cold water, use 1 tablespoon pickling salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup molasses. Stir until completely dissolved, pour over the pork roast, and then repeat as necessary until the pork roast is submerged.
3. Place it in the fridge overnight.
4. Remove from the brine and place it fat-side-up on your roasting rack. Do not rinse or pat it dry. Leave it to rest, uncovered, for 2-3 hours or until it comes up to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 500°F.
5. Slash the fat cap in a cross-hatch pattern to help it render out. Place the roast into the ripping-hot oven, uncovered, and sear it for 30 minutes.
6. Without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 250°F and cook for another 30 minutes, plus 20 minutes per pound (thus a six-pound roast would need to cook for 3 hours: 30 minutes for the sear, and 30 minutes + (120) minutes roasting.)
7. Check for doneness; the bone should wiggle easily ("like a loose tooth," my dad would say). If not, cook an additional 20 minutes and check again.
8. Remove the roast from the oven, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Then remove the bone (save it for your next pot of beans!), and shred the meat with two forks. Serve over rice with your favorite barbecue sauce, some warm Hawaiian rolls, and some crunchy coleslaw.
