Pork Roast: How Lori Weathered Sandy

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

As mentioned last week, I got through Sandy by cooking two roasts, one beef and the other pork, in an attempt to soothe and satisfy neighbors who were not as fortunate.

Below is the recipe for the roast pork. My leftovers are sitting in my now-working freezer and will serve as the base for a delicious pork and white bean chili for the night my Thanksgiving guests arrive.

I spent part of last week sorting out and clearing out my pantry, freezer and fridge…long overdue. It was very cathartic and now I’m ready to cook from what survived in my pantry from the storm.

I hope that most of you now have power restored. I’m thinking of those of you who are still in the dark. Many thanks to all who served as caregivers during this difficult time and helped out your neighbors in any way you could – whether it was providing food or shelter or a shoulder to lean on.

I have many friends on Long Island who are still without power. My thoughts are with you. When the power comes back, I hope this recipe serves as some inspiration to get cooking again. Or get cooking on the BBQ now. (Keep the mixture at a bare simmer whether you are using a burner on your grill or cooking it directly on the grill in a covered Dutch oven. Keep the grill covered, adjusting the heat and adding more broth as needed, until meat is fork tender, about 5 to 7 hours).

The skin on the pork keeps the meat moist. If you like, you could remove and reserve the skin once the pork is cooked, slice it and sauté it in a skillet until the fat is rendered and the skin is crisp. Serve on top of pork as cracklings.

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Spice Rubbed Roast Pork Shoulder and Onions
Serves a lot (about 8 )

3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne or more if you like heat
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large minced garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 to 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice divided
1 (7-pound) bone-in pork shoulder roast with skin
3 pounds onions, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
3 cups cooked soft polenta
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir together chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add garlic and 1-1/2 tablespoons each oil and lime juice, stirring, until combined well. Loosen skin from meat on pork shoulder with a sharp knife while pulling back the skin, keeping it attached along one side. Score skin with knife on top about 6 times making 1-inch slits. Rub half of spice mixture on meat under skin and rub remaining half all over pork.
2. Heat remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven or 5-qt heavy pot over moderately high heat and brown pork on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.
3. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat and cook onions, stirring, until softened. Add broth and tuck in bay leaves. Return pork to pot, skin side up, nestling it into onions. Bring stock to a simmer.
4. Cover and cook in oven at a low simmer, until fork tender, 6 to 7 hours. Let pork stand for 30 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate and shred or break up meat into bite-size pieces, discarding skin (if desired) and bones. Skim fat from onion mixture and discard. Stir in remaining lime juice to taste. Add shredded pork back into onion mixture, stir and season with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked polenta sprinkled with chopped fresh cilantro and garnish with lime wedges, if desired.

Serving suggestions:

• Pork tacos: Fill corn tortillas with cooked pork mixture, avocado, and sliced red or white onion
• Pork and white bean chili: Add cooked pork mixture to more chicken broth, along with rinsed and drained canned white beans, a can of diced green chilis and a can crushed tomatoes. Simmer until heated through and serve topped with sour cream, onion and crumbled tortilla chips.
• Pork and Kale Ragu: Sauté chopped kale with garlic in olive oil until tender. Stir in cooked pork mixture with some chicken broth to desired consistency and serve over pasta.
• Pork Sliders: Top toasted buns with cooked pork mixture tossed with some BBQ sauce, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and bought sliced pickled banana peppers, jalapenos or red onion.

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