At Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., pitmaster Daniel Castillo applies a carnitas method to the process of cooking pork shoulder. “It’s hard to put ‘carnitas’ on the menu because that’s a specific thing,” says Castillo, “but that’s exactly what we’re making, a smoked carnitas.”
But for home cooks, he offers up the best way to get the same spoon-tender pulled pork in your oven.
“Start with a good piece of meat and cook it at higher temp, like 400 degrees, to color both sides,” says Castillo. “Then drop the temp down to 250. Once the pork reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees, you want to wrap it in foil — you want it to continue to roast, not steam — then let it rest in a cooler to retain heat for a minimum of two hours. You won’t get a smoky flavor but will get a really well-cooked piece of meat.”
Castillo stresses the resting period almost as much as the cook time, saying that is the real secret to success.
“Basically, don’t touch the meat until you can do so without the meat burning you,” he says. “That’s when you know it’s perfect.”
Castillo, who owns Heritage Barbecue with his wife, Brenda, shared his oven method, which is easily adapted to an outdoor smoker or grill (see Variations).
This pork takes at least 14 hours to cook, so plan accordingly. I’ve found the best approach is to put the pork in the oven right before you go to bed, so it is finished cooking around lunchtime the next day; otherwise, you will have to wake up before sunrise to be sure it’s ready by dinnertime. Either way, check on the pork every hour after 7 or 8 hours because, if your oven is like mine, it might shut itself off after so many hours at such a low temperature. Trust me, you don’t want to find this out the hard way.
Foolproof Pulled Pork
Adapted from Daniel Castillo, Heritage Barbecue, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Most “butt” pork shoulders come with the skin already removed and the fat trimmed. If you can, ask your butcher to remove the skin but leave all the fat intact so that it can render around the meat while it roasts, keeping it tender and adding more flavor.
1 bone-in, skinless pork shoulder butt (6 to 7 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Seasoning of choice (optional; see Variations)
Remove pork from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature; this allows for more even cooking. Place pork fat side up on a rack set inside a large roasting pan (or use a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet). Arrange oven racks in lower third of oven and heat oven to 400 degrees.
Season pork liberally with salt and pepper and/or your seasonings of choice. Roast 30 minutes. Using heat-proof gloves or paper towels covering your hands, flip pork over so it’s fat side down; continue roasting until well-browned on the outside, about 30 minutes more.
Flip pork once more so it is fat side up again, then reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Continue slow-roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork reads at least 200 degrees, 10 to 12 hours.
Remove pork from oven and transfer to a large sheet of double-thick foil. Wrap pork tightly in foil and let rest at room temperature at least 1 hour, until you can touch the meat without burning your hands (140 degrees). Uncover meat and shred or chop to serve. Serves 8 to 10.
Nutritional information unavaialble.
Variations
>> Smoker or grill method: Set up a backyard smoker or charcoal grill for indirect grilling at 250 degrees. Follow the recipe, placing roasting pan with pork on the grill grate, and cook until pork reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees. Adjust smoker heat to maintain a temperature between 200 and 250 degrees the entire time. Wrap pork in foil and follow the remainder of the recipe.
>> Seasonings: Go beyond salt and pepper and season the pork with sazon (a Spanish seasoned salt with annatto, garlic, salt, cumin, pepper, coriander and oregano) or use your favorite barbecue rub or dry-spice mix until it’s well-coated all over, about 3 to 4 tablespoons. Sugar will burn, so try to avoid using too much. If you have time, rub the pork with spices and let sit uncovered in the refrigerator for up to a day. This will help develop a flavorful crust on the outside while the pork is cooking.
The Link LonkOctober 21, 2020 at 12:04PM
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Pitmaster’s secret to the best pork - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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