Slow Roast Pork Butt
 

I'm making roast pork tomorrow.
We call it shoulder but Merkin sites I've been to call it butt. Even though it's not :p

I have contradictory advice.
I want to make it Merkin style. In that I want to be able to pull it apart with a fork. British style roast pork is sliced - I don't want that. I want something totally different to anything they've eaten before and I want it melt-in-the-mouth. And yes, Americans do that best.

Now the general advice is to cook for 8 hours, allowing the fat to seep into the meat and the collagen to break down. Fine. But I've read that it's not possible to overcook it, you can leave it in as long as you want. And also that you can over-cook it and it will go tough and leathery. And one of the sites suggested that if you have a fan oven you need to turn the fan off. Well, we do have a fan oven, and I can't turn the fan off.

Also, some of the recipes I've read (I was going for a hybrid of my own making) say to cover it, but other forums suggest this traps condensation, so you end up steaming rather than roasting. I'm also torn between cooking in liquid (various ideas inc lemon juice, wine, water) and not. I think the liquid and the foil are not compatible.

I come to you for help.
Any advice?

Do you have a slow cooker (aka Crockpot) in your house SG? If so, put it in there and leave it forever (at least eight hours). I'd put some flavoured liquid in the bottom (not much) and balance the pig part on some lumps of vegetable (carrot, for example).

You're doing this entirely in the oven?
The standard merkin pulled pork recipes are gonna be for a bbq or smoker....

Have you considered brining? That would help it not be dry.

This recipe uses a brine and an oven.

I have no slow cooker, I'm afraid.

And Jinx - it's probably the way I've been searching, but every recipe I've seen has been oven only. Oh, except for The River Cafe one (English) which was in a pot. Brining is a step too far for me, sorry.

ETA - that recipe does seem to fit the pattern though. Plan is to whack the oven up as high as it will go. Rub salt into the scores. Put in the pork, and immediately reset the oven to 100 degrees (C). Leave for 8 hours. If necessary put the heat back up to crisp the crackling (it will have to go back up to roast the potatoes anyway). I'm thinking 30 mins uncovered at the start, then 30 mins uncovered at the end. And trust the fat to preserve the moisture.

Dutch oven would do as well.

Nope. Also not got.

Hey SG

It's possible to overcook it, but you might die of old age first....

Look, you can easily do this in the oven. Looks like your recipe will do ok, one **KEY** part missing is that you need moist heat in the oven. You MUST have a pan of water in the oven as you're cooking the pork. I put the pork in a roasting pan, and I use my turkey rack to keep it up off the bottom and I keep an inch or so of water in the bottom. I also cover it with foil. I like to start with a room temperature piece of meat when I put it on the smoker, I reckon this would be less crucial in the oven where you can control the temperature more easily. How big is the cut of meat? I have done this with large cuts, around 15-20 pounds. A smaller cut would be easier to cook, but makes the water much more important.

You're exactly right when you say you are trying to melt the collagen in the fibers of the meat...that makes it tender and moist. Don't let it run dry. Don't take it out early. When you're doing it right it will literally fall apart in your hands. Good luck.

BigV's right, it's all about the moisture. A foil tent won't keep moisture trapped inside as well as a dutch oven (lidded cast iron pot, just to be sure I'm not using words you use differently,) but it's better than nothing. With a dutch oven, you wouldn't need to add water, with a foil tent you will. The top will still get nice and roasty, it won't appear to have been steamed. See here for how I do it (but I do use a dutch oven.)

I always thought that a dutch oven was when you farted in bed and then pulled the covers over your wife's head.

As long as you have cast iron sheets, and prefer your wife well-done.

I knew I was in the right place for advice :yum:

My joint is >2kg, which translates to about 4lbs
15-20lbs! Argh! Is that a whole pig?! I'm only cooking for five.

I have a lidded roasting pan. I thought a Dutch Oven was a terracotta thing for some reason, so thanks for the elucidation. I'm going to use that instead of the tray I had originally intended.

A quick note to say I'm off right now, but any further advice needs to happen before 09.00 GMT (BST) tomorrow.
My maths is too poor to work it out for you!
But if you care about me - please do! - you'll post before then.

Thanks for the help so far. Kisses and all that.

The lid needs to really be nice and heavy so it's borderline airtight. If it's not, you can hedge your bets by placing a separate pan of water (1-2 inches deep) on the lower shelf in the oven, so the air outside the lidded container will be nice and moist too, just in case.

Logged back in specifically to see if I had any further advice :)

Good plan Batman.
Both the dish and lid are quite heavy, but having looked up a Dutch Oven... they're not it. Am loving the pan of water idea. Will do covered roasting tin & water.

I promise pics.

You'll still need foil off, hot temperature finish for the crackling ...