Elegant Pork Butt dinner? - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia 

I used cippolini onions and they came out good.  I think it was the lemons for sure.  I may have to supreme the lemons next time and avoid the pith all together.

You could, but that won't give you the desired result (at least the result desired by the author of the recipe), which is to have caramelized lemon quarters with peel and pith and all. Like I said, it shouldn't be a problem doing it, so don't change the recipe just because you had a bad lemon! A caramelized lemon quarter is really something beautiful and delicious. I don't think you can caramelize a lemon supreme really, and even if you could it wouldn't be the same. 

One stuffing I like for pork roasts is sweated onions and bell peppers, sauteed mushrooms and some sausage.  Lately I've been using these maple - sage breakfast from a local sausage place, but if you are not fond of sage try a sweet italian.  There's a market here that makes a chicken basil sausage I really like, maybe I'll try that.  Getting cold here in Utah, maybe a stuffed pork roast would be just the thing this weekend.

mjb.

A little late to the party and not a recipe so much as a technique. I prefer a boneless shoulder for this as carving is much easier. Costco usually has boneless shoulder at a good price.

Tie and roast the pork butt slowly to 190 degrees internal, about 7 hours for a 8 pounder. I think it was a temp of about 250-300. Let it rest overnight in it's juices in the refrigerator. Carve the next day cold as it will fall apart if you try to carve it warm. Letting it rest,  chill down and reheating helps the texture and presentation for a more upscale handling of this cut. Also doing it ahead saves you hassle if you're doing this for guests or a special occasion.

This is something I picked up from Cook's Illustrated so if you have their back issues, you can get more details on how they did it. But just the info above is how I've been handling my pork shoulder roasts for serving as a whole roast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatch 

Tie and roast the pork butt slowly to 190 degrees internal, about 7 hours for a 8 pounder. I think it was a temp of about 250-300. Let it rest overnight in it's juices in the refrigerator. Carve the next day cold as it will fall apart if you try to carve it warm. Letting it rest,  chill down and reheating helps the texture and presentation for a more upscale handling of this cut. Also doing it ahead saves you hassle if you're doing this for guests or a special occasion.

Wow... I would personally never do that - goes to show you we all have different taste and techniques I guess. First of all I would NEVER serve re-heated pork butt to my guests. It doesn't taste anywhere near as good as a pork butt you just cooked. I, personally, find that there's a HUGE difference in taste. Second, 190 F internal is WAAAAY too much for a roast I'm going to carve. That's pulled pork temps, not roast temps. I prefer my pork butt way less cooked, probably closer to 145-150 F. 

It's certainly a different approach for a shoulder roast. Comes out quite nicely though.

I shoot for 140 in my pork loin and tenderloin roast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia 

Cuts like this do very well if not better when reheated.  That's why it's possible to do braises a day ahead.

 

In a braise, yes. As a roast, no. I hate the taste of re-heated pork roast, even if it's from the shoulder. It's got a special taste, like a new taste, that wasn't there the first day you roasted it. It really kills the whole dish IMO. 

Never "defat." Fat equals flavor, and if you want to make gravy or pan sauce, you will only have to replace the fat with another kind of fat that does not taste like or compliment the meat.