Pulled Pork with Crispy Pork Crackling

Yes, I realize that it's been forever since I last posted. Thanks to everyone who has stayed with me:)

The reality is, with a new house (which is actually an old house), life has been full of projects from painting to insulation to excavation.  That doesn't mean that I don't eat. It just means that I find myself gravitating towards quick recipes that I know and trust.

That is, until the other day, when I went to the store and found myself buying a monstrous pork picnic roast (comes from the lower part of the pig's shoulder). I had no idea what I was going to do with it at the time, but it looked tempting, so I bought it.

The next day, I prepared to roast it for most of the day. I took it out of the fridge in the morning so that it could come up closer to room temperature. Then I seasoned it generously, poked holes in it and filled them with fresh, slightly crushed garlic cloves, and roasted it at 250 degrees for about 7 hours. I pulled it out of the oven, tented it with tin foil, and let it rest for about 30 minutes. After resting, I pulled the crispy skin off (eating some of the delicious crackling while working), and started to pull the pork apart with my fingers.  The pork was perfect to eat just like that, with pieces of crackling, or with any variety of sauces including barbeque and chimichurri (sauce of garlic, parsley, red wine vinegar--- the acid is great as it really cuts through the fattiness of the pork).

Of course, since there was TONS of pork, I made lots of other stuff in the days that followed.... that's the great thing about a roast like this. There is minimal effort as the oven does most of the work for you, and then you have food for days!

Pulled Pork with Crispy Pork Crackling

8-10 kg Pork Shoulder (picnic roast)

10 Cloves of Garlic, peeled

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Bring the pork up to room temperature (an hour or so out of the fridge). 

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a paring knife, poke deep holes all over the pork roast. Lightly crush the garlic cloves just to release some of the flavor and push them into the holes. Season generously with salt and pepper all over.

Place on a rack in a foil lined roasting pan and bake for 7 hours. You will know when the pork is ready because you will be able to easily pull the meat away from the bone. 

Take the pork out of the oven and cover with foil. Let rest for about 30 minutes. 

Using a fork or your fingers, shred the pork. Serve with your choice of sauces, turn into sandwiches, put on salads... the possibilities are endless! Enjoy!