Slow Roasted Pork (aka cheater bo ssam)

This slow roasted pork is a revelation. Its real magic is that it can be anything. Above, it’s the topping for a rice bowl, but it shines just as bright as a taco with some avocado and salsa, in a lettuce cup, as a filling for empanadas, mixed with barbecue sauce for sandwiches, the list goes on. It takes about five minutes of prep and then a long, slow hang in the oven, and it comes out perfect every time. It keeps well for three or four days in the fridge and up to a couple of months in the freezer. It’s also kind of a cheater Momofuku bo Ssam. Rather than seasoning the meat 24 hours in advance and cooking the pork whole, I cut it into smaller pieces and season just before cooking (less planning required), so you wind up with a better meat to crust ratio. It cooks more quickly, and none of the pork is dry. Really, it’s great, give it a go. It’s a long cooking time (3ish hours), but it’s almost 100% hands off, it just takes two minutes to cut up the pork, season it, and stick it in the oven. From there you can turn it into anything–I’ll give you a bunch of suggestions below.

Recipe

Yield: 5ish Servings

1 3-4lb boneless pork shoulder (or pork butt, it’s the same thing)
¼ cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 300. Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with aluminum foil. Cut your pork into 2-3 inch pieces. In a small bowl, mix together the salt and sugar. Using the salt and sugar mixture, liberally season all of the pieces of pork on all sides. Lay them out in a single layer and pop them in the oven. Roast for about three hours, turning the pieces half way through. When they’re done, the outsides should be mahogany colored and caramelized and the meat should pull apart pretty easily. If using right away, discard the fat and juice that collects in the pan.

This is a great make ahead recipe (I like to store it with the juice and fat then to keep the meat from drying out), and lasts for four to five days in the fridge or freezes for much longer.

Suggested ways to serve it:

-Tacos–just add the shredded meat to tortillas with your favorite taco toppings, i.e. salsa, cheese, avocado, shredded cabbage, black beans

-Lettuce wraps–use bibb or romaine lettuce to wrap pieces of meat along with sliced cucumbers, apple, carrots, or cilantro, dipping in chili crisp, if you like

-Asian burritos—similar to the lettuce wraps, but use flour tortillas and make a quick slaw with cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and apples dressed with sesame oil and rice vinegar and some Bachan’s BBQ sauce

-Serve over rice with any toppings you like for a quick rice bowl

-Pulled pork sandwiches–mix meat with your favorite barbecue sauce and serve on potato buns with bagged slaw or pickles

-As a topping for salad or baked potatoes