This recipe comes from Wetsy’s friend, Cynthia, in Austin. I’ve made it a few times, and I’m always amazed at its versatility. The final shredded product can be served immediately or in different dishes over the next few days, and the flavors are deliciously … delicious.

Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder. To begin, just throw the dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar and brown sugar into a food processor or blender. (I happen to love brown sugar in my cooking, but you can decrease or omit it if you like.) Cut one onion into quarters and put it in the food processor with the spices. Blend mixture until totally combined and then pour it over the pork shoulder. Now rub it into every nook and cranny of the meat, tucking it under folds an in crevices. Let no stone go unturned. Then place the pork into a roasting pan or Dutch oven and add a couple of cups of water. Cover tightly and roast pork at 300º for several hours, turning once every hour. When it is fork tender, crank up the heat, remove the lid, and roast it, skin side up for another 15 to 20 minutes to get the skin crispy. When it’s done, let it rest for 15 minutes before shredding. Shred the pork shoulder (two forks work well). When it’s all shredded be sure to pour the juices all over the meat. Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatillo salsa … whatever makes your skirt fly up!

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Oh my goodness, am I ever in love with pork shoulder. Wait a minute…did I just say that? That I’m in love with pork shoulder? I seriously have to get a life. I know when I was eighteen and living on the golf course and had the whole world ahead of me, I never in a million years could have predicted that I’d one day profess my undying love for pork shoulder. But I have; it’s happened. How very far I’ve fallen.

This recipe comes from Wetsy’s friend, Cynthia, in Austin, who makes this delicious shredded pork for get-togethers with hip Austinites. And it’s not that I’m ever at these said get-togethers with all the other hip Austinites. For one thing, I don’t live anywhere near Austin, so I’m never invited. For another, I probably wouldn’t go anyway because I don’t like to leave my house. It’s a good thing I have my sister to fill me in on all of these delicious dishes. And it’s a good thing Cynthia agreed to share the recipe with me. Thank you, Cynthia. You have the most beautiful wide-set eyes I’ve ever seen. I wish I was of eastern European descent. Either that or Italian. I can’t decide.

Anyway, this pork. I’ve made it a few times, and I’m always amazed at its versatility. The final shredded product can be served immediately or in different dishes over the next few days, and the flavors are deliciously…delicious. I like to serve it with warm flour tortillas, lime wedges, and a combo of pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole…whatever I have lying around.

C’mon…let me show you the magic!

The Cast of Characters: 4 to 7 pound pork shoulder (this is 7-plus), onion, chili powder, brown sugar, garlic, dried oregano, ground cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, olive oil, white wine vinegar, and lime wedges.

I seriously have no idea why there’s a glass of white wine there instead of white wine vinegar. It was a busted synapse in my brain. Or it was the white wine. Sorry. Don’t be like me, okay?





This is a pork shoulder roast. Make friends with it, because it’s a fabulously versatile piece of meat. This one was about $1.49/pound. That’s purty economicable. (Oh, and go ahead and give it a good rinse before we move forward. Go ahead. I’ll wait.)

I really like to rinse pork. It’s a hobby of mine.





This is chili powder, cumin, and brown sugar. Oregano’s around there somewhere, but it didn’t get in the shot. Again…the wine. You can add in/tweak the spices to make it all yours.





To begin, just throw the spices into a food processor or blender. I use 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tspo chili powder, and about 1/4 cup brown sugar. I happen to love brown sugar in my cooking, but you can decrease or omit it if you like. Also: add 3 to 4 peeled garlic cloves to make your kitchen smell divine while it’s cooking.





Quarter 1 whole onion and throw it in…





Add in 1 to 2 tablespoons salt (to taste)…





A bunch of ground black pepper…





A couple of tablespoons white wine vinegar, and tablespoon or two of olive oil—just enough to make it pasty.





Blend mixture until totally combined, then pour it over the pork roast.





Rub it into every nook and cranny of the meat, tucking it under folds and in crevices. Let no stone go unturned.









Place the pork into a roasting pan or dutch oven and add a couple of cups of water. Cover tightly and roast pork at 300 degrees for several hours, turning once every hour.





I roasted mine about six or seven hours, then checked to make sure it was fork tender.

Then I cranked up the heat, removed the lid, and roasted it skin side up for another 15 to 20 minutes to get the skin crispy.

When it’s done, let it rest 15 minutes before shredding…

Then shred away! I like to use two forks.









Cynthia says to serve it with lime wedges. And I do what she says, because she’s eastern European with beautiful wide-set eyes.





Be sure to pour the juices all over the meat.





This’ll make sure it stays moist and tender. And moist. And tender. And moist.





Then I just pile it on a big platter. This stuff is great for a crowd.





Serve the stuff with warm tortillas…









And sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatillo salsa…whatever makes your skirt fly up!





Then repeat after me: Yum. Yum yum yum. Yum. This stuff is really, really delicious. And it makes a ton of meat, so you’ll have leftovers galore for soups, enchiladas, tostadas, sandwiches, etc.

Enjoy, my friends! Soon, you’ll be able to say you’re in love with pork shoulder, too. And that’s sure to make your parents proud.

Love,

Pioneer Woman