Pork Shoulder

[xadrez]

Pork Shoulder with the bone in is one of the cheapest roasts you can find in the supermarket. Its great, simple to make, and leaves a lot of leftovers. One thing the leftover meat can be used for that i love is Cuban Sandwiches. OK heres a simple prep...

Youll need a mortar and pestle, or a food processor. Mash up/process -
1)an entire head of garlic
2)a tablespoon of sea salt for every pound the shoulder weighs.
3)1/2 cup of white vinegar
4)a half cup of olive oil
5)a tablespoon of black pepper
6)a tablespoon of oregano
7)a handful of fresh cilantro or a tbsp of coriander
8)a tablespoon of achiote

Take this mixture and rub it into the meat, and underneath the skin as much as possible. Poke holes in the meat and stuff the sauce into the holes. Do this all over and let it marinate for a day or so.

Bake it in the oven with the skin facing up for about 20 minutes for every pound it weighs (I always eye it so Im not sure of the exact time). If it looks done, and the skin on the top isnt crispy, turn on the broiler for a couple minutes to make it so.

Once its done take it out and let it cool for 15 minutes or so, then carve it.

I like to serve it with yellow rice and beans and tostones (green plantains). Ill post the recipe for those later on, along with a recipe for cuban sandwiches if theres interest. Enjoy.

[xadrez]

If you make this dish, the leftover meat can be used to make delicious cuban sandwiches. Additionally, youll need

-1 baguette or long italian bread
-about a half pound of regular deli sliced ham
-about a half pound of swiss cheese
-dill pickles, sliced into long thin pieces

1)Slice the bread length wise into 2 long pieces
2)If you have some of the marinade left over unused from preparing the shoulder great, spread that all over the inside of the loaf of bread. If not, quickly prepare a sauce using serveral cloves of garlic, white vinegar, oil, a pinch coriander, cumin and oregano, mashed up in a mortar and pestle or chopped in a food processor.
3)Layer the swiss cheese, leftover pork, and ham on the bread and close the sandwich.
4)Using aluminum foil, wrap the whole baguette up tightly and place it on top of a baking sheet.
5)Take another baking sheet and place this on topside of the sandwich and press it down a bit without tearing the foil.
6)Preheat the over to about 375 and place the whole thing in the oven.
7)Find a heavy cast iron skillet or a heavy oven safe pot (like a le creuset), and place it on top of baking sheet, pressing the sandwich down. The heavier the better; in my case I have a large heavy pizza making ceramic thing which I use in addition to the skillet.

Generally, the sandwich will be nice and toasted and flat within about 35 minutes. If you open the oven and hear the cheese sizzling after around this time its usually done. Eye it to ensure the bread has flattened somewhat. Another thing, make sure the two baking sheets ensconsing the sandwich are positioned with their lips facing in the same direction, otherwise there will be no room for them to sink down and press the sandwhich.