| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons red Hawaiian sea salt or kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder or Boston pork butt
- 1/4 cup canola oil, divided
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 (3-inch) piece ginger, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
Instructions
- Special Equipment: Butcher’s twine
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, Hawaiian salt, paprika, cumin, coriander and black pepper.
- Cut the pork into 4 equal portions, then tie each cut with some butcher’s twine. Lightly sprinkle each piece with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear each cut of pork on all sides, then transfer them to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the same pot along with the onions, ginger, and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Pour in the pineapple juice and chicken stock and return the pork to the pot. Cover put the pot into the oven to braise until the pork is fork tender, about for 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove the pork from the Dutch oven and arrange the pieces on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each piece with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mixture and put them under a low broiler until their tops are brown and crisp but not burned, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pork to a serving platter and serve with a drizzle of braising liquid.
- Serve the pork with the Mashed Parsnips and Celery Root, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 642 |
| Total Fat | 46 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 124 mg |
| Sodium | 976 mg |
Reviews
Excellent and easy dish to make. Even my picky 1st grader and preschooler asked for seconds which rarely if ever happens! I used a 2-pound boneless pork shoulder. Based on some reviewers’ comments about needing more salt, I seasoned the pork chunks with kosher salt before I seasoned with the spices. I also didn’t have coriander so I used tarragon. I seared the pork over medium-high heat (the medium setting wasn’t hot enough on my electric stove). Also used homemade chicken broth because it’s what I had. Served with some sides: steamed white rice, cabbage braised in vegetable stock, and pineapple bread stuffing (thanks to another reviewer’s suggestion). Super super delish. Thanks Brian!
This has been the most delicious and unique pork dish I have made. My family and guests loved it. Very tender. We dd not have the parsnip and celery root for the mashed parsnip and celery root side dish, but we followed the recipe with potatoes and was very good. I will try again with the recommended main ingredients. Update since last review in 2012 …it is 2021 still making it! Never fails and have made the parsnip mash 5 stars as well
It was better when I added cilantro
I don’t normally do reviews, but this recipe is so outstanding it would have been wrong not to. It’s simply the best recipe using Boston pork butt I’ve ever cooked, hands down. The pork was succulent, tender, flavorful beyond my expectations. And this recipe is amazingly easy to cook! Prep time is less than 15 minutes, the rest is done in the oven. And bonus, the low heat doesn’t make the kitchen unbearably hot during the summer. I used a 3 lb pork butt cut into about 6 pieces, doubled the seasonings to cover it all, kept everything else the same. The tip with the twine really helps since otherwise the meat will fall apart, it’s so tender. I am absolutely making this one again and again.
This was amazing and super easy. I used a 2.5 lb. pork shoulder already tied and did not cut it into smaller pieces. I did not have fresh Ginger, so I substituted about a teaspoon of ground ginger. In the last 30 minutes I added baby carrots to the braising liquid. The canned pineapple juice with a few added chunks worked well too. Served with mashed potatoes. The kids and adults loved it! Yummy!
Fantastic and easy. Cooked it in the oven before our guests arrived, then kept it covered and warm so I just had to broil it when they were here. Got the pineapple juice from a can of pineapples which yielded exactly a cup. seared the pineapple chunks and threw them in risotto, which I served the pork over. Making it again tonight!
Great recipe! I just made it tonight. Since I had to use pineapple juice, I threw in pineapple chunks too, which was totally worth it. I pulled them out of the sauce along w/the meat, sprinkled all of it with the remaining spice rub and broiled it all together. It was a hit. Thank you!
A keeper for sure! I skip the coriander and cumin and rank up the S&P. I usually roast half a shoulder for a family of 4. The butcher gladly cuts and packages it for me. Try it with the following recipe for pineapple stuffing. Sounds different, but is out of this world! PS: Brian, love absolutely all of your recipes!
PINEAPPLE STUFFING
5 cups King’s Hawaiian bread, cubed
1/4 cup butter, room temp.
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and crushed pineapple on low just until combined. Fold in bread. Pour into greased 8×8 glass pan. Bake uncovered one hour at 350. For a larger serving, 1 ½ this recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan.
I tried this recipe today; was expecting more flavor from the meat, but something was missing. Maybe not enough salt to my liking. However, the sauce was yummy and I loved the pinneaple flavor that went along with the meal. Overall, it was a good recipe; but if I make it again, I would make a few changes. Maybe salt and pepper the meat separately from the mixture; and leave out the cumin.
This was easy and yummy and I had everything in the pantry.