The Dr. called it dedication to my meat. When a friend asked me if I was interested in going out on Saturday, I had to decline. I said I was going to be busy smoking and roasting an eight-pound pork shoulder. I don’t know why that sounds funny, but it does, because I think I’ve come a long way from cooking small dishes. Now I’m roasting a part of a pig with a bone as large as my arm. What’s even funnier is that my friend reacted nonchalantly because I know she’s heard something similar from me before. I don’t think I can say anything anymore that would surprise the people who know me so well.

The recipe looked easy enough. It’s from an article written by Dana Bowen in The Times. All I had to do was buy a tin can of hickory-wood smoking chips from Zabar’s uptown and a large piece of pork from Bayard Meat Market that fit in my tote bag. I love my barbeque, I really do, and if I can produce a good version at home, I’ll be happy. Almost six hours later, I was; the entire family was. Serve with toasted rolls and of course, pickled scotch bonnet peppers.

Ingredients:
1 8-pound pork shoulder, bone-in
3 tbsps of hickory-wood smoking chips
2 cups of cider vinegar
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
salt and pepper

1. Massage pork with salt and pepper. Scatter the smoking chips at the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the pork on a rack and then on the roasting pan. Cover with two long pieces of aluminum foil, folding them together tightly and forming a closed tent. Make sure there is room for the smoke to circulate between the pork and the foil. Place on stovetop and turn on the heat to medium and smoke pork for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
2. While pork is smoking, preheat oven to 300º. Whisk the rest of the ingredients in a bowl to make sauce. Season to taste, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Uncover the roasting pan and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 40 minutes per pound, or about 4 hours, turning the pork over every hour until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pork reads 190º.
4. Remove pork from the oven and rest on a large cutting board for 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. While still warm, pull meat away from bones and shred chunks of meat into long strands into a bowl. Chop crustier bits into smaller pieces and add to the bowl. Season with some of the sauce and mix well.

Related post/s:
Smoking with Chicken
Match with pickled scotch bonnet peppers
Where to buy hickory-wood smoking chips

The couple of days we had TV access while in Nicaragua, I watched a few shows that originally air in the South Pacific. Surfing the Menu features two hot boys who travel, surf and cook. I saw the episode shot in Otago and Canterbury in New Zealand where they roasted pork ribs on the bone. I scribbled on the back of my printed itinerary and promised the Dr. that I will make them for him when we return to the city.

Back in Manhattan, I stopped by the Bayard Meat Market in Chinatown and bought two racks of pork ribs for about $10 to keep my promise. The result? Succulent pork ribs good for four people and even better with pickled scotch bonnet peppers.

Ingredients:
2 racks of pork ribs
2 lemongrass stalks, smashed, 1 stalk sliced in an angle and in small pieces
5 cloves ginger, minced
a small knob of ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
a small bunch of thyme
peanut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbsps hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper

1. Marinate the roast. Rub the roast with salt and pepper. Make small incisions all over the roast using a small knife and insert the garlic, ginger and lemongrass slivers in them. Rub the roast in peanut oil and place it in large glass pan with leftover ginger, lemongrass, garlic and the thyme. Marinate overnight.
2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven at 350º. Take the roast out and let sit in room temperature while making the baste. In a bowl, mix maple syrup, hoisin sauce and honey. Set aside.
3. Place the roast, bone side down, in a large roasting tray, and roast for about 20 minutes, turning over halfway. Using the other lemongrass stalk as a brush, baste every few minutes. Cook until you can insert a knife in the roast and the liquid that comes out is clear.

Related post/s:
Pickled Scotch Bonnet peppers
Two racks of pork ribs for less