PORK SHOULDER BUTT
Pork is one of the most commonly consumed meats in the world and we're always down for a good pork dinner. But there are many cuts to choose from, some better known than others, even just at your neighborhood grocery store. Why not learn to navigate the world of pork beyond the chop?
Today I went to a butcher store to look for a cut from an animal, I wanted to know what was one of the most popular cut at that market.
EXPERIENCE
Today I went to a butcher store to look for a cut from an animal, I wanted to know what was one of the most popular cut at that market.
The market place is called "Ellas meat market and deli" the address is 674 Pape Avenue, it's just down of Pape and Danforth. It is a pretty clean place, where they have so many different kind of meats, and the costumer service is high class.
I went in and started to talk with this guy Marcus (such a really kind guy), I asked him what he would recommend me?. And he told me Pork and the shoulder butt part, I asked him why this is one of the best cut and less expensive? "It has a lot of fat and meat" he replied me.
The recipe that he told me was a sandwich, he was like this pork shoulder butt is excellent to do it with a sandwich!
Side note: Why is this cut sometimes called “pork butt” when it doesn’t come from the actual rear end? “The word butt has its roots in old English, which is a quasi Germanic language, and butt means ‘the widest part,’” says Mylan. “On a pig, the widest part is the shoulder, not its actual ass. And that’s why it’s called the butt.”
METHODS TO COOK
Shoulder: Cuts from the upper portion of the shoulder (called the blade shoulder) are well marbled with fat and contain a lot of connective tissue, making them ideal candidates for slow-cooking methods like braising, stewing, or barbecuing. Cuts from the arm, or picnic shoulder, are a bit more economical than those from the blade area but are otherwise quite similar.
Typically, pork shoulder cooking methods use slow, gradual cooking to create a tender, juicy, "meat falls off the bone" piece of pork. Regardless of the cooking method, this versatile cut of meat can serve as a main course, be "pulled" for sandwiches, or offered alongside summer barbecue fare.
RECIPE (Roast Pork Shoulder Sandwiches with Fennel Slaw)
Ingredients
3 1/2 to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder
Coarse black pepper
Sea salt
1 bulb garlic, chopped
5 to 6 sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
EVOO, for liberal drizzling, plus about 1/4 cup
4 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
1 cup dry white wine
1 round tablespoon superfine sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons white balsamic or white wine vinegar
8 ounces cabbage, very thinly sliced or sliced on a mandoline
1 bulb fennel, very thinly sliced or sliced on a mandolin, plus a handful of fronds
4 ciabatta or other crusty sandwich/sub rolls (wrap in plastic if you are not serving that day, then crisp in oven to use)
Special equipment: kit
STEPS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Have the butcher butterfly the meat for you or take a very sharp knife and split the shoulder open and across the meat, opening the shoulder like a book, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Heavily sprinkle the meat with lots of pepper and sea salt, garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds. Roll the meat up and tie with twine. Slather with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dress the onions with EVOO, salt and pepper and scatter across a baking pan. Set the meat on top and roast 1 hour.
Douse the pan with the wine and return to the oven. Roast another 1 to 1 1/2 hours to 145 to 150 degrees F internal temperature. Let stand 15 minutes, and then slice and serve. Or, cool to room temp, cover and store. To serve after storing, slice 1-inch thick pieces and reheat in shallow pan of warm chicken stock to heat through.
While the meat cooks, combine the sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper and about 1/4 cup EVOO. Toss the cabbage and fennel and fronds in the dressing.
To serve, slice the meat, pile on rolls with warm onions and cold fennel slaw on top
Pork is one of the most commonly consumed meats in the world and we're always down for a good pork dinner. But there are many cuts to choose from, some better known than others, even just at your neighborhood grocery store. Why not learn to navigate the world of pork beyond the chop?
Today I went to a butcher store to look for a cut from an animal, I wanted to know what was one of the most popular cut at that market.
EXPERIENCE
Today I went to a butcher store to look for a cut from an animal, I wanted to know what was one of the most popular cut at that market.
The market place is called "Ellas meat market and deli" the address is 674 Pape Avenue, it's just down of Pape and Danforth. It is a pretty clean place, where they have so many different kind of meats, and the costumer service is high class.
I went in and started to talk with this guy Marcus (such a really kind guy), I asked him what he would recommend me?. And he told me Pork and the shoulder butt part, I asked him why this is one of the best cut and less expensive? "It has a lot of fat and meat" he replied me.
The recipe that he told me was a sandwich, he was like this pork shoulder butt is excellent to do it with a sandwich!
Side note: Why is this cut sometimes called “pork butt” when it doesn’t come from the actual rear end? “The word butt has its roots in old English, which is a quasi Germanic language, and butt means ‘the widest part,’” says Mylan. “On a pig, the widest part is the shoulder, not its actual ass. And that’s why it’s called the butt.”
METHODS TO COOK
Shoulder: Cuts from the upper portion of the shoulder (called the blade shoulder) are well marbled with fat and contain a lot of connective tissue, making them ideal candidates for slow-cooking methods like braising, stewing, or barbecuing. Cuts from the arm, or picnic shoulder, are a bit more economical than those from the blade area but are otherwise quite similar.
Typically, pork shoulder cooking methods use slow, gradual cooking to create a tender, juicy, "meat falls off the bone" piece of pork. Regardless of the cooking method, this versatile cut of meat can serve as a main course, be "pulled" for sandwiches, or offered alongside summer barbecue fare.
RECIPE (Roast Pork Shoulder Sandwiches with Fennel Slaw)
Ingredients
3 1/2 to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder
Coarse black pepper
Sea salt
1 bulb garlic, chopped
5 to 6 sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
EVOO, for liberal drizzling, plus about 1/4 cup
4 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
1 cup dry white wine
1 round tablespoon superfine sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons white balsamic or white wine vinegar
8 ounces cabbage, very thinly sliced or sliced on a mandoline
1 bulb fennel, very thinly sliced or sliced on a mandolin, plus a handful of fronds
4 ciabatta or other crusty sandwich/sub rolls (wrap in plastic if you are not serving that day, then crisp in oven to use)
Special equipment: kit
STEPS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Have the butcher butterfly the meat for you or take a very sharp knife and split the shoulder open and across the meat, opening the shoulder like a book, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Heavily sprinkle the meat with lots of pepper and sea salt, garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds. Roll the meat up and tie with twine. Slather with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dress the onions with EVOO, salt and pepper and scatter across a baking pan. Set the meat on top and roast 1 hour.
Douse the pan with the wine and return to the oven. Roast another 1 to 1 1/2 hours to 145 to 150 degrees F internal temperature. Let stand 15 minutes, and then slice and serve. Or, cool to room temp, cover and store. To serve after storing, slice 1-inch thick pieces and reheat in shallow pan of warm chicken stock to heat through.
While the meat cooks, combine the sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper and about 1/4 cup EVOO. Toss the cabbage and fennel and fronds in the dressing.
To serve, slice the meat, pile on rolls with warm onions and cold fennel slaw on top