Pork Shoulder in the Slow Cooker

Typically I would prepare a pork shoulder roast on the grill - indirect heat with apple and hickory wood chunks for smoke. Investing the better part of a day to this effort is not something I mind, but once in awhile I have wondered whether there’s an alternative.

Hold that thought.

A couple of months ago we were treated to an evening at a local Cuban restaurant where we had one of the most delicious pork roast dishes ever. Slow roasted, apparently, and with a hint of citrus and spice. Kind of a Caribbean flair with just a hint of heat. Very succulent. Nice. Paired with some “mango-thingy”, rice and a salad, it was an evening we decided we’d go for again. Oh, and beer.

Now hold that thought.

For my birthday (can’t tell you how many it was or I’d have to shoot myself) Jenny sent me a grab bag of goodies from Charleston, SC that included a Jerk Spice packet. It was the “mild” version but, notably, included salt, allspice, paprika, red chili flakes, dried onion, cayenne, thyme, cinnamon (mon), nutmeg and celery seeds. Now go look in your pantry or spice drawer - you’ve got that stuff, right? Got light brown sugar and some orange juice? An onion?

If you add a 5 or 6 pound pork shoulder roast (you know, the kind you would spend all day smoking on the grill) you got all it takes to re-create Havana (might add a cigar and some rum to the room for atmosphere).

The shopping/prep list is:

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered

4 medium carrots sliced roughly on the diagonal

6 pound pork shoulder roast (bone-in or not)

Jerk seasoning - dry (about 2 tablespoons)

½ cup orange juice

½ cup water

Peel and slice onions into quarters and four carrots into pieces and drop them into a slow cooker. Add a half cup each of orange juice and water. Lightly pat a mix of the jerk seasoning onto all surfaces of the pork roast and place the pork over the onions. Cover the fat side with light brown sugar. Cover and cook (fat side up) on low for as long as you want. I did mine for 7 hours, turned the slow cooker to “simmer” and left it overnight. So it was working for around 14 hours by the time I turned it off at 5:30 this morning.

Here it is:

You’ll have to come up with the “mango-thingy” on your own, but this will work if you have limited time, a good appetite and a slow cooker. Trust me, I’m a docta - well, actually a Chief.

As a side note - we can’t use a whole Boston Butt (aka pork shoulder roast) around here unless there is company coming. I buy them at about the typical size of 7-8 pounds and butcher them into halves and freeze them. A “half” will thaw in about 6 hours at room temperature and be ready to go at that point. Ask your butcher at the grocery store to help and he/she will do the rest. I like saving money, though.

Peach, actually.

Hope I am not endorsing a product - and if I am it is without compensation (an issue that needs attention) - but, here is an endorsement:

I have been using a Kroger's brand of cereal called 100% Natural Cereal (very creative isn't it?) with oats, raisins and honey.  On the back of the package is a recipe for "Apple Crumble".  I tried it and we found it to be delicious.  Very easy to prepare.

I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe though even the first time around - usually, I'd give a recipe enough credit to do it verbatum the first time and then add my flair or preferences the second time though.  But, I did it my way.  Here's the recipe Kroger's way with my changes noted beside the original listing:

5 tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (I used 4 Granny Smith apples)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons grated orange peel (used one large navel orange)
1 1/2 cups cereal
1/2 cup flour (all purpose)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
1/2 cup butter or margarine softened (obviously you want butter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl place sliced apples; sprinkle with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and orange peel.  In a medium bowl combine cereal, flour, brown sugar, and butter; stir together until crumbly.  Place apples in 9 inch baking pan (how about a 9" deep-dish casserole dish that you have greased lightly with butter - "deep" as in at least 4" tall), sprinkle with cereal mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes to 35 minutes or until golden brown.  Yields 6 servings (not really - try 4 nice ones).

Here's another tweak:  Follow the same recipe but use 4 peaches, skinned, pitted and thinly sliced.  Thinly sliced is a key to both these recipes (about 1/8 inch thin or even less if you can do it without carving up your fingers.  A mandolin (not the one you play like a guitar) would help.  Skip the orange peel and use a shot glass full of good orange juice, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 3/4 cup of light brown sugar and no refined white sugar.

Both turn out a very delicious fruit dessert -- cobbler-style.  Could have added a scoop of ice cream for added calories.  I liked it as is.  We eat the cereal anyway and I discovered this on the back of the package ... admit it, you read cereal boxes too!  In my groggy morning state, its all the reading depth I can muster.