boneless pork shoulder

This recipe takes a good deal of time, but it yields a lot of sandwiches, more than enough for a sloppy, spicy dinner party feast. You’ll roast a dry-rubbed pork shoulder in the oven until it’s pull-apart tender, 3 or 4 hours that you can spend doing other things while your kitchen fills with the aroma of the cooking meat. Then you’ll assemble a quick slaw and simmer a tangy barbecue sauce for about 10 minutes before putting it all out on the table with soft rolls. Serve the combination warm, at any time of the year, for a weekend project well worth an afternoon’s work.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

coriander seed

whole cumin seed

black peppercorns

coarse kosher salt

dry mustard powder

chile powder

dark brown sugar

pork shoulder

Hamburger or brioche buns,

ketchup

molasses

garlic

cider vinegar

Worcestershire sauce

paprika

black pepper

cayenne

sauce,

red onion, thinly sliced

large jalapeño, seeded if desired, thinly sliced

mayonnaise

olive oil

Black pepper

Assemble the spice rub for the pork: In a dry, small skillet over medium-low heat, toast coriander, cumin and peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind toasted spices into a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and mix with salt, mustard powder, chile powder and sugar.

If your roast is tied up, untie it. Massage meat generously with spice rub. If you have time, let meat rest for an hour or two at room temperature, or refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place pork in a baking pan and roast for 3 to 4 hours or until meat is pull-apart tender and internal temperature reads 200 degrees on a meat thermometer. Let meat cool for at least 30 minutes before pulling it apart and shredding with your hands or two forks. (This works best when the meat is warm but not hot.)

Prepare the barbecue sauce: Combine ingredients in a medium pot. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has deepened in color. Season with more hot sauce if you like. Add two-thirds of the sauce to meat and toss to coat, adding more sauce as needed. (Any leftover sauce will keep for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.)

Make the slaw: Combine cabbage, onion and jalapeño in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add dressing to cabbage and toss well.

Serve pulled pork with slaw, buns and hot sauce on the side, letting people assemble their own sandwiches.

Melissa Clark demonstrates a way to make tender pulled pork slathered in a tangy barbecue sauce for a smaller crowd.

Small-Batch Pulled Pork

Imbued with spices that char at high heat, this aromatic pork recipe is a snap to throw together — exactly what you want for a night of summer grilling. If you’re got wooden skewers, don’t forget to soak them in water for an hour before grilling, so they don’t flare up. And if you’re broiling and you don’t want to bother with skewers at all, just spread the pork cubes out on a rimmed sheet pan, turning them halfway through cooking with tongs or a spatula. The pork is excellent served with pita or crusty bread or a rice pilaf, or simple grilled corn on the cob.

Spicy Grilled Pork With Fennel, Cumin and Red Onion

pork shoulder,

Kosher salt

cilantro

fish sauce

garlic cloves,

jalapeño

honey

fennel seeds

cumin seeds

coriander seeds

red onion, sliced,

Season pork lightly with kosher salt and put it in a bowl or resealable bag.

Juice the lime into a blender or food processor and add cilantro, fish sauce, garlic, jalapeño and honey. Blend until the jalapeño and garlic are puréed, then add fennel, cumin, coriander seeds and pulse four or five times to bruise the spices and mix them in.

Pour mixture over the pork, tossing to coat the pieces. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you heat the grill, or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, heat the grill or broiler with a rack positioned 4 inches from the heat source.

Thread the pork onto skewers, leaving a little space between cubes. Grill over the highest heat possible, or broil on high, for 2 to 5 minutes, then flip the skewers and continue cooking until the meat is browned all over and charred in spots. It should be just cooked through: A little pink is OK, but there shouldn’t be any red spots.

Serve the pork with cilantro sprigs and onion slices on top, and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

This recipe, an adaptation from “The Hakka Cookbook” by Linda Lau Anusasananan, came to The Times by way of Mark Bittman in 2013. The Hakka people are sometimes thought of as the Jews of China, because they’re dispersed all over the place. But the Hakkas cannot even point to an original homeland: you can find them everywhere. “Some people call us dandelions, because we thrive in poor soil,” says Ms. Anusasananan, who was born in California. Hakka dishes like this one, chow mein and pretty much anything in bean sauce, have defined Chinese-restaurant cooking for nearly everyone. This lively stir-fry comes together in about a half-hour and is easily doubled or tripled for a crowd. To make it more family- and weeknight-friendly, substitute sliced bell peppers for the fungus and canned pineapple for the fresh, and leave out (or greatly reduce) the chile peppers.

Stir-Fried Pork and Pineapple

soy sauce

vegetable oil

cornstarch

rice vinegar

sugar

salt

black fungus,

scallions, including green tops

ginger

pineapple,

For the pork: Cut the pork into slices
1/8 inch thick, 2 inches long and
1 inch wide. In a small bowl, stir together
the soy sauce, oil and cornstarch,
and mix with the pork.

For the sauce: In a small bowl mix the
vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and salt.

For the Pork

Rinse the fungus. In
a medium bowl, soak the fungus in
hot water until soft and pliable, 5 to 15
minutes, and then drain. Pinch out
and discard any hard, knobby centers.
Cut the fungus into 1-inch pieces.
Trim the ends off the scallions, and then
chop them, including green tops, into
2-inch lengths.

Set a wok or a large frying pan over
high heat. When the pan is hot, after
about 1 minute, add the oil and rotate
the pan to spread. Add the ginger
and pork; stir-fry until the meat is lightly
browned, about 2 minutes. Add the
pineapple, black fungus, sauce
mixture, scallions and chile. Stir-fry until
pineapple is hot, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer to a serving dish.

For the Stir-Fry

This is party eating — and still easy enough to pull off for dinner whenever you want. Saucy and satisfying, it’s the type of dish that feels festive. Pulled pork from the American South ranges in styles, but usually balances the natural sweetness of the meat, slowly cooked until it slouches into tenderness, with tanginess and spice. Here, ground and whole dried chiles season the meat and blend into a sauce with fruity complexity and mild heat. The preparation is as inspired by <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016087-pulled-pork">barbecue pulled pork</a> as it is by <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021732-carne-con-chile-rojo-chuck-braised-in-chile">carne con chile rojo</a>. That means that the glossy hunks and slivers of meat taste as good piled into buns as they do over rice or stuffed into tortillas.

Pulled Pork

ground chipotle or other hot ground chile

onion powder

garlic powder

smoked paprika

Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

(4-pound) boneless pork butt

onion,

neutral oil,

guajillo chiles (2 to 3 ounces)

white vinegar,

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, chipotle, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. If the pork came tied, untie it and unroll it. If it has a thick layer of fat, score the fat with a sharp knife. Rub the spice mixture all over the meat.

If you’d like to marinate the meat, place the pork fat side up in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot if the pot can fit in your refrigerator and cover. Or place the meat in a bowl and cover it, or set it in a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate to marinate for as much time as you have, preferably overnight (and up to 1 full day).

If you’d like to give your meat a smoky flavor, you can smoke it for an hour or so in a charcoal grill <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/7-how-to-grill">set up for indirect grilling</a> with wood chips strewn over the coals. Then, transfer it to a Dutch oven or pot, cover and bake as directed below.

If you’re not smoking your meat, you can cook it in the oven from start to finish. About 4 hours before you want to eat, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Take the pork out of the refrigerator and let stand while the oven heats. Uncover the meat. Set it fat side up, transferring it to a Dutch oven or pot if needed. Scatter the onion around the meat and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle the oil all over the meat and onion.

Roast until the onion browns and the pork fat crackles a bit, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, snap the stems off the chiles and discard them, then snap the chiles in half. Shake out their seeds and discard them.

Drop the chiles on top of the onion. Add 2 1/2 cups water, cover the pot and reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Cook until the meat is tender enough to fall apart when speared with a fork, about 3 1/2 hours.

Transfer the pork to a sheet pan. If you’d like the meat to have crispy charred bits, heat the broiler. Broil the pork until deeply browned in spots but try not to burn it. It will still be very tasty if you skip this broiling step. While the pork broils or rests, stir the vinegar into the hot cooking liquid in the pot. If you’d like, you can skim the fat off the surface of the cooking liquid. Transfer everything in the pot to a blender and blend until very smooth. Taste and add more sugar, vinegar and salt, if you’d like.

Slide the pork back into the pot and shred with two forks. Pour enough of the sauce over the meat to evenly coat and stir to combine. If the mixture has cooled, heat it over low until simmering. Serve hot, with any extra sauce on the side. This dish keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat, stirring now and then, in a microwave or over medium-low heat on the stovetop.

Boneless pork shoulder is an affordable cut of meat that you may not have considered cooking in the Ninja Foodi Grill or air fryer. A hard-working muscle, the pork shoulder is full of flavor. Slow roasting pork shoulder is key to making the meat tender. If you&#x27;re looking for a delicious meal that takes very little effort to make give this boneless pork shoulder recipe a try in the air fryer or Ninja Foodi Grill. You won&#x27;t be disappointed!

Ninja Foodi Pork Shoulder Recipe

pork shoulder (about 5 pounds)

pork rub

Rinse the pork shoulder under cold water and pat dry

Season all sides of the pork shoulder with your favorite bbq or pork rub.

Place the pork shoulder in a zip-top bag and allow the spices to dry brine or marinate the pork in the refrigerator for up to two days (optional)

Place the pork shoulder inside of the air-fry basket fat side down

Re-season any areas where seasoning has fallen off (optional)

Find one of the thickest parts of the pork shoulder and insert the thermometer probe into the center of that area so that it gets an accurate reading

Preheat your Ninja Foodi Grill to 225F on the roast setting

When the Ninja Foodi Grill is preheated place the pork shoulder and basket inside of the grill

Insert the other end of the probe into its receiver in the Ninja Foodi Grill and set the temperature to 200F

When the pork shoulder reaches an internal temperature of 115F flip the meat so the fat side is up

Continue roasting until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200F

Remove the pork shoulder from the Ninja Foodi Grill and allow it to rest covered with foil for 10-15 minutes before slicing

A 100% delicious and authentic (award-winning) Tacos al Pastor recipe right from the heart of Mexico. If you've never made your own at home, now is the time.  For this recipe, we marinate boneless pork butt (or shoulder) in a tangy, spicy, traditional al Pastor sauce of guajillo peppers, achiote paste, vinegar, pineapple juice, and spices. The pork is layered with onions and fresh pineapple slices and cooked until its edges are crispy. Plus, we share a few ways you can cook this recipe at home without a trompo (vertical spit) and share with you everything we learned so you can make the very best Tacos al Pastor at home

How to Make Delicious Tacos al Pastor at Home

pork

pineapple

fresh cilantro, washed and chopped

corn tortillas

recipe of al Pastor Sauce (below)

achiote paste (30 grams)

white vinegar

Mexican oregano (use Italian if you don’t have Mexican)

cumin

kosher salt

black pepper (about 25 turns on a pepper mill)

cloves

garlic powder (optional but recommended)

onion powder (optional but recommended)

Reconstitute the dried peppers. Add the peppers to a saucepot and cover them with water and bring the heat to a boil, reduce and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft. Strain them and allow them to cool while you measure out the al Pastor sauce ingredients.

Make the al Pastor sauce. Add all of the al Pastor sauce ingredients and the slightly cooled peppers to the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer (placed over a large mixing bowl or casserole dish) to create a smooth cohesive sauce. Add salt to taste (if needed) and set aside while you prep the pork. 

Prep the pork. Sprinkle the pork butt slices with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Add the slices of meat directly to the al Pastor sauce and turn them over to coat each piece of meat well. Marinate the meat for at least four hours (or up to overnight which is always tastier).

Cook the pork. Here are 4 good and easy options we recommend (plus one bad option) for cooking al Pastor pork at home:

Pan-sear the pork in a preheated cast-iron skillet. Remove excess marinade from the pork (otherwise the meat will stick to the pan when you cook it). Slice the meat and pineapple into thin slices. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a heavy-gauged skillet or wok. Just as it starts to smoke, working in batches, add the pork along with a little onion and pineapple and cook for a total of about 12-15 minutes, tossing occasionally to keep the meat from sticking to the skillet and to allow for even crisping. Remove from the skillet and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining pork, onions, and pineapple. *Do not overcrowd the skillet and do not move the meat after it first hits the pan. Allow the mixture to sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat before tossing the meat cooking until golden brown and crispy.

Grill the pork. Place the pork steaks, onions, and pineapple slices directly onto a preheated grill and allow them to cook until the meat is crispy and sizzling and the onions and pineapple are caramelized. Remove them from the grill and allow them to rest for 4 to 5 minutes, slice them into thin strips, and serve immediately.

Cook the pork in a countertop rotisserie. Stake the meat, pineapples, and onions. Start with a slice of pineapple, add 3 to 4 slices of meat, a layer of onions, more meat, and a slice of pineapple and repeat all of the layers until no meat remains, ending with a slice of pineapple on top. Allow any excess marinade to drip off for about 20 minutes before starting the timer and cooking. Shave the meat off in thin slices and add them directly to a preheated skillet to crisp up even more to your liking and serve immediately.

Cook the pork steaks under a preheated broiler. Cut the meat into kebab-sized pieces, alternate the meat, pineapple, and onion slices on metal or (soaked) wooden skewers, and place them onto an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the kebabs under a preheated broiler for about 20 minutes rotating them 2 to 4 times while cooking to get even crisping on all sides. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or remove from the skewers and slice the meat into smaller strips before serving. 

Roast the pork in a vertical stack in your oven (NOT RECOMMENDED). Stake the meat, pineapples, and onions. Start with a slice of pineapple, add 3 to 4 slices of meat, a layer of onions, more meat, and a slice of pineapple and repeat all of the layers until no meat remains, ending with a slice of pineapple on top. Get ready for the mountain of al Pastor pork to start leaning like the Tower of Pisa. You can avoid this by making 2 smaller (shorter) stacks and roasting them side-by-side on a sheet pan. However, you will still have to shave the meat and pan-sear it after it roasts. So, although it looks really delicious and fun, it&#8217;s not a practical way to cook tacos al Pastor at home in our opinion. Roast in a preheated oven 350°F/180C for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat in the middle is cooked through.

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Top 6 boneless pork shoulder recipes from across the web

The most viewed boneless pork shoulder recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Spicy Grilled Pork With Fennel, Cum...

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Ninja Foodi Pork Shoulder Recipe

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The most viewed boneless pork shoulder recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine