A Pretty Piece of Pork – Garlic-Studded, Herb-Rubbed and Perfectly Miscooked

One of the best things about understanding the best ways to cook something is the freedom to ignore them. This incredible garlic-studded, herb-rubbed, roasted pork shoulder recipe is a great example of how you can be rewarded for doing something "the wrong" way.

For cooking pork shoulder, I usually preach slowly roasting, covered, using low heat and long cooking times. The results are moist, falling apart, fork-tender succulence. Here, I wanted to play with textures a bit.

My plan was a bowl of simply prepared white beans, topped with a garlicky, crisp-edged, firm, pleasantly chewy pork, which would be then be topped with a sharp, vinegared cherry tomato and baby romaine chiffonade salad.

I wanted to concentrate the flavors of the pork and make up for any loss of moisture by pairing it with the soft beans and juicy greens. So, I cooked the pork uncovered and at a higher temperature than usual. After chilling overnight, I sliced it into thick steaks and browned them well, in olive oil.

The cold, sour salad was a perfect condiment for the rich meat and every bite of this garlic-scented pork was a joy. I hope you give the recipe a try -- I think this would make for a wonderful, end-of-summer meal. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
3 1/2 lb pork shoulder roast
6 cloves garlic, halved
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
1 tsp dried rosemary
cayenne to taste
cooked white beans
handful of baby romaine
handful of cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp red wine vinegar