Pork Shoulder Blade Roast - Slow Cooked Heaven

Time for another lesson from your host, the Food and Drink Man, and tonight's lesson, pork(oh what a surprise)! Tonight we are going to talk about a very popular cut, the shoulder blade however you may not realize how popular it really is. The shoulder blade is my favorite cut for several reasons:

1. Cost - Usually one of the lower priced cuts of pork, I usually pay about $15 for a 9lb roast
2. Taste - Very flavorful due to extensive marbling, should be cooked low and slow
3. Simple - Great cut for slow cookers, can cook all day while you work
4. Versatile - Throw it in a slow cooker, pop it in the oven or slowly smoke it for hours

The majority of my exposure to pork shoulder was through barbecue, but it is used by almost every food culture. In fact, my favorite version, carnitas originated in Mexico and I used this very style with this roast, but this post is not about carnitas so I will stop there! This cut is very popular in street food too, but you may not realize it.

Sausage - I am going to have to blame Anthony Bourdain again on this one. Something about grinding pork and putting it in a tube that just seems right! Okay, so some may not appreciate that imagery as much as others but when properly seasoned, sausage can have some of the most amazing flavors. So many different varieties, but I bet you did not know that most of it comes from the shoulder blade.

Gyros - Yes, believe it or not but the pork version of gyros is often made with shoulder blade steaks. Stacked on a vertical rotisserie, gravity does the work basting everything in delicious pork goodness! Shave a bit off into a pita, yogurt, onions, peppers and olives. A bit of feta cheese, the ultimate street food!

Tacos - I already touched on carnitas, which is shredded pork shoulder. You will also find tacos made with shaved pork, using shoulder blade steaks roasting on a spit. Filled with a bit of avocado, tomato and cilantro and then topped with queso fresco. Sounds like a great snack to me!

Sandwiches - This is where I first got my start, pulled pork sandwiches. The ultimate in delicious, pulled pork starts as a shoulder blade roast which is slow cooked for hours until the meat can be "pulled" by hand. The meat is pulled and mixed with a house made sauce, put on a bun and topped with coleslaw. Oh sweet comfort.

That picture is meat mountain, taken after shredding the roast. Most beautiful mountain I have ever seen! The roast was slow cooked at 200 F for 12 hours, if using a pot or a slow cooker, do not add any liquid, there is more than enough in the meat itself, trust me on this one. After I shredded the meat, I mixed it back with all the juices from the cooking and fresh garlic, mustard and pepper. Then into the oven to crisp up the ends of some of those yummy pork bits.

In the end, I made a simple sandwich! Two slices of toasted bread, cheese, a little mayo and Sriracha...and of course pork. Now doesn't that look good? So get yourself a shoulder blade roast, and you too can experience slow cooked heaven.