Root Beer Braised Pork Shoulder

[kirra]

Root Beer Braised Pork Shoulder
Chef Dave Martin

Ingredients:

5 pounds of pork shoulder, silver skin and excess fat removed, cut into cubes
1 cup Dave’s Sweet & Sassy Smokehouse Rub or grab a good rub recipe from the sauces rubs, mixes & more section on this server!
1 sweet onion, large dice
1-2 carrots, large dice
1/4 bunch celery, large dice
1 1/2 tablespoons 50/50 salt and pepper
64 ounces root beer (or enough to cover the meat for braising)
Extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Slice all of the veggies and put into deep roasting pan or Pyrex dish. Sprinkle them with kosher salt and black pepper and set aside.

Slice pork shoulder into 1- to 2-inch chunks and roll them in Sweet & Sassy Smokehouse Rub. Heat a skillet or cast iron pan with some olive oil and sear off the pieces of seasoned short rib on all sides to lock in the flavor and seasonings. Do not overcrowd the pan while you are searing. (You may need to wipe down the pan a couple of times due to the sugars in the rub.)

Once you have finished searing the pork chunks, lay them on top of the sliced veggies in your roasting pan and cover with the root beer. Wrap the pan in foil and place into a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Check for doneness at 2 1/2 hours by seeing if the meat is ultra tender (falling apart). If so, then it’s ready to be removed from the oven.

Be careful of the hot steam trapped under the foil when checking for doneness.

If it’s not ready, cover and try another 30 minutes, then remove the roasting pan from the oven. Leave the foil on for the meat to continue to braise with the liquids and the steam (this will tenderize the short ribs even more).

Serve with the veggies from the pan over parsnip puree or mashed potatoes, or finish them off with some of Martin’s Roasted Poblano BBQ Dipping & Grilling Sauce. Yields enough for about 8 guests as an entree.