This is a fabulous way to feed a crowd on a budget.
Pork shoulder is a tough cut of meat, so it’s generally on the cheaper side. (In fact, this is the same cut of meat that’s often used to make pulled pork.) My pork roast was about 8.5 lbs. and was only 99 cents/lb.
Cooking it low and slow for a couple of hours coaxes amazing flavor out of the meat, turns it meltingly tender, and infuses the tomato sauce with rich pork flavor. This hearty winter meal will feed a whole family (and then some!) for short money—with plenty of leftovers.
How to buy a pork shoulder roast
If you have the option, always get a bone-in roast. The bone will add flavor.
Look for pork with rosy pink meat and creamy white fat. The meat should never have any gray spots.
Depending on where you live, this might be labeled pork shoulder, pork butt, or Boston butt.
Rustic, Family-Style Pork with Red Sauce
1 bone-in pork butt/shoulder, 6 lbs. – 9 lbs. (mine was about 8 1/2 lbs.)
2 Tbls. olive oil
salt
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbls. fresh tarragon, minced
1 cup red wine
1 Tbls. garlic powder
3 Tbls. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can ground, peeled tomatoes
3 fresh bay leaves
freshly cracked black pepper
2 Tbls. Aleppo chili flakes
water
parsley and chive for garnish
Rustic, Family-Style Pork with Red Sauce: Prep the meat
Grab your pork roast. Give it a rinse under cold water and pat it completely dry.
Rustic, Family-Style Pork with Red Sauce: Brown the pork on all sides
Sprinkle the pork with a little kosher salt.
Put the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Set it on the stove over high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the pork to the pot. Your goal is to brown it on all sides.
When the bottom has developed a nice brown crust, flip the meat over. It’s heavy, so turn it carefully. Turn your heat down to medium-high, or lower, if your pot starts to smoke.
I use my big kitchen fork to get a good grip on it.
When the pork is browned on all sides, pull it out of the pot and set it on a plate for a few minutes while you make the base for the sauce.
Rustic, Family-Style Pork with Red Sauce: Make the base for the red sauce
If your pork let off a lot of fat, pour some off if you like. You want to wind up with a few tablespoons in the pot. Too much fat will make your sauce greasy.
Add the onion to the pot. Keep the heat on medium-high.
Stir to coat in pork fat. Cook for a few minutes ’til the onions start to turn translucent and brown.
Pour in the red wine. Raise the heat to high to start to bring the wine up to a simmer.
Toss in the tarragon.
Give the pot a stir. Scrape at the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits. (That’s pure flavor!)
Add the garlic powder.
Toss in the tomato paste.
Stir to combine well.
Pour in the can of ground, peeled tomatoes.
Give a stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the bay leaves.
Toss in the black pepper and red pepper. Stir to combine.
Rustic, Family-Style Pork with Red Sauce: Simmer the pork
When you’ve made the sauce, put the pork back in the pot, fat-side up.
Now, the directions here are a little squishy. Basically, what you want to do is add the pork to the sauce, then add some water to the pot so that your pork is almost covered. Exact amounts will depend on how big your pot and your pork roast are.
I do it this way (rather than add the water, then the pork), to make sure that when I add the pork, my pot won’t overflow). It’s going to simmer for so long that it’s just fine and all blends together in the end.
Add enough water to the pot to bring the sauce up to *almost* cover the meat.
Stick a wooden spoon around the edges of the pot and give the water a stir to combine it with the sauce. Lift the pork up a bit with your spoon to let the sauce get under it.
Cover the pot and bring it up to a simmer over medium heat.
When it’s simmering (take a peek!), drop the heat to low.
Simmer covered for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
Rustic, Family-Style Pork with Red Sauce: Serve and enjoy!
After about 3 hours, your pork should be tender and your sauce should be fragrant and infused with rich pork flavor.
Pull the meat out of the pot and transfer it to a platter. Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce and discard.
Cut large pieces of meat (or shred for sandwiches, if you like) and set atop a bed of linguine or rice.
Spoon some broth over it. Garnish with a little parsley, chive, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Enjoy!
Here are some of the best discounts and sales I’ve found this week.
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