Author Notes: This comforting dish of pork shoulder and white beans is cooked low and slow, perfect for a weekend meal at home. Once the meat is seasoned with fennel seed, salt, and pepper, it goes into the oven at a high temperature to get a golden crust; then, it’s covered and cooked for hours at a lower temperature to ensure the meat falls apart. It’s served atop creamy beans drizzled with herb oil, which can both be made ahead of time. This allows dinner to come together in no time once you pull the meat out of the oven. —Colu Henry
Food52 Review: This recipe is featured in the story, A Slow & Steady Roasted Pork Shoulder for Cozy Weekends In, sponsored by Lagostina. —The Editors
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 3 hrs 30 min
Ingredients
For the pork:
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1
boneless pork shoulder (about 3 to 4 pounds)
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1
tablespoon fennel seeds
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1/2
teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1
dash kosher salt
-
1
dash freshly ground black pepper
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1
cup low-sodium chicken stock
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1
dash flaky salt, for serving
For the white beans & herb oil:
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1
pound large white beans (such as gigante or Royal Corona), rinsed and soaked overnight in well-salted water
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1
yellow onion, halved
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2
carrots, cut in half
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1
celery stalk with leaves (if possible), cut in half
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2
garlic cloves, smashed
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1/2
cup tightly packed basil
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1/2
cup tightly packed Italian parsley
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1/2
cup tightly packed mint
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1/2
cup olive oil
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1
generous squeeze of lemon
-
1
dash kosher salt, to taste
Directions
- Pound the fennel seeds into a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle (or alternatively, finely chop them) and toss in a bowl with the red pepper flakes. Season the pork very well with kosher salt (salt it twice as much as you think), black pepper, and the fennel seed and red pepper mixture, pressing the spices into the meat. If you can do this and refrigerate the seasoned pork uncovered overnight even better, if not, allow it to stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 500° F. Place the pork in a Dutch oven fat-side up. Pour the chicken stock around the meat to keep the bottom from scorching. Roast uncovered until the top begins to turn golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cover the pork and turn the heat down to 250° F. Roast until the meat is very tender and easily falls apart, about 3 to 4 hours more.
- Meanwhile, make the beans and the herb oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pot of soaked beans. Add more water, if needed, to cover the beans by about 2 inches. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook until the beans are creamy and tender, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the aromatics and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
- In a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, and mint and pulse together until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse again until the mixture is silky and emulsified. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the lemon juice, salt to taste, and set aside.
- Arrange the beans on a platter and add pieces of the pork on top; drizzle with some of the juice that has accumulated from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Swirl about one-third of the herb oil over top the pork and beans, and season with flaky salt. Keep the remaining herb oil at the table to spoon over, as needed.
