braised glazed pork shoulder and fresh corn salad from 2 mark's

mark vetri's roast pork photo from bon appetit september 2012

mark bittman's tomato basil corn salad

summer is almost gone.....usually i am packing for a  two week vacation  this time of year, but this year we went in july instead.  being in new england in september is a great opportunity to take advantage of all that is ripe off the vine....tomatoes, corn....a fun time to try new recipes.  mark bittman's what to eat right now column last week titled "shuck and awe" inspired me to do something different with my favorite vegetable....not that steaming and serving with butter and kosher salt isn't fantastic ...it totally is..but.... well why not combine it with other flavors?  the tomato and basil salad with corn is a wonderful dish.  i have made it twice in 7 days! beyond wonderful.  this is a new favorite!  for saturday late lunch i decided to try mark vetri's (september bon appetit) slow roasted glazed pork shoulder.  it is definitely a weekend project because it requires some time...not so much work at all ....just time. (and surprisingly few ingredients.....  this recipe is so delicious.....aromatic....so comforting!  i can not think of enough adjectives....( and really i don't get italian from this flavor at all....just wonderfully subtle roasted pork and the cider vinegar glaze with brown sugar is the perfect note!  prepared to be licking your sticky fingers!  actually bailey had a rough day at home smelling the fantastic aroma of the pork roasting for 5 hours while we sat on the beach! go to the link for the salad...i steamed my corn first but mr. bittman went for raw....
recipe after the jump

7 lb pork butt bone in
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon whole pepper corns
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar

the night before marinate the roast as follows.  in a spice grinder grind the fennel seed and pepper.  pour it into a small bowl and add the salt and sugar.  mix it together.  place the pork butt into a glass baking dish....rub the spice mixture all over the roast...cover in plastic and refrigerate.

the next morning pull the roast out of the fridge..wipe off the excess rub and dispose of the liquid that may have accumulated.  put the roast in a roasting pan...

 add the one cup of boiling water and cover tightly with foil to form a tight seal.

place the roast in the oven preheated to 325 degrees.  cook for 4- 5 hours tightly sealed until the meat falls off the bone.  pull the roast out of the oven.

turn the oven up to 500 degrees....i modified the original recipe...here...not the ingredients but the steps. i put the roast on a sheet pan...and put it in the oven for 10 minutes to crisp up the outside.  i put the roasting pan that the roast was cooked in on the gas burners on top of the stove on low heat and added the vinegar and brown sugar and stirred until it picked up all the yummy bits off the roasting pan then transferred it to a sauce pan ....brought it to a boil and reduced it to a sticky glaze.  place the roast on a platter and brush the glaze all over it.  serve with forks or tongs to pull the meat apart.  delicious!  i have made this twice in 3 weeks...the leftovers make wonderful pulled pork sandwiches!  i really liked this recipe...the flavor is very nice and clean tasting....i don't miss the smoke.  give it a try...