Free sample · Low & Slow

Citrus-Rubbed Pork Shoulder

Name: Citrus-Rubbed Pork Shoulder
Prep time: 24 min
Cook time: 488 min
Total time: 515 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 4 lb (1814 g) boneless pork shoulder, thawed; 2 tsp (12 g) kosher salt; 1 tsp (2 g) black pepper; 1 tbsp (7 g) paprika, labeled gluten-free; 2 tsp (2 g) dried oregano, labeled gluten-free; 2 tsp (4 g) ground cumin, labeled gluten-free; 1 large yellow onion (250 g), cut into wedges; 6 garlic cloves (18 g), smashed; 2 limes (140 g), juiced; 1 large orange (200 g), juiced; 2 bay leaves (1 g), labeled gluten-free; cooking spray, labeled gluten-free

A paprika rub, lime, and orange juice season a pork shoulder with onion, garlic, and bay. After shredding, a few minutes under the broiler crisp the edges.

Citrus-Rubbed Pork Shoulder, as cooked from this recipe

Serves8

Hands-on24 min

Cook8 h 8 min

Wait3 min

Total8 h 35 min

SettingLOW 8 hours, then broil 8 minutes (or HIGH 5 hours, then the same broil)

Times follow LOW for 8 hours plus an 8 minute broil and a 3 minute rest; HIGH is 5 hours, then the same broil and rest.

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Ingredients

4 lb (1814 g) boneless pork shoulder, thawed
2 tsp (12 g) kosher salt
1 tsp (2 g) black pepper
1 tbsp (7 g) paprika labeled gluten-free
2 tsp (2 g) dried oregano labeled gluten-free
2 tsp (4 g) ground cumin labeled gluten-free
1 large yellow onion (250 g), cut into wedges
6 garlic cloves (18 g), smashed
2 limes (140 g), juiced
1 large orange (200 g), juiced
2 bay leaves (1 g) labeled gluten-free
cooking spray labeled gluten-free

Gluten-free: Written so a reader with celiac disease can cook it when every packaged ingredient is one whose label says gluten-free. Read the package you actually buy. This page does not promise a meal with zero gluten.

Method

Blot the thawed shoulder dry. Mix the paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper, and rub that mix over the meat.
Scatter the onion wedges and smashed garlic in a 6-quart cooker, set the shoulder on top, and pour the lime juice and orange juice around it.
Tuck in the bay leaves and set the lid on. Give the shoulder 8 hours on LOW, or 5 hours on HIGH.
It should pull apart when you tug it with a fork. Pork is safe at 145 F (63 C) after a rest; leave this cut on until it shreds.
Move the shoulder to a board, pull the meat into chunks, and discard the bay leaves.
Coat a rimmed sheet with the cooking spray, spread the pork on it, and broil 8 minutes, until the edges color.
Rest the meat 3 minutes.

Notes

The shoulder must be thawed. Do not start this pot from frozen meat.
Paprika, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, and the cooking spray need a gluten-free label.
Skip the broiler if you want the pork soft. The citrus juices in the pot are enough to keep it moist.

This recipe is one of 50 in Low & Slow.
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