Brasa’s Pork Shoulder Roasted with Citrus Mojo and Twin Cities Chef’s Table Giveaway

What better way to give you a peek into the lusciousness inside Twin Cities Chef’s Table
than to share a recipe for Brasa’s beloved roasted pork shoulder? I never, ever eat there without ordering it – in fact, I had it just yesterday for lunch – because it tastes fantastic with all of the other kickass things on their menu like fried yucca, tender collard greens, meltingly tender chicken and beef as well as pork, yellow rice…on and on with the gluten-free fabulousness and plenty of AIP eats too, including fried ripe and green plantains. Heavenly.

Grab a pork shoulder today and get it marinating and you can be enjoying a pork shoulder feast for game day tomorrow – with leftovers for a fantastic lunch on Monday. I enjoyed my leftovers in a crispy hash of leftover fried yucca (also from Brasa) and onions, alongside a zippy and fast cabbage slaw.

I should take a moment for an aside – because that’s what I always do – and add that I had an incredible feast at Corner Table on Tuesday night, including an order of duck confit and pork belly to go. Both can be made AIP compliant and let me tell you, I was SO HAPPY to have both of those meat presents to play with this week, in hashes and soups and just cold from the fridge. OK back to the pork. And the giveaway, right! I’m giving away a copy of Twin Cities Chef’s Table! Leave your name in the comments below and I’ll draw a winner and send you a book.

If you don’t win and still would like a copy, make sure to stop by Kitchen in the Market on Sunday, November 9, from 2-4pm. I’ll be making a treat from the book and Zoe Francois with be baking and signing copies of her latest bestseller, Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The event is free, with snacks and sips, we’ll of course be signing books, and we both hope that you can make it! (Register here for a 15% discount on the books.)

It is such a strange and wonderful thing to have the book landing on friends’ door stoops and to see people looking through it. It feels a little bit like being outside in my underwear – verrrry revealing. Except fun, in fact ridiculously fun, to share all of this hard work with everyone, and to reveal to those who might not already know how AMAZING the Twin Cities restaurant scene is. Get this – 90 restaurants have opened since January 1st. What?! But yes. It’s an exciting and delicious time to be eating in Minneapolis and St. Paul.And to be cooking from the book! More recipes to come, so stay tuned. 🙂

xo Stephanie

Brasa’s Pork Shoulder Roasted with Citrus Mojo
Chef Alex Roberts, via Twin Cities Chef’s Table

Serves 8

Note: The roast can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate whole. Bring to room temperature and then shred. Cover and reheat gently at 300°F until warmed through. To make the recipe AIP compliant, eliminate the pepper, cumin, and Worcestershire sauce.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt

One 5-pound, bone-in Boston butt (pork shoulder, butt end)

Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon and orange juices and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the vinegar. Transfer half of the mojo to a blender and let cool. Refrigerate the remaining mojo.

Meanwhile, in a jar, shake together the garlic and onion powders, ground pepper, and cumin. Add 2 tablespoons of the dry rub to the mojo in the blender (reserve remaining rub). Add Worcestershire and 1 tablespoon of salt to the blender and puree mojo until smooth.

Put the pork in a resealable 1-gallon plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press as much air as you can from the bag and seal. Refrigerate pork for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally. Bring the pork to room temperature before roasting.

Preheat oven to 350°F and set a rack in a roasting pan large enough to hold the pork. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the meat all over with the remaining dry rub and transfer pork to the rack. Roast pork for 3 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 150°F. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F and roast the meat for approximately 3 hours longer, until very tender and an instant-read thermometer reads 180°F. Remove the roast from the oven and cover with foil; let rest for 30 minutes.

Shred the meat, discarding the bones and excess fat. Season pork with salt and pepper and serve with the remaining mojo.