Latin Roasted Pork Shoulder

Ingredients

• 12 large garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, depending on consistency of the paste you want
• 7 lbs fresh pork shoulder, picnic
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or 3/4 cup chicken stock and 3/4 cup white wine)

Directions

1. 1

   Mash to a paste with a mortar and pestle, or press to a paste with the back of a knife, or very finely chop the garlic and salt.

2. 2

   Remove the mixture to a bowl and stir in the dried oregano and black pepper. Add red wine vinegar and mix to a paste-like consistency.

3. 3

   With a paring knife, cut deep tunnels into the exposed fleshy ends (I made a mistake once and made tunnels all over; the pork comes out much better if deep tunnels are cut into the ends only). Push two-thirds of the paste into the pockets with your fingers. Loosen the skin in several places and spread the rest of the paste underneath the skin and over the surface of the roast where there is no skin. Wrap the roast tightly in 2 layers of aluminum foil and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

4. 4

   Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Arrange the roast on a rack in a roasting pan and roast to an internal temperature of 190 degrees. (This will take between 4 to 4 1/2 hours.) When the roast reaches 190 degrees, remove from the oven.

5. 5

   Let the roast stand, loosely covered with aluminum foil, for 20 minutes before carving. Skim off the fat from the pan juices and add the chicken stock or stock/wine mixture and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook over high heat for 2-4 minutes to dissolve the roasting particles. Remove all the fatty skin from the outside of the meat and cut the roast into slices and arrange on a platter. Pour the sauce over it and serve immediately.