From the Archives: Crispy Pork Shoulder

Editor's Note: From the Archives serves up popular existing recipes from our archives.

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Pork shoulder is one of the most inexpensive, foolproof, and delicious cuts of meat around. If good flavor-for-the-buck value is what you're looking for, pork shoulder is perhaps the greatest of all bits of culinary alchemy. It's the transformation of one of the cheapest cuts of meat in the butcher's display case into one of the most festive centerpieces imaginable, in all of it's juicy, porky, spoon-tender in the middle, impossibly crisp and crusty-on-the-outside glory.

What's the secret? A two stage cooking process. First, we slow-cook the shoulder in a low oven. This lends ample time for the tough connective tissue inside the shoulder to break down into juicy, rich gelatin while ensuring that it doesn't dry out. At the same time, proteins in the skin begin to break down, softening up its structure. Why is this important? Because it allows that skin to puff, crackle, and crisp up when you finish the shoulder with a blast in a hot, hot oven.

And get ready, this recipe is custom-built for leftovers. You'll find yourself using that tender pulled pork meat in barbecue sandwiches or tacos or pasta sauces for days the come. As for the skin? I'd be surprised if it even makes it out of the kitchen and to the dining room table intact.

Check out more details of the science here, or jump straight to the recipe below.