Will and I went down to Southern California to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. Over dinner one night I was telling them about a few upcoming events that I need to plan some dishes for. One of which is the recipe I am sharing with you today, Roast Pork.

In telling them about the dish I was going on and on about how much I love this method of roasting pork. My mom made the comment that I seem to like simple preparations of roasted meat. I thought about it for a second and she is right. While I love all kinds of unique flavors, I really do like starting with a good foundation before adding flavors on top.

The preparation is somewhat similar to the roast chicken I did a couple months back. You start with a pork shoulder with a nice fat cap on top. Yes, you really do need the fat cap, that’s where half your flavor comes from so keep that in mind when picking out a pork shoulder. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, then rub in a good amount of kosher salt into the fat and into the rest of the pork. Put it into a roasting pan or a cast iron skillet and throw it in the oven. After a couple of hours you end up with perfectly seasoned pork that falls off the bone.

How perfect is that!?

You can serve this as is or make a gravy from the drippings. But I am going to suggest that you delve into the magical world of chutney… it is a sublime accompaniment to the pork. With the fruit that is in season right now, I highly recommend the Apple Cranberry Chutney over on SimplyRecipes.

Roast Pork

Recipe by: Elisabeth Norris

• 1 – 3-4lb pork shoulder*
• Kosher salt

Preheat over 425.

Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels. Then with a sharp knife, score a diamond pattern about 1/2 inch deep into the pork. Generously rub kosher salt into the fat and the crevices you just cut. Then continue to salt the rest of the pork.

Place into a large cast iron skillet or roasting pan. Put into oven and bake 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn oven temperature down to 325. Cover pan tightly with foil and return to oven. Bake for another 2 – 3 hours. Check roast at 2 hour mark to see where it is at; if it is easy to pull apart, it’s done. If not, stick it back in for another 30 minutes to an hour.

The small ~3lb roast pictured took 2hrs 30 minutes to cook.

*Yes, you can still use this method with a much larger roast. Just plan on adding an extra hour or two to the cooking time.