Entertaining sometime soon? Pork shoulder is a cinch with a pressure cooker.
Most of the prep and cooking should be done the night before but even early morning on the day of your party will make it easier for you to enjoy your guests. Another advantage to cooking it the day before is that you can refrigerate the sauce and pork which will solidify the fat. This makes it very easy to skim the fat before reheating it for the party.
Being very meaty in flavor, pork shoulder is great paired with some fruit. I served this with grano and green bean almondine. It was perfect for a cold fall night. If you are curious and want to learn more, accomplished cookbook author Victoria Wise wrote a very handy book entitled The Pressure Cooker Gourmet.
Citrus Pork Shoulder Under Pressure
Serves 6
2 lbs bone in pork shoulder
1 Tbsp. cumin, toasted and ground
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1 large onion, diced
1 cup chicken or beef stock
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice with zest from one orange
Juice of 1 lime
2 bay leaves
1 cup grapes
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes or 1 (16-ounce) can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp.-1 Tbsp. Spanish paprika, spicy works well too
sea salt, to taste
Begin by braising the pork shoulder. Pour the oil into the bottom of the heated pressure cooker. Season the pork shoulder liberally with salt and pepper. It works best to start with a pork shoulder at room temperature. Sear the shoulder in the oil and brown on all sides. Remove from pan.
Add the onions to the pan and saute until soft. If the pan is dry add the stock to moisten. Now add the spices, bay leaf and the orange & lime juices. Snuggle the pork shoulder down into the onions. Add the fruits and garlic. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and bring up to pressure.
Once you start hearing the steady hiss, lower the heat to medium and cook for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to release it’s one pressure for about 30 minutes. Now you can release the remaining pressure. Take off the lid and let cool completely.
To reheat for dinner remove the meat from the sauce. Using an immersion blender or your food processor or blender, puree the pan juices. Slice up the meat into portion sizes and place on to a nice oven proof casserole. Pour a bit of stock or water into the pan and heat in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Heat your sauce and adjust the seasonings. Enjoy!
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