A jar of orange marmalade and a sprig of rosemary pack a ton of wintry flavor into this celebratory centerpiece. Five hours of hands-off braising time turn skinless, bone-in pork shoulder impossibly tender, with a shiny, citrusy glaze. You should be able to find one or both of the two varieties of this cut, Boston butt or picnic shoulder, fairly easily. Either will work in this recipe. Boston butt is a flatter section from the top of the shoulder with a thick fat cap on one side and a bone that juts up vertically. It’s a good pick because it is typically sold skinless and, if you are trimming the fat yourself, its shape makes it easy to work with. Picnic shoulder sits below the Boston butt, farther down the front legs, and is a rounder cut, with less fat and a bone running horizontally through the middle. It often comes with the skin on and because of its shape is slightly more difficult to trim. Ask a butcher to do it for you or do it yourself by making small cuts with your sharpest knife.
Recipe information
Total Time
5 hours 30 minutes
Yield
8–10 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Season one 7–9-lb. skinless, bone-in pork shoulder, fat cap trimmed to ¼", patted dry, all over with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (about 1 tsp. salt per pound is a good rule of thumb, so don’t be shy here). Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 300°. Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add 1 large onion, unpeeled, quartered, and 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise through the equator, cut sides down, and cook until browned underneath, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Step 3
Arrange pork shoulder, fat side down, in same pot and cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Carefully turn pork over by rolling away from you to avoid spattering and cook until browned underneath, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Tuck onion, garlic, and 1 large sprig rosemary around pork (fat side should be up at this point). Add 2 cups red wine, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and 2 cups water. Cover pot; transfer to oven. Braise 3–3½ hours (depending on the size of your shoulder; go the full time if it’s 9 lb.). Uncover pot and roast pork until meat shreds easily with a fork, about 2 hours.
Step 5
Meanwhile, cut 1 large orange in half and squeeze juice into a cold small saucepan (you should have about ⅓ cup); thinly slice remaining 1 large orange into rounds. Add 1 cup orange marmalade (one 12-oz. jar), ½ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, and remaining ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes to orange juice in pan, set over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring and scraping down sides of pot occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula, until thickened and syrupy, 7–9 minutes. Set glaze aside (it will continue to thicken as it cools; reheat before using if too thick).
Step 6
Spoon or brush top of pork (any parts you can see above braising liquid) with about a third to half of the glaze. Tuck orange slices around pork. Roast until crust on pork is sticky, 15–20 minutes.
Step 7
Carefully transfer pork to a platter and spoon remaining glaze over. Tuck orange slices in pot around pork along with a few fresh rosemary sprigs. Transfer juices from pot to a small bowl to spoon over individual servings if desired.
Recipe notes
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