- 1 pork shoulder cut (butt or picnic), weighing 3-4 pounds
- 1-2 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp of granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 6 fresh garlic cloves, peeled
- The juice of one lime (or sour orange, if you can get one)
- 1 onion
- 1 bay leaf
Mix together salt, cumin, black pepper and granulated garlic. Juice the lime over the seasonings and rub the mixture all over the pork. Use a knife to slice six thin cuts in the pork and push each clove securely inside each cut. You don’t want the fresh garlic to fall out and touch the cooking vessel or it will burn and affect the flavor of the meat.
The meat should sit out of refrigeration a half hour before you put it in the oven. This ensures that it will cook evenly throughout. If you want to let the meat marinate in the rub longer than this, put it in the fridge for an hour or even overnight.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roast in a pan with one sliced onion and a bay leaf. Cover and roast for three to four hours, or until the middle of the roast reads about 190 degrees and falls apart easily when pulled with a fork. Let the roast rest for twenty minutes or so, then uncover. You’ll notice a lot of liquid at the bottom. Use it as a sauce for the meat, which you will now viciously attack with two forks. It’ll fall apart pretty readily, and you’ll get the idea of the shredding method after a couple of pulls.
