roast pork shoulder for tacos

Feel like making tacos this weekend? And you don’t want to go to all the work of making carnitas?

How about roasting this pork shoulder instead? The meat is a little smoky, a tiny bit sweet, yielding to the teeth, and sure to please anyone who wants to make homemade tacos.

Go!

3 pound pork shoulder roast, butterflied
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon chile powder
2 teaspoons ground toasted cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed, and chopped
2 teaspoons each kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450°.

Spread the butterflied pork roast open. Drizzle with about 2 teaspoons of the oil. Smear the inside with the garlic.

Combine all the spices together. Rub the inside of the pork with 1/2 of the spices.

Rub the spices, along with the remaining oil, on the outside of the pork. Truss the pork the way you see in the photo. (we’ll do a video tutorial of this soon.)

Put the pork into a roasting pan and slide that into the oven.

Sear the outside for 15 minutes. The roast might smoke a bit. Don’t be afraid.

Turn the oven to 350°. Roast for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature has reached 165°. The meat should yield to your tongs, feel soft, and melt in the mouth.

Makes 2 1/2 pounds roasted pork for tacos (or anything else you might want to eat).