Pork Roast — The Kind of Dish That Does the Work for You

August. I've been making preserves and pickles all week — the surplus from the garden reaching the point where you either put it up or lose it, and I don't lose things. Tomato sauce from the San Marzanos, whole tomatoes from the Brandywines, bread and butter pickles from the cucumbers, fermented jalapeños and serranos in quart jars. The basement shelf is becoming dense with the summer.

Linda and Margaret are both well. Margaret has finished her follow-up treatment and is back to full activity. She started a vegetable garden of her own this spring — Linda's influence, she says — and sent me a photograph of a zucchini that had gotten to the size of a small log before they caught it, which I recognized as a universal experience. I wrote back that zucchini has no shame. She wrote back: Neither should it. It's feeding people. That's a person I'm glad is in the world.

Cole called midweek to say Emma had been having Braxton Hicks contractions and they'd gone to the hospital and everything was fine, still ten weeks out. He sounded like a man who was now understanding in concrete terms what October was going to be. I said: You're going to be a good father. He asked how I knew. I said: You're showing up for it already, ten weeks before it starts. He was quiet and then said thanks.

Made a lamb and fig tagine with the dried figs that had been in the pantry since last fall. Warm spices, the sweetness of the figs against the richness of the lamb, a little preserved lemon. Ate it over couscous with the fresh mint from the garden. The kind of dish that requires almost no skill and produces something that tastes like it required considerable skill. Those are the best recipes.

Between the canning and the phone calls and the letters back and forth, I needed something I could put in the oven and walk away from — something that would tend to itself while I tended to everything else. This pork roast is that kind of recipe. Season it, let the heat do its patient work, and come back to something that fills the whole house with the smell of a meal that’s already done. Margaret would approve: it’s feeding people, no shame required.

Pork Roast

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (4 to 5 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Prepare the rub. Combine the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, and paprika in a small bowl. Rub the olive oil over the entire roast, then press the spice mixture evenly over all sides.
2. Sear the roast. Heat a large oven-safe Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides until well browned, about 3 minutes per side.
3. Build the braising liquid. Place the quartered onion around the roast. Pour the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce into the bottom of the pan.
4. Roast low and slow. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and place in a preheated 325°F oven. Cook for about 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 190°F and the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
5. Rest and serve. Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Slice or pull the pork and serve with the pan juices spooned over the top.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 720mg