Plain, juicy pulled pork for about 30 sandwiches, seasoned with nothing but salt and black pepper and roasted low and covered until it falls apart. Serve it piled on split Italian Rolls.
Ingredients:
- 14 lb bone-in pork shoulder (pork butt), two pieces of about 7 lb
- About 7 tablespoons kosher salt (about 1 tablespoon per 2 lb)
- About 3 tablespoons coarse black pepper
- 2 cups water (1 cup per pan), plus more as needed
Instructions:
- Saturday night: pat the pork dry and season it generously all over with the salt and pepper. Set it on a rack or plate and refrigerate uncovered overnight.
- Sunday, about 7:30 AM: heat the oven to 400°F. Set one shoulder in each roasting pan, fat side up, and pour 1 cup of water into each pan. Cover each pan tightly with foil.
- 8:00 AM: roast covered about 4 to 5 hours, until a probe slides in with no resistance, about 200 to 205°F inside. Check the pans every hour or so. At 400°F the liquid can cook off, so add a splash of water whenever the bottom looks dry to keep the juices from scorching.
- About 12:15 PM: remove the foil and roast 30 to 45 minutes more to brown the bark.
- About 1:00 PM: take the pork out and rest it 30 minutes. The oven is now free for the rolls.
- Shred the pork with two forks, discarding the bones and any large pieces of fat. Skim the fat off the pan juices and toss the meat with the juices. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Hold until serving: keep it covered in a slow cooker on warm, or in a low oven if one is free. Or cool it, refrigerate, and rewarm covered until hot (165°F) before serving, with a splash of the juices to keep it moist.
Amounts for 30 people:
- Bone-in shoulder loses about 40% in cooking, plus the bone, so 14 lb raw gives about 7 to 8 lb of cooked meat.
- That is about 4 oz per person, right for a generous sandwich with sides.
- For a full 1/3 lb per person, roast 18 lb raw (three 6 lb pieces), in three pans if needed.
Sunday timeline with the rolls:
- 8:00 AM: pork in the oven, covered.
- About 1:00 PM: pork out to rest, then shred and hold.
- About 1:45 to 3:10 PM: three rounds of rolls bake at 400°F (see Italian Rolls).
- About 3:45 PM: the rolls are cool. Split and fill with the warm pork.
To serve:
- Pile the pork on split Italian rolls, with a spoonful of the pan juices.
Cook's Notes:
- Seasoning the night before and leaving it uncovered dries the surface, so the bark browns better.
- If the pieces do not fit in one pan each, cut them into 2 or 3 chunks. They cook the same.
- Leftovers freeze well with some of the juices. Reheat covered at 325°F.