Grilled Pork Shoulder With Butter Vinegar Sauce
A flavorful grilled pork shoulder rubbed with fennel and oregano, then glazed with a tangy-sweet butter vinegar sauce. The meat is slowly grilled until perfectly browned and served with a rich chile-infused sauce.
Ingredients
- •1 Tbsp fennel seeds
- •2 Tbsp dried oregano
- •2½ lb boneless pork shoulder
- •3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
- •1 Tbsp kosher salt
- •3 whole chiles de árbol
- •½ cup apple cider vinegar
- •½ cup unsalted butter
- •2 Tbsp sugar
- •1 piece spice mill or mortar and pestle
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Toast fennel seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden brown and starting to pop, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill or mortar and pestle and let cool; coarsely grind. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in oregano. Place pork on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and rub with oil. Season all over with 1 Tbsp. salt, then rub with spice mixture, packing it on. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours or chill, uncovered, up to 2 days.
120 min
- 2.
Bring chiles, vinegar, butter, and sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and sauce is reduced by about a third, about 5 minutes. Season with salt; cover and keep warm over low heat until ready to use.
5 min
- 3.
Prepare a grill for medium heat. Drizzle pork all over with oil, then grill, turning every 5 minutes or so, until extremely, gorgeously browned and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 120°F, 35-45 minutes. Continue to grill, brushing with sauce and turning not quite every minute (you're going to see flare-ups, but don't worry), until pork is glazed and shiny and temperature on thermometer has risen to 130°F, 5-10 minutes more. Transfer pork to a platter and let rest 30 minutes; reserve remaining sauce.
45 min
- 4.
Transfer pork to a cutting board and pour any accumulated juices on platter into reserved sauce. Return sauce to a simmer. Slice pork against the grain 1/4" thick. Arrange on platter, spoon some sauce over, and season with salt. Serve remaining sauce alongside.
10 min
- 5.
If using a charcoal grill, a bed of medium-hot coals will gradually lose heat. Get a chimney started when the meat first hits the grill. About halfway through, throw some new glowing coals on the pile to keep things going.