How to Marinate a Pork Shoulder

Overnight marinating is recommended for most cuts of meat.

Marinades are necessary when cooking a large cut of meat to develop flavor and tenderness. Pork shoulders definitely fall into the category of needing to be marinated, and the longer the better. It's suggested to let your pork shoulder marinate for at least eight hours, but for the most succulent meat, let the shoulder marinate for a full 24 hours, if not longer. To guarantee the marinade is in complete contact with the meat, marinate inside food storage bags and refrigerate.

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• Food storage bags
• Garlic-Herb marinade:
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
• 1 tbsp. of chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp of dried

Instructions

Cut and Prep

1. 

   No need to take off all the fat, just trim what's obvious and easy to trim,

   Trim the fat off your pork, if desired; removing large pieces of fat is recommended. However, fat does develop flavor, so leave some fat in the meat as you'll mostly likely be roasting or using a crock pot that will cook the pork long enough to turn that fat into delicate, delicious goodness. Once trimmed, place aside.

2. 

   Using flavored olive oils, such as garlic or chili, adds an extra layer of flavor.

   Measure out your wet ingredients -- 1 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup soy sauce -- and combine inside mixing bowl.

3. 

   Garlic is an essential ingredients in many marinades.

   Crush and chop four garlic cloves. Crush cloves by placing them under a chef's knife and lightly smashing the knife to the garlic. Peel off skin, chop, and add to mixing bowl

4. 

   Crumbling dry herbs helps to release their natural oils and flavor.

   Chop 1 tbsp. of fresh rosemary and 1 tbsp. of fresh thyme and add to mixing bowl. If using dried herbs, use 1 tsp. of each instead, and crumble the dry herbs in your hands before adding to mixing bowl.

Marinating the Pork

1. 

   Save and reuse plastic bags that other foods you've purchased came in.

   Place pork inside a large food storage bag.

2. 

   Cinnamon, apples juice and sugar create another great marinade for pork.

   Stir contents of the mixing bowl to fully combine all the wet ingredients, herbs and garlic. Pour contents of the mixing bowl into the food storage bag with your pork.

3. 

   The same bags used for baking can be used for marinating.

   Release all the air out of the bag before closing. Once closed, lightly massage the marinade through the bag into the meat and fold the bag over to ensure the marinade is as close to the meat as possible.

4. 

   Make sure you have ample room in your fridge to place your marinating pork.

   Place the food storage bag with marinade and pork into a casserole dish and refrigerate. Let the pork marinate for at least eight hours, but preferably overnight.

5. 

   Slow cookers are a great way to cook pork and can be left alone to cook for up to eight hours.

   Remove the pork from your plastic bag after marinating overnight, and place inside your crock pot for easy cooking.

Tips & Warnings

• Cook in a crock pot on high for six to eight hours for the best flavor, easiest cooking experience, and clean up. You can also roast your pork in the oven at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 1/2 hours, or until fork tender.

• If using soy sauce, do not add extra salt.

References

• RecipeTips.com: Trimming Pork
• Group Recipes: Pork Marinade Recipe

Resources

• Utah State University: Marinating Meat Safely