Hi Abigail:-) I found these two recipes on the internet, both attributed to Suzanne Somers. They are similar so take your pick and let us know which recipe you used and how it turned out. People do seem to rave about the roast cooked this way.
Eighteen-Hour Pork Roast
Servings: at least 8, probably more
"A note on the pork: I find pork shoulder at my Brooklyn supermarket. It is there all the time at less than $1 a pound because my market caters to a diverse clientele that includes many African Americans and Dominicans who love this cut of meat. It is so much more succulent than the much more expensive and quite dry center cut pork loin. If you live in an affluent area you may not find pork shoulder so easily, but any supermarket butcher should be able to get it for you. Ask.
A kosher listener asked me what cut of meat she could use instead of pork shoulder. I suggested veal shoulder. It is hardly the same flavor, but I can imagine it would be a very good roast. She made it and reports that it was fabulous, although very expensive."
1 whole pork shoulder with skin (about 9 pounds)
1/3 cup fennel seed (1 1.6-ounce jar)
12 large cloves garlic
2 rounded teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 dried chili Arbol (long narrow peppers) (you can use less for a less spicy result)
2 tablespoons olive oil or more
Juice of 6 lemons
Score (cut slits) the pork skin, through the fat and just to the meat, about every 1/2 inch.
Using either a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the fennel seeds into a coarse or fine powder. The texture is up to you as long as the seeds are not whole.
In the small bowl of a food processor, or in a blender, make a paste with the fennel, garlic, salt, pepper, chilies and olive oil, adding another tablespoon or so of oil if necessary.
Rub the seasoning paste into the meat, all over, getting it into the slits in the skin and fat.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Place the meat on a rack in a roasting pan and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. At this point the fat and skin will be sizzling.
Reduce the heat to 250 degrees. Baste the roast with the juice of 2 of the lemons.
Cook from 12 to 18 hours, preferably the longer time, basting two more times with the remaining lemon juice, after 12 hours, then, say, after 15 hours.
Serve hot, or keep in the turned off oven for up to 2 hours before serving. It is good at room temperature as well, but best eaten on the same day it is made. Leftovers are excellent, but not prime.
Twelve-Hour Pork Roast
Servings: 12
"A Hollywood diet book isnt the obvious place to look for great recipes, but this
one jumped out at us from the pages of Suzanne Somers Get Skinny on Fabulous Food. Its a re-creation of an Italian dish Somers enjoyed at the River Café in London, and its meltingly delicious.
The recipe requires a little forethought: Youll need to order the whole pork shoulder in advance from your butcher. And you may end it cooking it day and night its done in 12 hours. Make the most of the pan drippings, by making the sauce unless youre feeding a crowd, youll have leftovers, and the sauce will come into its own when you reheat them."
One 7-to-9-pound pork shoulder with skin (see note)
12 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fennel seeds
8 small dried red chiles, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Juice of 6 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
Pan Drippings:
One 14-ounce can chicken broth
Juice of 2 lemons (optional)
Score the pork shoulder all over by evenly slicing deeply into the skin, making cuts 1/4 inch apart.
In a food processor or by hand, chop the garlic, fennel seeds, chiles, and salt and pepper until coarsely ground. Rub this mixture all over the pork and into the cuts.
Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Or until the skin begins to crackle and brown. Loosen the shoulder from the bottom of the pan and pour half the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the pork.
Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F. and roast the pork for 12 hours more, basting occasionally with the remaining lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, until its completely soft under the skin. Push it with your finger; it should give and may even fall off the bone.
For the pan drippings: Remove the roast from the pan and spoon off all but 3 tablespoons fat from the drippings. Place the pan on the stovetop over medium heat and scrape up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. When the juices are hot, add the broth and lemon juice (but taste the drippings first; you may not need more lemon), continuing to scrape the pan and reduce the juices for about 5 minutes, or until you have a sauce consistency.
Serve each person a little of the crisp skin along with the meat and pass the pan drippings separately.
Cooks Notes:
"Youll most likely need to order the pork shoulder (butt) ahead. Unless you have an Italian, Chinese, or Mexican butcher, the idea of a pork shoulder with skin on may draw a complete blank. If youre offered a picnic ham with skin that is, the forearm just say no; that meat is sinewy and wont have the same lusciousness as the shoulder. There are two other options: the butcher can take the skin off a fresh ham and wrap it around the butt, or you can just forget about the skin and simply wrap the meat in oiled foil once the initial browning takes place. Dont worry about the basting in that case; just skip it. The meat will brown under the foil, and it will be moist and delicious.
Almost surely you will have leftovers, which are great for sandwiches, to fold into hot tortillas with some salsa, or to cook with hash browns."
