Recipe from Mozza restaurant
Adapted by Adam Nagourney
- Total Time
- 10 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(715)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This dish defines the phrase “it’s worth the wait.” The cooking method here is low and slow, with a well-seasoned pork butt roasted for 9 to 10 hours. Inspired by a “Pork Dinner” family meal at Mozza in Los Angeles, where a 300-pound Berkshire pig was butchered for the dinner, it makes for a perfect big Sunday feast. Just don’t forget the salsa after all that time. —Adam Nagourney
Featured in: At Mozza’s Dinners, a Family Is Born
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Ingredients
Yield:10 servings
- 7- to 8-pound pork butt, fat cap (preferably 1-inch thick) attached
- 3½tablespoons salt, plus more for salsa
- ¼cup coarsely ground black pepper
- 2cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 to 8tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 4cups chopped fresh parsley
- 2cups chopped fresh oregano
- 8garlic cloves, peeled
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Ground black pepper
- Salad of bitter greens (see recipe)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
1066 calories; 86 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 49 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 62 grams protein; 270 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Season the pork with 3½ tablespoons of salt and ¼ cup black pepper, rubbing it in well on all sides. Roast the pork, covered, until the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees, 9 to 10 hours. While the pork is roasting, prepare the salsa verde.
Step
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In a blender or food processor, working in batches if necessary, combine the olive oil, 6 tablespoons of the vinegar, parsley, oregano, garlic and pepper flakes. Process to a purée, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Season with salt, ground black pepper and more vinegar to taste.
Step
3
To serve, pull the pork apart with tongs or forks or slice it. Serve with the salsa and a salad of bitter greens.
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715
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Cooking Notes
Petaltown
Try the carnitas method: cook the roast 3 hours in a pot of water. Then roast for 1-2 hours. Guaranteed delicious and succulent. And the broth left over makes the best bean soup ever.
kate
the recipe does not say, but I assume the roasting is in a covered roasting pan? or should it be roasted uncovered?
Bert
I've been making pulled pork in a slow cooker for years. The results are terrific: tender and moist! I think I might start a 7-8 pork butt on "High" for 90 minutes and then turn down to "Low" for the remainder of the cooking time.
Fred
I've been doing this for years as Bittman's "pernil" UNCOVERED. I do it on full convection at 300 degrees. It takes 5-6 hrs. I break it down by hand with rubber gloves on. I use the thick kitchen gloves and just scrub my hands with the gloves on in hot soapy water. Much easier than forks; you can just pull and squeeze the fat off. If you roast to 190 degrees it just falls apart. It can also be marinated in bbq sauce rather than the Puerto Rican mojito of the pernil.
jodie
hi... might this be cooked in a crock pot????
Walker in Raleigh
Combination of the pork and the salsa verde with bitter greens and our addition of roasted cauliflower was very well received. I think you should cook at a higher temp for the first half hour or so. Wash and spin the parsley and oregano before you put it in the processor. It takes a BIG wine...we chose the Two Hands Shiraz 2004.
Antoinette
Where in the world do you find 2 cups of fresh oregano?
Tina
I’d love to start seeing cooking adaptations for using an Instant Pot when relative.
Claire
I love this recipe! I've turned it into a pasta dish with great success. After pulling the pork apart and tossing it with its juices (and rendered fat), crisp it up in a cookie sheet at 400 for 10 min. Then, toss with pasta and the salsa verde, like a pesto. I use more parsley, less oregano, and mostly lemon juice with a little red wine vinegar instead of all sherry vinegar. Bold and delicious.
MsBunny
Or divine pork soup, courtesy of The Rieger, Kansas City, Missouri. Their signature dish.
Leek
You want to cook it all in one go, but that could be overnight. Keep it warm for a few hours by wrapping the unpulled roast in foil and putting it into a small insulated cooler that you've heated up with hot water (drain the water out before putting the wrapped pork in). You can reheat pulled pork by steaming it or gently microwaving with some liquid.
Kate
Excellent!! I used a 3.65 pound roast and had to up the oven temp to 350d for the last hour because the internal temp was only 175d, it had been cooking for 9 hours, and I was starving! That did not compromise the tenderness of the roast: it melted apart when sliced. I served it on a salad of baby kale & spinach with a garlic, sherry vinegar, & white balsamic dressing. DH loved the meal and the salsa verde!
Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor @ NYT Cooking
We haven't tested it in a slow cooker, but it would probably do quite well there. Let us know how it turns out!
Michele La Rocca
Excellent receipe. Extremely easy to do, just takes lots of time roasting. My guests loved it and asked for the receipe. It is a winner.
Barbara
I used half lemon juice and half vinegar in the salsa, next time I think I will use all lemon juice. We really enjoyed it!
A. Congemi
Delish, followed instruction 100%, crowd pleaser for sure, will make again.
philly girl
A holiday and ski trip staple with our family. I make 15 pounds at a time and let it cook all night, because of the higher elevation.
L
I’ve cooked this over and over. It’s a winner. I remove all the fat and it is still tender. Also, the internal temperature they give as the minimum required for doneness is higher than the 145 degrees (62 C - New York Times, PLEASE start including standard international units of measure) required by the USDA.
L
90• C
Mary
I was shocked by how good this was. I had a massive roast from Costco and had it in the oven for 12 hours, but it never got tender enough to pull apart. However, I sliced it and served it on buns (didn't bother with the salsa or salad), and it was to die for. (Well, maybe not literally -- but it was really good!)
Ash Lee
The timing at 200 degrees was way off. At 8 hours into cooking my roast was only at 165. It took 2 hours more at 350.
marezav
If I make this again I would ABSOLUTELY not use anywhere near 2 cups of Olive oil for the sauce. 1/2 cup would be more appropriate. The pork is very fatty and does not need all that extra oil on top.
Cheryl McDonald
I haven't yet made the salsa, but I had a 4 lb pork butt that I'd thawed 2 days before Thanksgiving (DUH!) and needed to cook before it went south. I just followed the instructions for slow-cooking the pork and I don't think I'll ever do it any other way for life! The 4 lbs. were succulently done in only 5 hours, and delicious even unadorned. I've pulled the meat and will cool it in the strained juices (aplenty), probably freeze it until I work through the Thanksgiving bounty. YUM!
Rachel
Absolutely delish and perfect for a party. The acid in the salsa verde brightened everything. We cooked the roast to 195 and then placed it an oven bag in a cooler for a couple of hours and the texture was perfect. We also added about 12 ounces of hot water to the pan before it went into the oven to keep the drippings from burning.
Gina
Winner! Absolutely do not forget the salsa verde, it pulls it all together. I served with mashed potatoes and pan seared carrots. Delicious.
Kathryn S
At the Sunday farmer’s market I I purchased a grass fed newly butchered 7 pound pork butt for a Sunday dinner party starting in 8 hours. Sought recipe for a “butt”- NYT to the rescue! Adaptations- put it in the slow cooker on Low and used less ground pepper because I got lazy with grinding and I added a little oregano. Everyone loved it- paired with polenta, the sauce and braised fennel. Next time I’ll go the 9 hours or play with High/Low on cooker per other feedback.
why so much salt?
I did the salt as in the recipe but was waaay too much it seemed. I’d cut that in half next time - temp/time worked out super well; 10 hrs at 190degrees was great.
Rebecca
So good- feeds an army (well a whole bunch for Sunday supper). A bit too salty for me, but man, was this succulent and delicious. Super easy to prep. Started on 375 for 20 minutes. Then down to 200. It was done a bit earlier. Added a fresh chili to the salsa verde since I had a bunch growing in the garden. Great way to use up my over-zealous oregano plant too! Will make again for sure.
Nancy
Wow! I was hesitant about 1/4 cup of pepper, but it worked. Super easy in a crockpot. To be sure it would be done in time, I started it on high for three hours and then cooked on low for another 3-4 hours. I liked the salsa verde, but the pork was so good by itself that I gave up on the salsa verde and instead used it on grain bowls.Thanks NYT!
Monk Watson
I add dried oregano to the seasoning rub and drop a few whole, peeled garlic cloves into the pot to roast along with the pork. At the end, I mash the cloves into the juices. The results of this recipe are fantastic. We usually have leftovers and add to a marinara for pasta later in the week.
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