Slow Roasting
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My quintessential slow roasted recipe uses a pork shoulder generously seasoned with a fennel spice rub and placed in a 275 degree oven for six to eight hours. I recommend stuffing sautéed onions & sage just under the skin and then tying the roast with kitchen string. A long slow roast at low temperatures yields a beautifully tender meat that literally falls apart to the touch. For variations, roast aromatic vegetables until caramelized, then add to the bottom of your roasting pan. Or add rosemary, fruits such as Meyer lemons, kumquats, apples or pears to the onions. Or make a paste of garlic and chilies to add to the onion. Change from fennel spice rub to toasted spice rub, cocoa spice, or roasted garlic for yet another variation, all of which allow you to change up your wine pairings and side dishes as well, yielding a laundry list of new flavors for the long winter months ahead.
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Suggested Wines
When making the Forever Roasted Pork with Fennel Spice, I suggest a spicy red like my Giana Zinfandel.
Try the Eileen Cabernet with hints of spice and dark fruit with the Toasted spice rub or the Old Vine Petite Sirah, my cellar favorite, and wonderful partner to long roasted meats.
For the Cocoa Spice rub dive into a bottle of our Bambino Cabernet. St. Helena elegance is here, with strong fruit concentration and a good amount of tannin and acidity just under the surface; pairing beautifully with the Scharffen Berger® cocoa in this rub.
