Slow roasting at low heat
Shoulder and brisket are full of tough collagen. Held at about 70 to 95°C (160 to 200°F) for hours, it melts into gelatin and the meat turns silky. At 150°C (300°F), a pork shoulder is tender around 93°C (200°F) inside, after 4 to 6 hours.
Cover for moisture, uncover for crust
A lid or foil traps steam, so the meat stays moist and soft. Uncovered, the surface dries and browns into a crust. Cook covered most of the time, then uncover for the last 30 to 45 minutes.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
You have a 2 kg (4 lb) pork shoulder and 5 hours. Which oven plan gives tender pulled pork?
150°C (300°F) for 4 to 5 hours. Gentle heat for hours melts collagen into gelatin before the meat dries out.
True or false: Cooking a tough cut like shoulder hotter and faster makes it more tender.
False. Fast heat tightens fibers and leaves collagen tough.
What went wrong? You roast a pork shoulder at high heat for 90 minutes. It comes out tough and stringy.
The collagen never had time to melt. Collagen needs hours at low heat. Ninety minutes of high heat leaves it tough.
Fill the blank: During a long, gentle cook, tough collagen turns into ___, which makes the meat silky.
During a long, gentle cook, tough collagen turns into gelatin, which makes the meat silky. Collagen melts into gelatin, which gives body and moisture.
After 4 hours of slow roasting, the pot holds a lot of liquid and fat. What do you do?
Skim the fat and spoon the juices over the meat. The juices are rich in gelatin and flavor. Skim the fat, then reuse them.