<p>pork shoulder would be perfect in a vindaloo.</p>
<p>I would cut it into 1 to 2 inch cubes, brown the cubes by sauteeing over high heat, then add them to to vindaloo liquid, cover, and simmer on low heat (or stick in a 250 degree oven) for an hour or two until the cubes fall apart when poked with a fork. I can’t give you an exact cooking time, because it depends on the size of your chunks. It’s pretty hard to braise something for too long. The liquid essentially caps the cooking temperature at 212 degrees F.</p>
<p>Vindaloo is just a Portuguese/Goan version of pot roast. Classic braising technique, simmering the meat (usually lamb) in liquid until it’s fork tender. This is pretty much the identical cooking technique to the Yucatan carnitas I described, only one uses vinegar and Indian spices and the other uses sour orange (or lime and orange) juice and Mexican Yucatan seasoning. Everybody uses the same basic cooking techniques around the world. I usually use boneless lamb shoulder roast when I make vindaloo. Same thing.</p>
<p>BTW, the slow roasting/smoking bar-b-que method doesn’t require the use of sauce. I just use a dry spice rub when I’m cooking the meat (a dry spice rub could be as simple as salt and pepper, although I make my own with ancho chile powder, cinnamon, cumin, etc. The bar-b-que sauce is only added (or not) when serving. The meat from a slow roasted pork shoulder would be excellent in most pork stir fry recipes (or in fajitas). You would basically just be reheating it in the wok. It would be great in re-fried rice dishes and so forth. The Chinese use pork belly, which is a similar cut of meat, extensively.</p>
<p>A lot of times I do the whole Yucatan Carnitas Pibil on the grill. Marinate the pork chunks overnight, then brown them over a hot charcoal fire. Then char the onion slices, tomatoes, and poblanos over the grill. Let everything cool enough to chop it up, then put the pork chunks, the roasted veggies in a roasting pan, pour over the reserved marinade liquid, tightly cover with foil, and throw it back on the grill to simmer for a couple of hours. Alternatively, you could do it all inside, charring the veggies in dry skillet or the broiler, browning the meat in a skillet, and simmering the whole thing in the oven. Both ways work.</p>
<p>The authentic Yucatan recipe calls for lining the roasting pan with bannana leaves. That adds a nice little flavor element, but bannana leaves are not that easy to find here in Mass. so I make do with foil.</p>
<p>I can’t add much to the discussion that hasn’t already been said. I buy pork shoulder often. The slow cooker recipes sound like just the trick. You should know that BBQ pork is typically pork shoulder (also called a Boston Butt, I am told).</p>
<p>And interesteddad, I can’t believe that you can’t find banana leaves in the greater Boston area, or the areas south of Boston (New Bedford, etc) with the hispanic and portugese population thereabouts.</p>
<p>So partial roasting isn’t generally a good idea? I’m curious – because say I use a braising technique to make non-vindaloo pork and then I later freeze it – it’s essentially too late to use as a frying ingredient now, righ?</p>
<p>Also, if I’m braising the pork shoulder in vindaloo or in a rice cooker, the liquid it’s soaking in will do the job effectively and I don’t need to premarinade the pork in vinegar beforehand?</p>
<p>The vindaloo recipe I follow doesn’t have the vinegar last too long – it’s added in the sauteeing stage and the bulk of it is allowed to evaporate. I use wine vinegar, so I don’t know if the idea is to add tannins, catechols and organic acids to encourage the formation of esters and various aryl derivatives but I do notice it makes a difference. I just had the idea the vinegar only ends up affecting the composition of the onions though. Should I add more vinegar later during the aqueous/simmering stage?</p>
<p>Pork takes well to brining. As to avoiding barbecue, it takes a lot of seasonings nicely. It’s good with fruity sauces (think apricot or apple), sweet Chinese sauces, or just plain Worcestershire with a little poultry seasoning.</p>
<p>Another vote for the crockpot here; slow and low is the way to make a tough cut tender, and pork in particular comes out much better at low temperatures than high.</p>
<p>Say, Jonrie, have you ever picked up Cooks Illustrated magazine or perused their Web site? I think their approach might intrigue you. [Cooks</a> Illustrated: Home](<a href=“Error”>http://cooksillustrated.com/)</p>
<p>Going ahead with a strange mix of vindaloo style and a stew style I found online. I don’t have any apple juice / cider, or chicken stock on hand (I need to get chicken feet), but I’m going to start with thick soy sauce and brewed tea …</p>
<p>Braised is definitely the way to go with this cut. You can braise the whole thing using just olive oil, onion, garlic and stock, freeze in portions and then heat with different herbs and sauces to make many different meals. Mexican Carnitas is one of my favorites.</p>