Recipe:
Pork Shoulder (AKA Boston Butt) and ground sausage are (braised) slow cooked in a 6 quart cast iron pot , instant pot, or crock-pot with red wine and tomatoes, topped with crispy pancetta, and served over grits/polenta or cooked penne pasta.
I’m gonna be honest, this is a technical recipe. It has 3 different kinds of pork. Pick this recipe if you’re trying to learn and have time. If you don’t have time. Try this recipe with just the pork shoulder or just the Italian sausage – just remember to up the ratio to the same amount of meat in pounds.
What’s the difference between Boston Butt and Picnic Roast? Both are part of the shoulder (not the butt!) which is one of the main “primal” cuts. This shoulder “primal” cut is divided into two cuts – Boston Butt (above the shoulder) and Picnic Roast (below the shoulder and all of the leg).
Both cuts are fatty and do good with low and slow cooking but the Boston Butt is the one you want to go with first if available because it has more marbling, and is more uniform in shape and tender.
What’s the difference between cornmeal/grits/polenta? Not much- cornmeal is finely ground and both grits and polenta are coarsely ground. Polenta (mostly coming from Italy) uses a specific variety of corn called flint that has a harder center, while grits (mostly coming from the South) uses a softer center corn variety called dent.
Grits cook at a general ratio of 1 part grits to 4 parts liquid (some instructions say 1:3 but I find that hard to make happen). The liquid can be broth, water, or a combination of cream/milk and water or broth. This recipe is rich as is so doesn’t need much, but feel free to taste it and flavor it with some cream or finish it off with a little bit of your favorite cheese melted in (Parmesan, cheddar, colby jack, etc…).
Cooking grits requires constant stirring or it will clump. Take the time to whisk the grits in slowly and remember to stir as often as possible. Be careful, grits or polenta become very hot when cooking and they are liable to burn ya!
Already using all your stovetop burners? No problem – put the simmering dish in the oven at 325F for 2 hours instead of cooking it on the stovetop.
FYI – A simmer is a gentle boil where the bubbles just break the surface of the liquid. It shouldn’t boil hard (splattering on your face and stovetop) and it shouldn’t be smoking with no boils.
Like it spicy? Try hot Italian sausage instead of mild. Don’t have pancetta? Use bacon or skip that step.
Crockpot users: Toss all the ingredients except grits into the crockpot and cook low 6-8 hours.
Insta Pot users: Sear the meats first and set aside. Toss all ingredients except grits into the pot and set for 1 hour. Follow cool down instructions. If time is low throw it all without searing (break up the sausage though!) & walk away.
Serves ~10
Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 oz pancetta
• 2 lb pork shoulder, cubed 1 ¼”
• 1 lb mild Italian ground sausage
• 2 cups (~ 1 large) onion, diced
• ¾ cup carrot, diced
• ¾ cup celery, diced
• 1 ½ Tbsp garlic, minced
• 2 cup red wine
• 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
• 2 bay leaf
• 6 thyme sprigs, leaves removed (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
• 2 cup uncooked grits or polenta
• red pepper flakes, optional for spice
• Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese, optional as garnish
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 cups grits, cooked according to package instructions
Instructions
• Add salt and pepper to cubed pork shoulder.
• Bring a large heavy bottom pot to medium high heat. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom.
• Add pancetta and fry ~ 1 ½ minutes on each side or until crispy. Remove pancetta, set aside and slice when cool.
• In the same pot, add cubed pork shoulder and sear/brown on each side ~ 3-4 minutes. You may have to cook in two batches if the pan is not large enough.
• Set seared pork aside in a large bowl and add ground sausage to the hot pot. Cook sausage ~ 5-8 minutes or until cooked through. Add cooked sausage to pork shoulder bowl.
• Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot.
• Reduce heat, cover, and cook ~ 5-7 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until soft.
• Stir in minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add red wine, tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme.
• Stir, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered ~ 2 hours (or oven covered 325F for 2 hours) or until pork shoulder is soft.
• Remove from heat and press pork pieces against edge of pot to coarsely break up the chunks of meat.
• Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Cook grits according to package instructions.
• Serve ragout over grits and add cooked pancetta. Add crushed red pepper flakes if you like it spicy and Parmesan or Mozzarella if you like it cheesy. Happy Eating! Beckie