Pork shoulder is probably my favorite pork cut, the fat almost guaranteeing taste and I’ve never tasted better pork than the joints and chops we’ve bought from our local butcher, The Ventura Meat Company.  In fact, I had more or less given up on modern pork chops until I discovered VMC.

This is a great summer recipe because you start it in the pressure cooker, which eliminates the need to roast in the oven for hours, a process which will heat up a small kitchen – and certainly the galley of a boat! 

It’s also a wonderful recipe for our boat trips to the islands because we can complete the pre-cook – the pressure cooker – in advance, before we leave the dock.  Then we finish the recipe on the grill while we’re at anchor. 

A warning!  This is a delicious dish but it’s hard to call it pretty…

What you need:

Virgin olive oil
5 pound pork shoulder roast
1 onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup water
Salt & Pepper

4 poblano chiles
2 onions, sliced very thick
3 large tomatoes, sliced in half

What you do:
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pressure cooker. Season the roast with salt and pepper then place it in the pressure cooker and brown all sides..

Add the onion, garlic and water to the pan and cook under pressure for about 1 ½ hours.  The meat should be tender and cooked through but not quite falling apart. Let the meat rest for at least ½ hour.

Grill the poblanos until blackened.  Place the peppers in a plastic bag and let them steam for about 20 minutes.  Remove the skin, stem and seeds and open the chiles into one flat piece.  Grill the now-skinless poblanos, onions and tomatoes until lightly charred.  The onions do not have to be cooked all the way through, a little crunch is good.
Put the meat on the grill until it’s crispy on the outside and warmed through. Shred into large chunks.

Coarsely chop the vegetables, mix together, season with salt & pepper and serve alongside the pork.

Accompany the meat and vegetables with warm tortillas and Mexican-style rice.