The market · Meat · The Americas, East Asia
Pork shoulder
Marbled and forgiving, and happiest cooked for hours — the cut for carnitas, cochinita pibil, pulled pork and char siu.
rich · porky
What to do with it
Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineapplePork shoulder would soften its edgeIbu Sari's Sambal ijoPork shoulder would soften its edgeKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaPork shoulder would soften its edge
MinahasanTinoransakPork packed into green bamboo with chilli, ginger, lemongrass and lemon basil, and cooked in the flames.No one here has made it yetVietnameseBún bò HuếThick, round rice noodles in a beef and pork broth sharp with lemongrass, deepened with fermented shrimp paste and reddened with chilli oil.No one here has made it yetVietnameseCao lầuFirm, yellowish noodles with slices of soy-braised pork, crisp squares of fried noodle dough and herbs, in just a spoonful of rich broth.No one here has made it yetVietnameseCơm tấmBroken rice with a grilled lemongrass pork chop, shredded pork skin, a slice of steamed egg and pork loaf, pickles and nước chấm.No one here has made it yetFilipinoPancit cantonThick egg noodles stir-fried with pork, chicken, prawns and vegetables in soy and stock, with calamansi to squeeze over.No one here has made it yet
CantoneseCongeeRice simmered in plenty of water until the grains break down into a smooth, silky porridge, with something savoury stirred in.No one here has made it yetCantoneseChar siuStrips of pork shoulder in a sweet soy marinade, roasted hot and glazed until the edges char.No one here has made it yetCantonesePork chop bunA marinated pork chop, beaten thin and fried, pressed into a crusty split roll — Macau's favourite snack.No one here has made it yetJapaneseTonkatsuA thick pork cutlet in flour, egg and coarse panko, deep-fried until crisp, sliced, and served with shredded cabbage and a thick, fruity sauce.No one here has made it yetKoreanDwaeji gukbapRice in a milky pork-bone broth with slices of boiled pork, seasoned at the table with salted shrimp, garlic chives and a red chilli paste.No one here has made it yetGoanVindalooPork marinated in a paste of dried red chillies, garlic and spice ground in vinegar, then cooked slowly until sharp, rich and deep red.No one here has made it yetGoanSorpotelPork and pork liver boiled, diced small and cooked in a hot, sharp sauce of chilli, spice and vinegar — a Christmas and wedding dish, made days ahead.No one here has made it yetGoanGoan sausageCubes of fatty pork cured with chilli, garlic, spice and vinegar, stuffed into casings, dried in the sun and smoked — then fried with onion and eaten in bread.No one here has made it yetSri LankanLampraisRice cooked in stock, with a mixed-meat curry, frikkadels, prawn blachan, aubergine pickle and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and baked.No one here has made it yetGeorgianKubdariA round, closed bread from Svaneti filled with hand-chopped beef or pork, onion and Svan salt, baked until the juices soak into the crust.No one here has made it yetGeorgianMtsvadiChunks of pork or lamb skewered and grilled over the embers of vine cuttings, served with raw onion, pomegranate and tkemali.No one here has made it yetAlsatianBaeckeoffePork, lamb and beef marinated overnight in white wine, layered with potatoes and onions in an earthenware dish sealed with dough, and baked for hours.No one here has made it yetGreekSouvlakiSmall pieces of pork or chicken grilled on skewers, eaten from the stick or wrapped in pitta with tomato, onion, tzatziki and chips.No one here has made it yet
MexicanCochinita pibilPork marinated in achiote and bitter orange, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked until it falls apart.No one here has made it yet
MexicanTacos al pastorPork in a red chilli adobo, stacked on a vertical spit, shaved onto small corn tortillas with pineapple, onion and coriander.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunBoudinA soft sausage of pork, liver, rice, onion and spring onion, spiced with cayenne — squeezed from its casing and eaten on the go.No one here has made it yet
CantoneseCongeeRice simmered in plenty of water until the grains break down into a smooth, silky porridge, with something savoury stirred in.No one here has made it yetCantoneseChar siuStrips of pork shoulder in a sweet soy marinade, roasted hot and glazed until the edges char.No one here has made it yetCantonesePork chop bunA marinated pork chop, beaten thin and fried, pressed into a crusty split roll — Macau's favourite snack.No one here has made it yetJapaneseTonkatsuA thick pork cutlet in flour, egg and coarse panko, deep-fried until crisp, sliced, and served with shredded cabbage and a thick, fruity sauce.No one here has made it yetKoreanDwaeji gukbapRice in a milky pork-bone broth with slices of boiled pork, seasoned at the table with salted shrimp, garlic chives and a red chilli paste.No one here has made it yetGoanVindalooPork marinated in a paste of dried red chillies, garlic and spice ground in vinegar, then cooked slowly until sharp, rich and deep red.No one here has made it yetGoanSorpotelPork and pork liver boiled, diced small and cooked in a hot, sharp sauce of chilli, spice and vinegar — a Christmas and wedding dish, made days ahead.No one here has made it yetGoanGoan sausageCubes of fatty pork cured with chilli, garlic, spice and vinegar, stuffed into casings, dried in the sun and smoked — then fried with onion and eaten in bread.No one here has made it yetSri LankanLampraisRice cooked in stock, with a mixed-meat curry, frikkadels, prawn blachan, aubergine pickle and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and baked.No one here has made it yetGeorgianKubdariA round, closed bread from Svaneti filled with hand-chopped beef or pork, onion and Svan salt, baked until the juices soak into the crust.No one here has made it yetGeorgianMtsvadiChunks of pork or lamb skewered and grilled over the embers of vine cuttings, served with raw onion, pomegranate and tkemali.No one here has made it yetAlsatianBaeckeoffePork, lamb and beef marinated overnight in white wine, layered with potatoes and onions in an earthenware dish sealed with dough, and baked for hours.No one here has made it yetGreekSouvlakiSmall pieces of pork or chicken grilled on skewers, eaten from the stick or wrapped in pitta with tomato, onion, tzatziki and chips.No one here has made it yetMexicanCochinita pibilPork marinated in achiote and bitter orange, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked until it falls apart.No one here has made it yetMexicanTacos al pastorPork in a red chilli adobo, stacked on a vertical spit, shaved onto small corn tortillas with pineapple, onion and coriander.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunBoudinA soft sausage of pork, liver, rice, onion and spring onion, spiced with cayenne — squeezed from its casing and eaten on the go.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Collar / Boston butt
- The upper shoulder; well marbled, for char siu and slow roasts.
- Hand / picnic
- The lower shoulder; more sinew, often skin-on.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Butchers.
- Worth knowing
- For carnitas, cook it slowly in lard until tender, then turn up the heat to crisp the edges.