Roasted pork shoulder is a staple for Cubans on Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) or anytime of the year. A bone-in pork shoulder and some total seasoning (sazonador total) is the simple combination that will have your children licking their plates and make your dog jealous.
The Problem: As kids grow, they begin to realize they want snacks instead of dinner.
The Solution: Flood the entire house with the aroma of roasted bone-in pork shoulder. This will be in the oven all day so start early and make sure someone is around to watch it.
I don’t remember if we have a pork shoulder in the basement freezer and I don’t feel like digging through the freezer to check. I checked my food inventory database and we had one in there! It will have to thaw in the fridge for about 2-3 days.
The night before: All we need is one 8-10 pound bone-in (picnic) pork shoulder, pam spray (or olive oil), and some Goya total seasoning. Place pork shoulder on a large cutting board and score the fat cap multiple times diagonally.
This will allow you to easily pick at the “pork cracklings” on the top.
Spray pam all over the shoulder (or rub olive oil on it) and season it well. Cover and store in the fridge over night.
Day of: It will take a little less than an hour per pound of pork at 300F. Set the oven to 300F and place the pork shoulder on a rack in a roasting pan. Insert the end of the wireless meat thermometer into the shoulder. Let it cook for 4 hours uncovered and then covered with thick aluminum foil. Once it reaches an internal temperature of 185F, remove the aluminum foil and crank up the oven temperature to 425F. This will crisp the outside and the fat cap on top. Remove the pork when the thermometer reaches 200F internally. Let it rest for 15 minutes before carving on a cutting board.
The Problem: Opening and digging through a smaller chest freezer. Also, need a way to keep track of food inventory for quarantine.
The Solution: A database accessible from my phone to add, remove, update, or delete items. At the grocery I can see what I have or don’t have at home.
Count | Item | Brand | Ounces | Category | Location | Updated |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Stuffed Shells | Tallutos | 16 | Other | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Marinara Sauce | Ray | 16 | Other | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Blueberries | Generic | 16 | Fruit | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Pineapple | Generic | 16 | Fruit | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Strawberries | Generic | 16 | Fruit | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
4 | Butter Unsalted | Generic | 4 | Dairy | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Crab Cakes Mini | Omaha Steaks | 15 | Fish | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
2 | Butternut Squash | Generic | 16 | Vegetable | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Pork Shoulder Picnic | Generic | 144 | Meat | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Chicken Cacciatore | Ray | 16 | Meat | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
2 | Chicken Thighs Boneless | Generic | 25 | Meat | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Corn Dogs Mini | Generic | 16 | Meat | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Bacon Applewood | Hatfield | 16 | Meat | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Ham Diced | Generic | 12 | Meat | Downstairs Freezer | June 26, 2020 |
1 | Beef Bone Broth | Kettle and Fire | 16 | Other | Pantry | June 22, 2020 |
1 | Cream of Celery | Campbells | 11 | Other | Pantry | June 22, 2020 |
2 | Cream of Chicken | Campbells | 11 | Other | Pantry | June 22, 2020 |
1 | Vegetable Broth | Swanson | 32 | Other | Pantry | June 22, 2020 |
1 | Chicken Broth Less Sodium | Signature Kitchens | 32 | Other | Pantry | June 22, 2020 |
2 | Chicken Broth | Swanson | 15 | Other | Pantry | June 22, 2020 |
OUT OF STOCK:
I customized the WordPress plugin “Participants Database” to Create, Read, Update, and Delete food items. Anyone can add items but a WordPress login is required to update or delete food items.