slow-roasted pork butt, 3 ways

butt stuff 🤙🏻

Click here for the What to Cook recipe index (AKA check out all past recipes!), and scroll to the very bottom of this post for a big printer-friendly PDF with all of today’s recipes.

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So… funny story. A year and a half ago, I published this 30-minute bo ssam recipe, now beloved by many of you. Traditional bo ssam takes 6 to 8 hours, and I deemed that far too long for this newsletter (one of the unofficial by-laws of which is that recipes must take under an hour to cook). Hence my developing the quickie 30-minute version.

So then, how did I wind up here, sharing a recipe for a slow-roasted pork butt that takes, GASP, 4 to 8 hours?!

Because rules are made to be broken! And because so many of us are now working from home, at least partially, and this can be thrown in the oven in the morning and ready by dinnertime with no extra effort. This would also be a fantastic weekend roast. Cook it up on Sunday and enjoy the spoils all week long.

But mostly, What To Cook had to have this recipe because it is one of my all-time favorites and it is too good — and too easy — not to be featured here. Seriously, this is one of those recipes that will make you feel so proud.

This is also my go-to dinner party recipe, FYI! I typically go the bo ssam or taco route for serving it.

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one butt, three ways

The core of this week’s recipe is the pork butt itself. I’m going to teach you just how insanely delicious and succulent a pork butt can be with so very little work.

But I’m also going to give you three ways to enjoy the pork. You can use one of my three serving ideas — each of which comes together in about five minutes flat — or just serve your pork butt with some roasted veggies, or mashed potatoes, or whatever the heck you want!

1. Pork Vermicelli Noodle Bowls // Vermicelli, chopped lettuce, chopped vegetables, peanuts, fresh herbs, and *the most delicious sauce* — nuoc cham! A fabulous spicy and sweet Vietnamese sauce.

2. Carnitas Tacos // This is the easiest of the three ways to enjoy your butt. Just warm up some tortillas, smash up some avocado, and throw together some tacos. So simple and delicious.

3. Lexington-Style Chop Sandwiches // There is Western North Carolina BBQ, and there is Eastern North Carolina BBQ. Western = smothered in barbecue sauce. Eastern (AKA Lexington) = tossed with a vinegary, slightly spicy sauce. In my family, Eastern NC BBQ reigns supreme. The vinegar cuts through the fatty meat in the most perfect way, making a crude hunk of meat a perfectly balanced delicacy.

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slow-roasted pork butt

Serves 6 to 8