Four Recipes

Below are four basic recipes, one based on each of the four transformations: a pork shoulder slow cooked over a fire, a sugo (or Bolognese sauce) cooked in a pot, a whole-grain bread, and a sauerkraut. In some cases, the recipe comes from the cook who taught it to me; in others, I have adapted it from what I was taught. A word of caution that is at the same time a word of encouragement: As I learned in the course of my education in the kitchen, "the recipe is never the recipe." It might look comprehensive and legally binding, but in fact these recipes should be treated as a set of sketches or notes. Each of them has been tested by a professional recipe tester, so faithfulness to details and procedures will be rewarded on your first attempt. But after that you should feel free to adjust and improvise-these are templates that can be varied endlessly with little risk and much potential reward. I cook these dishes, or variations on them, regularly, only seldom looking at the text. That way, they continue to mutate and evolve, as recipes should. Eventually they become your own.

1. Fire

Pork Shoulder Barbecue

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 46 hours (once the meat has been seasoned)

FOR THE PORK

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

One 5- to 6-pound pork shoulder, preferably with bone in and skin on (ask for a "Boston b.u.t.t")

2 handfuls hickory chips (other types of wood chips can be subst.i.tuted)

1 disposable aluminum foil shallow pan

1 smoker box (see note)

FOR THE VINEGAR-BBQ SAUCE

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

4 teaspoons hot pepper flakes

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

PREPARE THE PORK

In a small bowl, mix the salt and sugar until combined. One to three days before you plan to grill, generously sprinkle the salt-sugar rub over the entire pork shoulder, covering every surface. You may not need the full cup of rub. (A good rule of thumb is 2 teaspoons per pound of meat.) If you're lucky enough to have a shoulder with skin on it, score the skin in a crosshatch pattern, leaving an inch or so between the lines. Try to work some of the rub into the scorings. Refrigerate the pork shoulder uncovered. Bring to room temperature before you put it on the grill.

Prepare a gas grill for smoking. Soak the wood chips in water for about 30 minutes; set aside. On a section of the grill that won't receive direct heat, place a disposable pan or tray beneath the cooking grate and directly on the flavorizer bars or lava rocks (whichever your grill has). Fill the pan about halfway with water; this will catch drippings and keep the inside of the grill moist. Set the cooking grate back on the grill. Adjust the burners so the temperature in the grill is somewhere between 200F and 300F. Keep the burners under the drip pan off, and those not under it on. Drain the wood chips and place them in a smoker box. A few minutes before putting the meat on the grill, set the smoker box directly over the heat source. (Smoke works best early in the cooking process.) Place the shoulder on the grill above the drip pan, skin or fat side up.

Cover the grill and roast the pork shoulder for 4 to 6 hours. The time it takes will vary depending on your piece of meat, the grill, and the cooking temperature. Lower temperature is better but takes much longer to cook. Whichever temperature you choose, check occasionally to make sure it does not exceed 300F or fall below 200F. When the temperature of the interior of the meat is 195F, it should be done. Don't be alarmed if the temperature of the pork shoulder rises quickly and then stays at 150F for a long time (sometimes for several hours). This is called the "stall." Be patient and wait for it to reach 195F. Check to see if the meat feels relaxed to the touch or if you can pull it apart with a fork. If it resists, give it another 30 minutes.

The meat should by now be a deep brown color. If the outside of the shoulder doesn't have some dark, crispy areas (i.e., bark or, if you started with skin, crackling), crank up the temperature to 500F for a few minutes. (Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.) Remove the meat from the grill and let it rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

MAKE THE VINEGAR-BBQ SAUCE

Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, hot pepper flakes, and black pepper in a medium-size bowl and stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved; set aside.

Either pull the pork shoulder apart with a fork or roughly chop with a cleaver, incorporating crispy bits of crackling (if you have it) or bark. Mix in a generous splash of the vinegar BBQ sauce; adjust the seasoning, making sure there's enough acid (vinegar) and salt. Put the remainder of the sauce in a pitcher on the table. Serve with soft rolls. Coleslaw and beans and rice make good accompaniments.

NOTE: If you don't have a smoker box, you can make one by piercing holes all over a shallow and narrow foil-covered aluminum pan.

VARIATION: With a few small changes, the same pork shoulder can be prepared in an Asian manner. This variation is loosely adapted from a David Chang recipe; the dashi recipe is adapted from Sylvan Brackett's. Cook the shoulder as above but omit the vinegar BBQ sauce. Instead, serve it with this dashi-based ginger-and-scallion dipping sauce. Make the sauce several hours before using so that the flavors have time to meld.

ASIAN DIPPING SAUCE

FOR THE DASHI

ounce (three 7-inch pieces) kombu seaweed, available at j.a.panese markets

6 cups cool water

1 ounce shaved katsuobushi (bonito flakes), available at j.a.panese markets

1 dried shiitake mushroom, optional

FOR THE SAUCE

2 cups cooled dashi, from recipe below

cup thinly sliced scallions

cup roughly chopped cilantro

cup rice vinegar (cider vinegar or ume plum vinegar can be used instead)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced ginger (from a 2-inch piece)

2 tablespoons mirin

teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Pinch hot pepper flakes or togarashi, optional MAKE THE DASHI

In a medium saucepan, soak the kombu in the water for 1 to 2 hours.

Set the saucepan of kombu on the stove and turn the heat up to high. When the water begins to throw bubbles but before it reaches a rolling boil, remove the kombu with tongs and discard. Stir the katsuobushi into the broth, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.