The arrosto is Italy's answer to the Sunday roast: a piece of meat cooked slowly with wine and herbs until the whole house smells like something worth sitting down to. This version is a braise rather than a dry roast, which keeps the pork shoulder from drying out and turns the wine into a proper sauce.
The chill step at the start is not optional. Salting the pork and resting it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking helps the seasoning penetrate and gives the surface time to dry out again, which means a better sear.
The sauce is the second dish in this recipe. After the pork comes out, what is left in the pot is already good. Straining it and reducing it for 20 minutes makes it exceptional.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Tie the pork shoulder into a compact cylinder with kitchen twine at 3-4 cm intervals so it holds its shape during cooking. Rub all over with salt and pepper. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove the pork from the refrigerator. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat.
Add the shallot, garlic cloves, rosemary, and thyme. Stir 2 minutes until fragrant.
Push aromatics to the side. Add the pork and brown on all sides, turning every 2 minutes, until deeply colored all over. About 8-10 minutes total.
Pour in the red wine. Let it boil and reduce for 5 minutes.
Add the broth. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 40 minutes. Turn the pork halfway through.
Remove the pork and tent it loosely with foil to rest while you make the sauce.
Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids. Discard solids. Return the liquid to the pot over medium-high heat and reduce to roughly half its volume, about 15-20 minutes.
Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of cold water. Whisk into the simmering sauce. Cook 2 minutes until lightly thickened. Taste and adjust salt.
Remove the twine, slice the pork 0.4 in thick, and arrange on a platter. Spoon sauce over and around. Serve with Gusta Fig Preserve on the side: the sweetness closes the wine in the sauce.
You made Arrosto di Maiale con Vino Rosso e Erbe. Time to eat.
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The pork is done when a skewer inserted at the thickest point meets no resistance. Internal temperature target is [[68-72 C | 155-162 F]]. Above 75 C and the shoulder starts to dry out. If you have a thermometer, use it.
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