I’m pretty sure we’re not alone among our ChiWulff compadres in appreciating the versatility of the oft overlooked and almost always under-appreciated pork shoulder in the kitchen, on the grill, or slowly morphing into something magical in the smoker.
I’m also pretty sure we’re not alone in developing an increasingly fond appreciation of the wonders of gochujang – the umami-laden, thick, crimson red, Korean fermented chile paste, which also most often includes fermented soybeans, salt, and sticky (glutinous) rice.
We posted a recipe similar to this one using pork chops last fall; we noted then and remind now that –
It took a while to understand that gochujang isn’t really a finishing sauce, like so many of the hot sauces we all have handy on the table; that’s not its best play. After a fair bit of research and needling chef friends, we saw the light – gochujang needs to be mixed with something to work its magic – think soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, or crushed garlic / ginger for a short list of examples.
The naturally sweet, toothy goodness of pork shoulder, in this case sliced thickly and grilled relatively quickly, combined with the funk of gochujang and the other flavors in the marinade can’t be beat.
Don’t forget these slabs aren’t meant to be cut and eaten like a tender steak, once grilled – slice these thin against the grain; it’s great hot off the grill but also makes for a killer sandwich / wrap or topping for a big assed salad later.
12 garlic cloves, crushed (yep, twelve)
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup dry sake
3/4 cup gochujang
3/4 cup mirin
1/3 cup EVOO or avocado oil
2-2.5 lb pork shoulder (no skin, boned), sliced 3/4-inch thick
Throw the garlic, ginger slices, sake, gochujang, mirin, and oil into your trusty blender and puree until smooth; reserve about 1/2 cup.
Pour the remainder into a large, flat container or a 2-gallon plastic bag, add the pork slices, move around to coat well, and refrigerate for a bare minimum of two hours, turning at least once.
Fire the grill when ready to cook; remove the pork from the fridge, drain, reserving the marinade.
Grill over medium high heat, basting during the first 5 minutes of what should be about a 10-12 minute cook for medium; discarding the used marinade after. Pull the pork and let rest for 5-6 minutes.
Slice thinly against the grain, serve warm with the remaining sauce/marinade, and go to it.
Enjoy.
