Chef John's Garlic-Studded Roast Pork
You’ll love this garlic-studded, herb-rubbed roast pork. Pork shoulder is such a great cut of meat. I cooked this in a pan without liquid, without covering it, and without cooking it at a really low temperature. I didn't want it to be falling apart and wet; I wanted it to be solid, chewy, and crusty.
bone-in pork shoulder roast
3 ½
pounds
garlic, halved
6
cloves
olive oil, divided
2
tablespoons
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Italian seasoning
1
tablespoon
dried rosemary
1
teaspoon
cayenne pepper, or to taste
1
pinch
thinly sliced baby romaine lettuce
¼
cup
halved cherry tomatoes
¼
cup
red wine vinegar
3
tablespoons
cooked white beans
2
cups
 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  Cut about six holes into each side of pork roast with a sharp knife; insert one garlic clove half into each hole. Rub roast with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season all sides of roast with kosher salt and a generous amount of black pepper, then season with Italian seasoning, rosemary, and cayenne pepper. Place into a roasting pan.
  Roast in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Turn the oven off with roast inside and leave it to rest for 1 hour. Then refrigerate the roast, 8 hours to overnight.
  Cut cold pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. If any garlic appears on the cut surface of the meat, pick it out so it doesn't burn. Season slices with salt.
  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat and sear pork slices in the hot oil until browned and crusty, about 10 minutes per side.
  Toss lettuce with tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with red wine vinegar; toss again to coat.
  Heat beans in a saucepan over low heat. Layer about 1/3 cup white beans into a large, shallow soup plate; top beans with a slice of pork shoulder and about 1/4 cup lettuce mixture.
