We brined the hunk of boneless pork shoulder in allium-infused apple cider for a couple of days. We patted it dry and nestled it on a bed of store-bought, diced mirepoix that we seasoned with salt. We tucked the shoulder into a 300°F oven to roast. After an hour or so, we added some chicken broth to the bottom of the pan to deglaze the vegetables roasting in rendered pork fat and juices. We flipped the shoulder three hours into the roasting and added some additional broth. The shoulder roasted for another two hours. The mirepoix braise-roasted in the broth and fat. The shoulder browned and transformed from tough to tender. We removed the shoulder, covered it, and let it rest for thirty minutes. Then Aki put it on a cutting board and surgically disassembled it. She removed and discarded large pockets of fat, sinew, and gristle. (I was just going to hack up the meat, gristle, fat, sinew, and not worry about a thing. Aki, thankfully, intervened.) She cut the meat into a large-ish dice and added it back to the decadent vegetables. We stirred the meat and coated it with the juicy soffrito. The meat and vegetables were rich, melting, and crush-worthy. We served half the shoulder soffrito as tacos. We reserved the other half for an otherworldly pasta sauce still to come.
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