We checked in with our Head Butcher, Lena Diaz to see how she would go about roasting one of her favorite cuts – the Pork Butt a.k.a. Boston Butt. Her biggest tip is to allow the meat to roast slowly. With a recipe this simple, you don’t have to make a day of it, but you will enjoy the aromas from the morning until the time you finally get to dig in at night!

Ingredients:
One 8-10lb pork butt
Handful of toasted coriander seeds
Handful of toasted fennel seeds
4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed in a morter & pestle, or chopped finely
Ground Cinnamon
Garlic
Salt a generous amount, this is a large cut of meat after all!

Alternately- If you’d rather get more creative you can also just clean out your spice rack. Make sure to toast any whole spices to make the most out of their aromatic qualities and of course use plenty of salt to rub!

Directions:
The Night Before
1. Season your Roast
Rub the pork butt liberally with the toasted seeds, garlic, and salt. Add a dash of cinnamon all over the butt. Place the cut in a casserole dish and leave overnight.

Roasting Day
2. Remove roast from refrigerator and let it rest until it reaches room temp.
3. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees, about 15 minutes.
4. When both the oven and the roast are ready, place the casserole dish in the oven, uncovered.
5. Roast for approximately 8 hours, checking for tenderness periodically.
6. When the roast is fork tender you may remove it from the oven.
7. (Optional) If the roast needs a little extra color on the exterior, you can raise the oven temp to 450 degrees and let it roast for up to an additional 15 minutes.

Let it stand for a few minutes and then enjoy alongside roast vegetables and a glass of wine!

*Photo by Alberto Vargas