Ingredients:

  • 7.5 lb bone-in pork butt (shoulder)
  • 3 tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp black peppercorns, freshly cracked
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed into a paste
  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and crushed
  • 0.5 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large yellow onions, thickly sliced
  • 2 cups hard apple cider

Instructions:

  1. Pat the 7.5 lb pork butt with paper towels until the skin is completely matte.
  2. Heat fennel seeds in a small pan for 2 minutes until they smell nutty and fragrant.
  3. Mix garlic paste, rosemary, crushed fennel, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl.
  4. Massage the herb paste into every crevice of the pork.
  5. Place the thick onion slices in the bottom of the roasting pan.
  6. Sit the meat fat side up on top of the onions.
  7. Pour the 2 cups of hard cider into the pan, avoiding the top of the meat.
  8. Roast at 220°C for 30 minutes until the skin starts to sizzle and blister.
  9. Drop the heat to 150°C and roast for 5 hours until the internal temp hits 92°C.
  10. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 30 minutes until the juices settle back into the fibers.