By Christie Vanover | Published December 9, 2012 | Last Updated December 28, 2022
This tender pork rolled with bright herbs is only made better with a side of citrus gravy. When I mixed the pan drippings with orange juice, lemon juice and cream, I had no idea it would end up this tasty. The gravy is so good I could almost drink a glass of it.
I was watching the Food Network a couple of weeks ago and someone was preparing this amazing looking sandwich with a rolled stuffed pork butt. I don’t remember what show it was. I think maybe Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The featured chef didn’t provide the exact recipe. He just mentioned the herbs rolled inside the pork.
I quickly grabbed my iPhone and typed in all of the herbs, so I could try to re-create the dish. Instead of serving it with gravy, he sautéed the sliced meat in a pan with garlic and pepperoncinis and topped it with cheese. Then he slid it into a ciabatta roll.
After I cooked the pork, it looked so great when it came out of the oven, I skipped the sandwich-making plan and whipped up a gravy instead. I had a lemon and orange on hand since I used them for the zest, so I juiced them and added the juice to the drippings. A little cream to balance the acid and oh yeah baby! Dinner is ready.
Citrus Herb Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb. boneless pork shoulder
- olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. course black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
- 1 tsp. dried chopped rosemary
- 1 tsp. fennel seed or ½ tsp. ground fennel
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 lemons
- 1 naval orange
- more salt and pepper
- 2 cups water
- 2 T. butter
- 2 T. flour
- ¼ cup cream
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine minced garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, sage, rosemary, fennel, pepper flakes, zest of 1 lemon, zest of half an orange.
- Using a sharp boning knife, cut a boneless pork shoulder into a flat piece. Place the knife at any point, begin cutting at a diagonal about an inch under the surface. Continue cutting until you have a flat piece of meat about an inch thick.
- Drizzle the surface of the meat with olive oil. Rub in the oil and the spice mixture.
- Roll the pork back up in the same direction it was originally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie with string or butchers netting.
- Place on a rack in a 13×9 pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 2-3 hours. After the first 30 minutes, add 1 cup of water to the pan. After another hour, add another cup of water to the pan.
- Once cooked through (mine took 2 hours). Remove from the oven.
- Remove the netting and cover with foil. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
- To make the citrus gravy, add butter and flour to a saucepot. Stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes to make a roux.
- Pour the drippings from the roasting pan into the saucepot. Add the juice of 2 lemons and one orange. Stir, until thickened. Add cream. Strain.
- Slice the pork and serve with the citrus gravy.
This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator
Amanda says
I’ve been thinking about this recipe ever since I first saw it on Facebook. I finally made it today and it is so tender and flavorful. I must confess that I made it in the crock pot. I intended to make it as the recipe is written but something came up and I could not be home to watch the oven. I was surprised that the top browned in the slow cooker too.
This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you! 🙂
zestuous says
Thanks so much Amanda. I’m glad it worked out in the crock-pot. I’m going to have to try that on a busy work day.
Pops says
I was invited to share this meal and I can proud to say it was worth all the effort she put into preparing it. Great taste, appearance, tender and moist and I hope she prepares it again soon. 5 stars with all the trimmings for sure.
zestuous says
Thanks pops. Your Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes made it even better.