Marinated oven-baked pulp

In colder days, when I find fresh pork shoulder, I usually prepare this roast in the oven. It needs time to marinate, but it's worth it, especially if I want everything ready for the next day’s meal. It's not a complicated recipe, but it requires a bit of planning and some patience in the oven. I usually make it when I also have fresh sausages on hand, as their flavor complements the marinated meat.

Quick Info

Total time: about 24 hours (includes overnight marination)
Actual preparation time: 20-30 minutes
Oven cooking time: 90 minutes
Servings: 8-10, depending on the thickness of the slices
Difficulty: medium
Recipe type: roast for lunch or dinner, suitable for festive meals

Ingredients

1.5 kg fresh pork shoulder (cut into suitable slices)
fresh pork sausages (amount is up to you, enough to cover the meat in the tray)
4 bay leaves
5-6 tablespoons oil
1 large head of garlic
300 ml homemade red wine
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
peppercorns (to taste)
salt and ground pepper, to taste
6-7 tablespoons soy sauce

Preparation Method

1. Wash the pork shoulder and cut it into fairly thick slices, not thin like for schnitzel. I usually pat them dry with a paper towel so they aren't wet.

2. Brush each slice with a little oil. I use one or two tablespoons from the 5-6 mentioned.

3. Peel the garlic and slice it into rounds.

4. Prepare the marinade in a large plastic or glass bowl: add the soy sauce, mustard seeds, peppercorns, salt and pepper to taste, bay leaves, sliced garlic, and then pour in the red wine. Mix well.

5. Place the meat slices in this marinade. Gently mix with your hands to ensure they are evenly coated.

6. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours). It's essential to keep it cool for the flavors to penetrate the meat.

7. The next day, take the meat out of the fridge. Place the marinated slices in a tray (I use a fairly large one, so the slices don’t overlap if possible).

8. Pour the remaining marinade from the bowl over the meat.

9. If it seems like there isn’t enough liquid or the meat doesn’t have a sheen, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of oil over the meat.

10. Cut the fresh sausages into suitable pieces and place them on top and among the meat slices.

11. Cover the tray with aluminum foil and place it in the oven at medium temperature (about 180°C) for 90 minutes.

12. Halfway through (after about 45 minutes), remove the aluminum foil and let the roast brown. If you notice the sauce reducing too quickly, you can pour in a little water or wine.

13. In the end, the meat should be tender and browned, and the sausages should be well cooked.

Why I make this recipe often

I cook it a few times a year, especially when I need a roast that holds up well at the table and pairs with many side dishes. The meat becomes tender due to the marinade and doesn’t need constant supervision in the oven. It's suitable for a large meal or even for the next day, as leftovers.

Tips and Variations

Tips

- Use dry red wine, not semi-sweet, to avoid a too-sweet roast.
- If you have more time, you can marinate the meat for 24 hours.
- Place the tray as high as possible in the oven after removing the foil for quick browning.
- If you want to control the salt, adjust the soy sauce and other seasonings.

Substitutions

- You can use veal or turkey shoulder, but the cooking times need to be adjusted.
- Regular soy sauce can be replaced with light soy sauce if you want it to be less salty.
- For those without homemade wine, a regular dry red wine will work too.

Variations

- Sometimes I add onion rings to the marinade if I want an extra flavor.
- You can omit the sausages if you want a pure pork roast.
- If you don’t have mustard seeds, you can use regular mustard in the marinade (about a tablespoon), although the taste will be slightly different.

Serving Ideas

- The roast pairs well with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or sautéed cabbage.
- It also goes well with a salad of pickles or raw cabbage.
- The sauce from the tray can be used to drizzle over the side dishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make the recipe without marinating the meat overnight?

You can shorten the marinating time to 4-5 hours if you're in a hurry, but the taste and texture won't be the same. For tender meat, overnight marination helps a lot.

What type of sausages works best?

I use fresh pork sausages, not smoked ones. Smoked ones can alter the flavor of the sauce and the final saltiness. If you don’t have them, you can skip them.

Can I freeze the roast after cooking it?

You can freeze it after it has completely cooled. The texture won’t be as juicy, but it keeps well for 1-2 months.

Can the recipe be made without wine?

The wine helps tenderize the meat and adds flavor. Without it, the meat will be less aromatic. You can try using broth, but the result will be different.

Nutritional Values

Approximately, for 100 g of roast (meat + sauce), you have around 240 kcal, with about 18 g of protein, 17 g of fat, and 2-3 g of carbohydrates (from the marinade and wine). The sausages add extra fat and calories, so the final portion can rise to 320-350 kcal/100 g if you add a lot of sausages. Values vary depending on the cut of meat and how much sauce remains.

Storage and Reheating

The roast can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in a covered container. To reheat, place a portion with a little sauce in a small tray or glass dish and cover with foil, in the oven or microwave. If there is too much fat, you can remove it from the top after it has cooled. The roast is not as tasty reheated as it is fresh, but it stores well. I do not recommend keeping it in the freezer for more than 1-2 months, as the texture changes.

 Ingredients: 1.5 kg fresh pork shoulder, fresh pork sausages, 4 bay leaves, 5-6 tablespoons of oil, 1 large head of garlic, 300 ml homemade red wine, mustard seeds (2 tablespoons), peppercorns, salt and pepper to taste, soy sauce (6-7 tablespoons)

 Tags:  oven-baked pulp