In Like A Lion

There is a mountain pass between New York and Massachusetts. It is a one lane seasonal road and the views are spectacular. On the right, as you drive up, is a drop off into the woods and to the left an incline. The road is windy and terrific fun to drive…in the summer.

Last Saturday was beautiful. It was sunny and it had snowed the night before. Early that morning I decided to take a drive in the countryside. Giving myself a goal, I headed off to a favorite market in Massachusetts. As I came upon the pass I thought it might be fun to go over it and admire all the great things God has done.

There is a sign at the bottom of the road that crosses over the mountain from New York to Massachusetts. It says seasonally maintained road. It did not however, say closed, and the snow didn’t look that deep. There were already tracks… So why not, I ‘m a good driver and I have a good car. Lets go.. Half way up I realized this may live in the field of bad decisions of my life. The tracks were ice and my tires had a hard time continuing to climb. The road was narrow and the turns hairpin. I could not turn around. Ok Breathe.. you got this, just go slow.

I continued to climb up the pass vowing never to do this again. I got stuck. I was being too cautious and my tires did not roll over the ice with any momentum and they spun out. Running every geometric option in my head, I decided to back the car up and see if I could get any traction below the icy patch. Reverse in this case translated to slide down the hill backwards. I did not have much control and was banking on the tracks to keep me in line. My plan failed. Also, I could not seem to roll out of the ruts to grab the snow. I was panicking.

My car, conveniently poised in a blind spot if you were coming over the pass, was truly stuck. The panic had me pressing harder on the gas and sliding around more. The cortisol and adrenaline in my system were firing and I could feel the burn in my muscles. Take it easy Sue, you can not cock this one up or you will truly end up wrapped around a tree. Breathe. Go slow.

After several more tries I decide to use my phone a friend option. I could not do this alone. Thank God I was near the home of my friend Chuck. He tried to calmly talk me through freeing the car. When he realized I was panicked he came to my rescue. After 15 minutes I saw him churning through the snow on his way to me in a heavy vehicle with snow tires…. like it was nothing. He got out, laughed and said, “I’ll take your car you take mine. Ok Mr. confident lets go.. When he could not get the car dislodged from its icy roadway either he said… “Well, lets slide it backwards to a wider spot and then we will try and turn you around. The only way this car wants to travel is down.” He backs the car to a spot wide enough to make several turns and get it going in the other direction while I stood and watched from a snow bank. As I try to get back to my vehicle I am practically crawling through the snow. Why? Because I was not wearing snow boots or ice skates. I was wearing boots, fabulous boots, but not snow boots. I look up and there is my friend laughing uncontrollably at me. “You’re a mess'“ he says. “Now take it slow and stay in the snow. You will be fine.” My heart raced as I eased down the hill like an 80 year old woman. Once clear, I found myself in tears.

The day before I had spent 4 hours driving through a storm to teach a class. I was panicked I would be late and miss it because of the weather. When I arrived with one minute to spare, feeling strangely victorious, and running for the finish line, I crossed paths with a salt truck. I was pelted like a convict being stoned for her transgressions. It was March first…. In like a lion.

At this point in my life I don’t do well with stress and the fight or flight of the last two days left me feeling physically ill. I had to calm my body down. Translation… cook something. Slow cooking is my passion and I always feel grounded to the earth when I am prepping something to go in the oven for the day. The smells eventually fill the house and my body relaxes. Since I had two days of panic coursing through my veins I decided to bake a cake as well.

As the smells began to fill the house I napped. Breathe…Out like a lamb.

I chose this pork recipe because it is simple and my brain was fried. Also it is so good! The secret is the juniper berries. I just love them and they add a flavor we don’t taste every day. Pork shoulder is affordable and that is always a plus. I certainly did not need the 10 pound one that is recommended. I do not however adjust the rub for the size of the roast cause in this case.. more is more

Winter Pork Shoulder

Ingredients

¼ cup black peppercorns

3 tablespoons juniper berries

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

½ cup Diamond Crystal or ¼ cup plus 1½ teaspoons Morton kosher salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 8–10-pound skin-on, bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)

5 sprigs rosemary

10 garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly crushed

2 cups dry white wine

Cranberry sauce, cornichons, and whole grain mustard (for serving)

Special Equipment

A spice mill or mortar and pestle. A coffee grinder works too.

Instructions

Finely grind peppercorns, juniper berries, and coriander seeds in spice mill or with mortar and pestle; transfer to a small bowl and mix in salt and sugar.

Set blade on a box cutter to about ⅓" (or use a very sharp paring knife or X-Acto knife) and cut long parallel lines into the skin of pork shoulder, spacing about ¾" apart. You want to cut completely through the fat, getting as close to the meat as possible without slicing into it.

Then, using a pair of kitchen shears, snip between rows to create a diamond-shape pattern, spacing about ¾" apart.

Cutting a crosshatch design into the fat will help it cook out and allow the salt and spices to penetrate the meat.

Rub entire shoulder with spice mixture, covering any exposed meat and pushing into cuts in fat. Try to get the spices into the fatty layer and not on the surface of the skin, where they may burn as the shoulder roasts. Make sure to use all of the spices, even though it may seem like a lot.

Wrap shoulder tightly with plastic and chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.

Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 225°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil (be generous with the foil unless you really enjoy scrubbing pots and pans after Thanksgiving dinner).

Place rosemary sprigs and garlic in the center of baking sheet and set a wire rack on top. Set pork shoulder on rack and transfer to oven.

Pour wine and 2 cups water into baking sheet and roast shoulder until meat is pulling away from the bone and skin is very dark, 9–10 hours (overnight is great).