Salsa Verde with Boston Butt

Salsa Verde sauce

Salsa Verde is a cold sauce typically used in Italian cooking over meats. Our family serves this dish on special occasions including Thanksgiving. The key to the meat is to cook it slowly. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer. By the way, Boston butt is the shoulder of the pork.

Ingredients (serves 8):

Salsa Verde:

• 3 – anchovies with capers
• 1 clove – garlic
• ¾ cup – fresh Italian parsley
• 1/3 cup – celery leaves
• 1 ½ tablespoons – lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon – lemon peel
• 1 tablespoon – red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons – fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons – fresh sage
• ½ cup – extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat grill to about 400 degrees F. Mix the garlic, sage, rosemary, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, whisky, and oil and rub onto pork.

The rub.

Meat with rub.

Wrap each piece of pork in aluminum foil and place in barbecue (important to not place the meat over the flame – needs to have indirect flame).

Meat wrapped in foil on grill (direct flame is too the left).

Cook until center of each pork piece is cooked (about 180 degrees F in center). It should take about 5 to 6 hours. I recommend that you remove the aluminum foil one hour before the meat is finished cooking.

Thermometer coming out of meat.

Mix the anchovies, capers, garlic, parsley, celery leaves, lemon juice, lemon peel, red wine vinegar, rosemary, sage, and oil in a food processor on high until the ingredients are completely blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Salsa Verde

Cooked pork.

Boston Butt rub:

• 6 gloves – garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons – fresh sage, chopped
• 2 tablespoons – fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons – fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon – fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 teaspoon – salt
• 2 teaspoons – black pepper
• ½ cup -- whisky
• 1 tablespoon – extra virgin olive oil
• 8 pounds – Boston butt (with bone) cut into three equal parts – trim excess fat off.

Boston butt