Low and Slow Pork Roast and Veggies

I'm a big believer in the Paleo Diet.

And I'm a big believer in fast cooking - hot cast iron skillet, no oil, cook fast and hot, seal in the flavor of meat and veggies and even fruit.... Plate and Eat.

But every once in a while..... I like a low and slow cooked braising style Pot Roast and Veggies.

So lemme show you how I do it.

It starts with the right type of meat... and for low and slow braising, you want the "worst" type of meat which sounds kinda weird, but let me explain.... you want a tough cut of meat with a lot of muscle, cartilage and connective tissue - like a Pork Shoulder which is the cut of meat you see below.

The reason is that all of that connective tissue - when submerged in water or broth and cooked for a long time and at a low temp - that connective tissue breaks down and bastes the meat from the inside out, making it fall apart tender, moist and succulent.

I season the meat I'm gonna cook the night before with meat tenderizer, salt and pepper and a good coating of my spice mix of Garam Masala, Hot Madras Curry Powder, Cumin and Turmeric.  I fork the spices into the meat to get some on the inside.

I gathered up root veggies - sweet potatoes and carrots and Poblano and Jalapeno Peppers, Sweet Onion, Bok Choy and Kale.... Not shown but added was a few cloves of garlic and a yellow squash.

I thought we were cooking this stuff in the oven?

Bear with me.... light up a cast iron skillet and a Dutch Oven.

Cut up the sweet potatoes and carrots.... Geez that's beautiful and we haven't even started cooking yet!

Here's what the stove top cooking is for.... I like to put a quick browning on all the veggies and meat before I slow cook them in the oven!

It puts a seared spice coating on the outside of everything that adds a whole nother layer of flavor.

Here's the reason for the 2nd skillet.... Onions, Peppers and Bok Choy are cooking now too.

Remember - everything is seasoned before it goes in the skillet / Dutch Oven.  

Everything you eat must be seasoned properly!

At this point, I've put a good brown on the root veggies and I've put the pork roast in the Dutch Oven for it's own browning sear!

You flip the roast until it's browned on every side.... it's almost like blackening the outside before you put it in the oven.

Here's the "soft veggies" - bok choy leaves, kale, yellow squash and diced garlic.

At this point, everything is browned...

Deglaze the cast iron skillet and Dutch Oven with a little Chicken broth.

And then combine all the browned veggies into the Dutch Oven with the seared Pork roast and add a whole carton of Beef Stock.

Add water till you get the pot totally full and covering the roast.

Add some dried basil to the top for a little extra flavor.

Cover....

And put in a 250 degree oven for at least 4-1/2 hours.

I tested it at the 4-1/2 hour mark and the roast wasn't quite fork tender so I put it in for another hour....

And man..... it turned out perfect.

And it's totally Paleo and will provide meals for me for several days.

That's this Texas boy's version of Low and Slow Pork Roast and Veggies.

I hope you like it!