Name: Pork Roast with Mushroom Gravy
Total time: 7 h
Ingredients: 1 (4- to 5-pound) boneless pork shoulder roast , fat trimmed to 1/8 inch thick (see note); 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme; 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 onion , peeled and halved; 20 ounces cremini or white mushrooms , quartered; 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth; Water; 1 bay leaf; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Why This Recipe Works

For our Pork Roast with Mushroom Gravy, we avoided leaner cuts of meat that weren’t as flavorful. Instead, we opted for the pork shoulder—also known as a Boston butt—which was rich in fat and meaty flavor. For a tender roast, we needed to cook the meat slowly. This way, the fat melted and the tough connective tissue softened.

To build a hearty gravy, we started with chicken broth, but found it imparted an off-putting poultry flavor. We tamed the chicken taste by replacing half of the broth with water. To maximize the mushroom flavor, we tossed the mushrooms directly into the roasting pan. This not only imbued the broth with deep, woodsy flavor but also allowed the mushrooms to soften and caramelize.

Before You Begin

Boneless pork shoulder, also known as Boston butt, is often sold wrapped in netting, which should be removed. Don’t use a nonstick roasting pan, as the dark surface may overbrown the outside of the roast. The rubbed roast may be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated overnight at the end of step 1.

Instructions

PREP PORK Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat pork dry with paper towels and rub all over with 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon sage, salt, and pepper. Tie roast at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine.

ROAST PORK Arrange roast, fat side up, in roasting pan and cook until beginning to brown, about 3 hours. Add onion, mushrooms, broth, 1 cup water, bay leaf, remaining thyme, and remaining sage to pan and continue to roast until meat is well browned and skewer inserted in center meets no resistance, about 3 hours. Transfer roast to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 30 minutes.

STRAIN JUICES Discard onion and bay leaf. Strain contents of roasting pan through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator; reserve mushrooms. Let liquid settle, then pour defatted pan juices (you should have about 1 cup) into measuring cup and add water to yield 1½ cups.

MAKE GRAVY Transfer 2 tablespoons of fat from separator to large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in flour and cook until golden, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in pan juices and bring to boil. Add reserved mushrooms and simmer over medium-low heat until gravy is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove twine from pork. Cut pork into 1-inch slices. Serve with gravy.