Caucasus-Style Braised Pork Shoulder

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds 
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds 
• 0.5 cup cilantro leaves fresh chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves 
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 4 tablespoons olive oil 
• 5 pound pork shoulder roast bone-in trimmed (also called picnic roast)
• 1 large onion red chopped
• 0.8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes dried hot
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar 
• 2 cups water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• knife
• pot
• tongs

Directions

1. Mince garlic, then mash to a paste with 2 teaspoons kosher salt using a heavy knife. Grind coriander and fenugreek seeds and red-pepper flakes to a powder in grinder, then stir together with garlic and 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl. Make 2-inch-deep slits all over meat with a small sharp knife and push some of paste into slits. Rub remaining paste all over meat. Put pork in a bowl and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.
2. Bring meat to room temperature, about 1 hour.
3. Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
4. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork on all sides, turning with tongs and a large kitchen fork, about 8 minutes total.
5. Transfer pork to a large plate and cook onion in fat remaining in pot, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits, until beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Return pork to pot and add water and remaining teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly with lid and transfer to oven. Braise, turning meat once, until very tender, about 3 hours. Cool pork in pan juices completely, uncovered, about 1 1/2 hours, then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.
6. Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
7. Remove fat from surface of pan juices and reheat pork (with pan juices), covered, in oven 1 hour.
8. Transfer pork to a platter using cleaned tongs and large fork. Stir cilantro, vinegar, and table salt and pepper to taste into pan juices and serve with pork.
9. •Pork can be marinated up to 3 days.•Braised pork can be chilled up to 2 days.