The Pork Shoulder (fly and roast recipe)
The Pork Shoulder Sangwich
Feeding a group of hungry fishermen requires planning. Pork shoulder is a cost-effective cut that can be prepared in various ways—roasts, pulled pork, sausage, or cured capicollo—making it a staple for fishing trips. Whether it's a post-fishing feast or a riverside sandwich, the Pork Shoulder delivers on all fronts!
Cured homemade capicollo
The Pork Shoulder Fly got its name from my good buddy, Greg! We had just released a beautiful spring salmon. He asked about the large tube fly I used to catch it.
I explained that I wanted something big that a salmon can see coming from far away. We need to cover alot of water to find spring salmon which are few and far between. Fishing something flashy and substantial assures me that I have covered water properly and that if there was a fish, it would've seen my fly.
Both these springers were hungry for the Pork shoulder
I tied it specifically with this in mind while choosing my favorite colors and materials that have given me success in the past and that salmon seem to love.
This particular pattern caught me a few spring fish in past years, so I do tend to fish it most. "The fly that's fished most, catches the most fish!"
"Something substantial, that everyone loves? Sounds like the Pork Shoulder Roast you prepare for our trips! You should call it the Pork Shoulder fly!", Greg joked!
Greg tied some up and began having success on his home rivers on the Miramichi system. I then began tying it on hooks and in smaller sizes for summer and fall fishing.
A thinly sliced capicollo sandwich for a quick shore lunch
The smaller hairwing version was first tied onto my leader after having a homemade capicollo sandwich for lunch. It was a slow morning and although there were a few fish rolling in the pool, we could not get them interested in our flies.
Wondering what fly to tie on after lunch, the Pork Shoulder came to mind halfway through my sandwich!
Maybe it was the short lunch break that forced us to rest the pool or maybe it was the Pork Shoulder fly, but the fish turned on after a few swings!! It's now called the Pork Shoulder Sangwich fly. My Italian accent spells it with a "g" of course.
It's definitely a fish catcher.
Since then, the fly has evolved into many other variations and has caught alot of fish in different seasons and different rivers for our group and the people I share it with.
I really believe it's a successful fly because we fish it so much, but I don't speak salmon, so I'll never truly know why they eat it, but thankfully they do!
The Pork Shoulder tube fly
Thread: red
Tag: gold oval tinsel, yellow floss
Tail: yellow floss
Butt: red wool
Body: green mylar
Rib: gold oval tinsel
Wing: peacock herl over long black hair over yellow hair
Lateral line: one strand of any type crystal or pearl flash on left and right side of fly
Collar: Yellow shlappen, or yellow hackle, or yellow ostrich plume.
Cheeks: jungle cock
Pork Shoulder Sangwich hairwing
Thread: red
Tag: gold oval tinsel, yellow floss
Tail: yellow floss or yellow hackle fibers or golden pheasant crest
Butt: red wool
Body: green mylar
Rib: gold oval tinsel
Wing: peacock herl(optional) over black hair over yellow hair, over any type of crystal flash
Collar: yellow hackle or yellow shlappen
Cheeks: jungle cock
Chef Robert's Pork shoulder roast recipe
This recipe was shared with me by a good friend,the late Chef Robert. A personal chef to many celebrities and rockstars and head chef in many of the finest Montréal restaurants, and all around great person.
Chef Robert, later began a fresh pasta making and catering business that supplied Montréal restaurants with the best handmade pasta this side of Italy. On Thursday and Fridays, he'd open his doors to a few friends and clients for lunch. He'd cook up his handmade pasta or create his signature sandwiches. He did this for the joy and passion of his craft alone and wanted to share it with close friends and other passionate foodies, but made it clear to all of us to not advertise it. He made a limited amount of food and if you did not show up between 12:00 and 1:30 pm, you weren't going to eat!
He invited me to his place to show me exactly how he prepares his Pork Shoulder Roast and I've been cooking it the same way ever since.
He is missed.
Ingredients:
Serves 12 to 20 people (expect leftovers!)
-1 Pork Shoulder (14 to 18 pounds) skinned,deboned, and butterflied
-Sea salt
-Spice rub 2 table spoons of each(Black pepper, coriander seeds, Paprika,Cayenne or Chilli pepper,Garlic powder, Onion powder)
Add more or less of each ingredient to personal taste.
-3 to 6 bay leaves(remove leaf stems)
-Garlic cloves 6 to 10
-Dried Oregano 1/4 to 1/3 cup
-Fresh Rosemary half cup to 3/4 cup
-Fresh Sage leaves 1 dozen
-Fennel seeds 1/4 to 1/3 cup
-Extra Virgin olive oil 3/4 to 1 cup
Pork shoulder is relatively inexpensive, so I strongly recommend buying a quality piece of meat from a local butcher. It's always best if it's fresh and not frozen.
Have the butcher skin, debone, and butterfly the Shoulder open.(You can cook it with the skin also, but this requires a few more steps)
Skinned, deboned, and butterflied
Combine all of the herbs and spice ingredients into a food processor. Turn on and slowly add the olive oil until everything is blended into a loose paste. Liberally salt both sides of Roast. Then rub on the spice and herb oil paste allover Roast.
Salted, and herb oil paste rubbed on both sides
Prepare butchers twine. Roll and tie the roast as best you can.
I like to tie it tightly a with as much rope as needed to keep any loose ends tucked in
We prepare our own dinner meals for our fishing trips. This meal does need a little planning because of the low and slow cooking process. I usually butcher and prepare the roast at home, a day prior to leaving for our fishing trip.
When we arrive at camp, I remove the roast from the cooler and let it get to room temperature. I time our alarm clock for the next day's wake up time which is usually around 4 or 5 am and I time 8 to 10 hours of cooking from then. This means I'll put the roast in the oven between 6 and 9 pm the night before.
Preheat your oven to bake at 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the Pork roast on a roasting rack at the bottom of a roasting pot. Cut a piece of parchment paper and place it around the roast. Roll closed the top of the paper. The only exposed area of the roast will be the bottom. This step will keep the roast from drying out, but still let the juices and fat render out from the bottom.
When we wake up the next morning, the whole kitchen smells of herbs and spices! I turn the oven off and place the roasting pan's lid over the roast and go fishing for the day!
The roast will stay in the oven and keep cooking for another hour or so with the residual heat.
A half hour before dinner, I'll set the oven to 425F. I remove the roasting pan lid and parchment paper from roast and let brown for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes covered in aluminum foil. Slice and serve with your favorite sides.
There will be left overs!!! This is the best part!
We make sandwiches for the next day's shore lunch! A few slices of roast with some sweet peppers and cheese! Delicious!!
The 2023 season was particularly good thanks to the Pork Shoulder Sangwich fly.
We hooked fish with it in different Gaspe and North shore rivers!
My buddy Alex hooked 2 back to back springers on the Cascapedia and my son had a particularly good day in early summer on a north shore river, hooking 3 striped bass and 2 salmon on the Pork Shoulder Sangwich!
That's my boy!
I also had a couple of salmon on the Pork Shoulder Sangwich and the trout seemed to like it too!
I don't think it's any better than any other fly. We just fished it most and as it so often happens, we tend to stick with what works.
This, like many flies, is a blend of many different flies I have confidence in. The Night hawk, Black Doctor, Picasse, Sunray Shadow, Green Spey, and Renous Special to name a few.
It fishes in all weather, water and light conditions.
Like me, fish seem to have a taste for pork!
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