Apple Cider Vinegar Pork Shoulder Recipes

CIDER-BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Generously salt all sides of the pork shoulder chunks. Heat oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Brown pork shoulder pieces until surface is seared and crusty, about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Transfer browned pork to a plate. Add onions to oil and reduce heat to medium and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook and stir about 2 minutes. Add torn sage leaves; cook until onions soften and begin to brown, stirring frequently. Pour cider into pot; stir to deglaze bottom. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in cider vinegar. Reduce heat to low.
• Transfer pork shoulder pieces to cider mixture. Cover; simmer gently on low 1 hour. Remove lid and turn pieces over. Cover; simmer on low until meat is fork tender, 1 to 2 more hours. Transfer pork to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Raise heat to high and bring sauce to a simmer. Whisk in creme fraiche. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half and is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in a pinch of cayenne. Transfer pork back to pot; reduce heat to low. Baste pork with sauce while it heats through and becomes perfectly tender, and the sauce is as thick as you want it, about 15 more minutes.

CIDER BRAISED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Using sharp knife, trim fat cap on roast to 1/4 inch. Cut 1-inch crosshatch pattern, 1/16 inch deep, in fat cap. Place roast on large sheet of plastic wrap. Combine sugar and 1/4 cup salt in bowl and rub mixture over entire roast and into slits. Wrap roast tightly in double layer of plastic, place on plate, and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Unwrap roast and pat dry with paper towels, brushing away any excess salt mixture from surface. Season roast with pepper.
• Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear roast until well browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Turn roast fat side up. Scatter onion and garlic around roast and cook until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups cider, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer to oven, and braise until fork slips easily in and out of meat and meat registers 190 degrees, 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours.
• Transfer roast to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator; discard solids and let liquid settle for at least 5 minutes.
• About 10 minutes before roast is done resting, wipe out pot with paper towels. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of clear, separated fat from top of fat separator into now-empty pot and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season apples with salt and pepper. Space apples evenly in pot, cut side down, and cook until well browned on both cut sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil.
• Wipe out pot with paper towels. Return 2 cups defatted braising liquid to now-empty pot and bring to boil over high heat. Whisk in apple butter until incorporated. Whisk cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup cider together in bowl and add to pot. Return to boil and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Off heat, add vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover sauce and keep warm.
• To carve roast, cut around inverted T-shaped bone until it can be pulled free from roast (use clean dish towel to grasp bone if necessary). Slice pork and transfer to serving platter with apples. Pour 1 cup sauce over pork and apples. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.

CIDER BRINED PULLED PORK

Steps:

• In a large plastic container or food safe bucket, combine all of the brine ingredients and stir until the salt and sugar crystals have completely dissolved. Be sure the pork is almost fully immersed in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but no more than 12 hours.
• When ready to cook, start your smoker going at 225 degrees F and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes. While the grill gets up to temperature, remove the pork from the brine and set on a large cookie sheet with raised edges. Do not discard the brine liquid. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Using a meat injector, inject the pork with some of the remaining brine about every two inches across the entire roast. Pour about 6 cups of the remaining brine into a pot and bring to a boil to kill any raw pork germs and discard the rest.
• Now that the meat is brined and injected, it is time to rub. Rub the Sweet Rub liberally onto your pork butt, using your hands to massage the rub across every surface of the meat.
• Put the pork directly on your grill grate, fat-side up, and cook for 3 hours, mopping with your reserved brine every hour after the first hour.
• After 3 hours, the pork is going to have taken on as much smoke flavor as it can, so it is time to turn up the heat! Transfer your roast to a large disposable aluminum foil pan and pour about 1 cup of the brine liquid in the bottom of the pan. Increase your grill temperature to 250 degrees F, and cook for 6 to 8 additional hours, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat (but not touching bone) registers 195 to 200 degrees F. If the pork starts to brown too much, you can cover it loosely with aluminum foil. I usually put foil on after the pork has been on for 6 hours or so, but that is personal preference.
• Once your pork is up to temperature, remove it from the grill and carefully transfer it to a large cutting board or serving dish and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. Pour the juices from the bottom of the aluminum pan into a liquid measuring cup and separate any fat that rises to the top. Now it's time to pull the pork into lovely shreds. You can use your hands, Bear Paws, or whatever method you like Discard the bone and any lumps of fat, including the cap. Season the pulled pork with additional rub (if desired) and moisten with the reserved pork juice.
• Serve on buns with BBQ sauce, if you like! Freeze any leftovers in labeled gallon freezer bags. Will keep in the freezer for at least a month for your future use.

CIDER-BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Stir together first 5 ingredients; rub over pork. Roll pork up, and tie with kitchen string. Chill pork, uncovered, 8 to 12 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325°. Let pork stand at room temperature about 20 minutes.
• Cook pork in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 12 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from Dutch oven; wipe Dutch oven clean. Boil broth and next 2 ingredients in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and whisk in mustard; simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
• Return pork to Dutch oven, and add bay leaves. Cut 1 apple into thick slices. Place onions, garlic, and apple slices around pork. Return to a simmer over medium heat. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on pork mixture, and cover Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid.
• Bake at 325° for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until meat is very tender and pulls away from bone. Let pork stand in Dutch oven, covered with parchment paper and lid, at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Discard parchment paper. Carefully transfer pork to a serving platter; cover with aluminum foil. Skim fat from cooking liquid, and pour cooking liquid through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large saucepan, discarding remaining solids. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cut remaining apple into thin slices, and add to mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until sauce reduces slightly. Remove from heat. Add butter and vinegar, and stir until butter melts and sauce is smooth. Serve sauce with pork.

PORK CHOPS RECIPE

Steps:

• The secret to the best barbecue recipes is a good brine.
• For this, we'll be combining all of the dry ingredients (sans rosemary) with the water and apple cider vinegar in your large container, stirring well to combine.
• To streamline the process, you can also boil the mixture together to help dissolve everything before cooling.
• Add in your ice, then your pork chops.
• Cover and store in a cool place.
• If it's already very cold where you are, you can even sub out the ice for one additional cup of water for the same results.
• Allow the meat to brine at least four hours and up to overnight.
• After brining has finished, remove your pork chops from the water and dry them thoroughly with paper towels.
• Discard any additional brining liquid.
• Given that the meat has been absorbing the flavored brine for the last several hours, you won't need any additional seasoning on the outside of the meat.
• Soak your bamboo skewers in hot water as you go about prepping your grill.
• For this operation, you'll want to create a two-zone fire with direct and indirect heating options.
• To do this, line up your charcoal on only one half of the grill and light it, keeping the other half devoid of fire in order to leave it cooler.
• You can also do this on a gas grill by leaving half the burners turned off as you cook.
• Skewer your pork chops four at a time with two skewers each, lining them up so they have roughly half an inch of space between them and are all turned in the same direction (i.e. you can stand them up on their bones).
• Make two or three cuts through the thick fat cap on the top edge of each chop to prevent curling during cooking, slicing with a sharp knife until you just touch the meat.
• When the fire has had a chance to get hot, place your pork chops onto indirect heat standing up on their bones before covering with the lid.
• For most average sized grills, about one set of four chops at a time usually works well, though you can certainly do more if your grill has the necessary space.
• Cook them until they reach an internal temperature of around 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
• This could take around eight to fifteen minutes or so depending on how hot your fire is and several other factors.
• Once your pork chops reach that temperature, remove them from the skewers and place them over direct heat.
• Using your rosemary sprig, "paint" over the chops with your favorite barbecue sauce and let them cook for about two minutes before flipping to the opposite side.
• Repeat this process several times to build up a caramelized exterior on the pork chops, making sure to turn frequently to avoid burning the sauce.
• Your pork is fully cooked and ready to eat when it reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
• After reaching the correct temperature, remove your pork chops from the heat and allow them to rest under aluminum foil for around five minutes.
• During this time, the meat will relax and reabsorb some of its juices as well as finish cooking as the residual heat distributes throughout.
• While it may be tempting, allowing it to rest results in an overall better bite of meat that's also cooled down enough to not burn your mouth.
• When your pork has had a chance to rest, it's finally time to eat. Hit it with an extra coat of barbecue sauce before serving up next to your favorite barbecue sides.

SLOW COOKER APPLE CIDER BRAISED PORK

Steps:

• Season pork with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear pork on all sides in the hot oil until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pork to the slow cooker.
• Reduce stovetop temperature to medium; cook and stir shallots and celery in the skillet until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in apple cider vinegar and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is nearly evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pour shallot mixture over pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Add apple cider, garlic cloves, and bay leaf. Cover, set slow cooker to Low, and cook until fork-tender but not falling apart, about 6 hours. Turn pork over every 1 to 2 hours. Remove pork roast to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
• Pour remaining liquid from the slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer into a large saucepan; place over high heat. Discard bay leaf and other solids. Bring sauce mixture to a boil, decrease heat and cook, skimming fat from the top, until reduced to 1/4 of the original volume, about 10 minutes.
• Remove sauce from heat and stir in Dijon mustard and cayenne pepper. Slowly whisk in cold butter until incorporated. Sprinkle in fresh herbs and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Cut pork into 1/4-thick slices and serve with sauce poured over the top.