Pork Shoulder Braised With Apples Recipes

BRAISED PORK WITH APPLES AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Sprinkle cubed pork generously with sea salt and pepper on all sides.
• Note: during the searing stage, the pork and rendered fat splatters and pops quite a bit. Use a deeper pot than you think you'll need, and ideally, keep a splatter screen handy.
• Set a large Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed, deep-sided pot over medium/medium-high heat, and when hot, add the oil. (Oil should be hot, but not smoking). Working in 2 - 3 batches, sear pork on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove cooked pork to a plate.
• Drain off all of the rendered fat. Deglaze pot with a 1/2 cup white wine, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Next, add seared pork, chilies, garlic, rosemary, and all remaining wine. Bring stew to a boil, then turn heat down to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cover.
• Check braise after an hour. Meat should be incredibly tender, but still hold its shape. Cook up to 1 hour longer (I've found that cooking time varies, so check meat every 20 minutes to be sure it doesn't overcook). When pork is tender and just melts in your mouth, fold in apples, cover pot, and cook an additional 20 - 30 minutes, until apples are cooked through but still have some bite.
• Meanwhile, make the polenta. Bring water to a boil, whisk in polenta and sea salt. Stirring occasionally, cook 35 - 45 minutes, or until polenta is creamy. If needed, add an additional cup of water. Taste, and add sea salt to taste.
• To serve, ladle braised pork and apples over polenta. Garnish with minced fresh rosemary, fresh citrus wedges, and shaved Parmesan.

PORK ROAST WITH APPLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Liberally salt and pepper the pork shoulder on all sides.
• Heat an ovenproof pot large enough to fit your pork shoulder on medium heat. Add bacon. Cook until crispy. Remove bacon, set aside.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Cook pork shoulder, reducing heat as needed to prevent over-browning, until brown on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pork shoulder to a plate.
• Add onion to pot and cook, stirring often, until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat and add hard apple cider and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar.
• Bring to a simmer, then return pork shoulder to pot. Tuck in sage sprigs around the pork roast.
• Cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise pork shoulder, turning after 1 hour, until fork-tender, about 2 hours.
• Using tongs, transfer pork to a deep platter. Discard sage sprigs. Place the pot over medium heat on the stove and bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the liquid by 1/3.
• Stir in apples. Cook until just soft 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in dijon mustard and reserved bacon.
• Arrange pork, onions, and apples on a large platter. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with parsley.

APPLE BRAISED PORK

Steps:

• Combine the thyme, sage and pepper; rub over pork. In a Dutch oven, brown meat on all sides in oil; remove and keep warm. In the same pan, saute onion and garlic until tender. Add the apple, apple juice concentrate and salt; bring to a boil. Return meat to the pan. , Cover and bake at 325° for 55-75 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°, basting occasionally with juices.Remove to a serving platter and keep warm. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing., Pour cooking liquid into a measuring cup; skim off fat. Cool cooking liquid slightly; place in a blender or food processor. Cover and process until smooth. Serve with the roast.

BRAISED PORK SHOULDER WITH CHORIZO AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Trim the excess fat from the pork shoulder. Cut the meat away from the bone, if necessary. Roll the meat into a bundle and tie with butcher's twine to secure.
• In a stockpot, combine the salt, sugar, peppercorns, chile flakes, 2 fresh or 1 dried bay leaves, 8 sprigs thyme, and the quartered onion with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat and let the brine cool completely.
• Pour the brine into a large bowl. Submerge the pork shoulder in the brine, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
• Remove the pork shoulder from the brine and rub it down with the paprika. (No need to wipe it off first.)
• In a large Dutch oven, lidded pot, or roasting pan, combine the pork shoulder, carrot, fennel, sliced onion, garlic, a bunch of thyme, and 1 bay leaf. Pick a cooking vessel that is big enough to hold everything, but not so big you need a gallon of stock to reach three-quarters of the way up the shoulder to keep the pork moist as it cooks.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, wine, honey, and vinegar. Pour the mixture over the pork. Add enough stock to come up to the "shoulders" of the meat. Cover the pork tightly with the lid or seal with two pieces of foil.
• Cook until the pork is very tender but not totally falling apart, 4 to 6 hours. Remove the bay leaves and thyme branches and discard. The pork can be braised up to 1 day ahead. Cool and refrigerate. Reheat in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 45 minutes.
• While the pork is braising, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the chorizo, onion, apples, garlic, and paprika. Cook until the vegetables are soft but not browning, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium-high. When the onion starts to color, pour in the cider. Cook until the cider reduces almost entirely, 2 to 4 minutes.
• If using dried soaked beans, add the soaked beans to the pot with enough water to cover by 1-inch (25 mm). Cook over medium heat until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.If using canned beans, dump in the beans and liquid from the cans and cook until the liquid reduces a bit and the flavors meld, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the beans to the pot with the pork and continue cooking, uncovered, until the beans and cooking liquid are bubbling and a little reduced, about 20 minutes more. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Use two forks to gently pull the pork apart into large chunks, discarding any twine.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the apple, parsley, lemon juice, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Top the pork and beans with the apple salad and serve out of the pot.