Apple Cider Braised Pork Recipe
My apple cider braised pork is a cozy fall dinner of tender chunks of pork seared golden brown and braised in the oven in a savory hard cider sauce with Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce and fresh herbs. Serve it as big tender pieces with sauce spooned on top or as pulled pork in sauce.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or canola oil
- 4.5-5 lbs boneless pork butt can be labeled "Boston butt"
- 2 tsp kosher coarse salt more or less to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper more or less to taste
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 large shallots
- 1 large sweet apple
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 2 cups hard apple cider
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce use gluten free if needed
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 1-2 small sprigs of rosemary
- 2 sprigs of sage
- 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt more or less to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper more or less to taste
Instructions
Prep the Ingredients:
- Untie the pork butt and cut off any large chunks of fat cap. Cut the meat into about 3-4 inch chunks but try to keep them even.
- Slice shallots and chop the apple. No need to peel the apple and you can keep the ends of shallots and apple core since the sauce will be strained well. (Do peel the shallot though.) Smash and mince the garlic cloves. Tie the herbs together into a bouquet with a piece of kitchen twine.Measure remaining ingredients.Preheat the oven to 325℉. Make sure the oven rack is set far enough down so the Dutch oven can fit well.
Sear the Pork:
- Season the pork pieces with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add oil. (A 5 Quart Dutch oven will work great.)
- Sear the pork pieces on each side until deep golden brown. Don't overcrowd the pot for best searing results. You will need to sear them in two or three batches. Set seared pork pieces aside.
Cooking Braised Pork:
- Add butter to the pot, let it melt, and add sliced shallots and chopped apples. Stir well and let it sear until golden.
- Make a well in the center and add in the minced garlic. Let it sear for a few seconds, until fragrant and stir with shallots and apples.
- Pour in hard apple cider while scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Whisk together the chicken stock, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and low sodium soy sauce. Pour the whisked mixture into the pot. Season with salt and pepper and add in the herb bouquet.
- Nestle in the seared pork pieces and pour in the liquid accumulated in the plate from the pork. Make sure pork is evenly distributed and mostly covered with sauce.
- Cover the Dutch oven pot with a lid and pop it into the preheated oven.
- Let it cook at 325℉ for 2 hours covered with a lid. Take the lid off and let it cook for 1 more hour uncovered.
Final Preparation:
- Carefully take the pork pieces out and set into a bowl.
- Strain the sauce into a fine mesh strainer. Press on the veggies in the strainer to squeeze the juices out of them. Discard leftovers in the strainer.
- You will notice some fat accumulated as a top layer in the sauce. You can strain and spoon most of it off or for an easy way, let it cool in the refrigerator until fat is solidified. Once fat layer is solidified, it's easy to take off.
- As far as the pork pieces, you can serve them in whole pieces with sauce on top or pull and shred the pork with your hands to serve it as pulled pork. Store the pork in sauce.
Notes
*Gluten free note: use gluten free soy sauce or tamari to make this recipe gluten free.