Best Cider Braised 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 SHOULDER WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Score fat and any skin on pork in a crosshatch pattern. Make slits all over meat with a small sharp knife and insert a garlic sliver in each slit. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides, turning occasionally with the aid of tongs and a carving fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.
• Add onions to pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Stir in cider and return pork to pot.
• Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and braise pork in middle of oven until very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer pork to a serving dish with the aid of tongs and carving fork. Boil cooking juices with onions until mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, 2 to 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and serve with pork.

PORK SHOULDER BRAISED IN HARD CIDER

Steps:

• Make Sachet d'Epices:Wrap the thyme, parsley, and peppercorns in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie with twine to form a sachet.
• Brown Pork:Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Use paper towels to pat pork dry, then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or other pot with a tight-fitting lid over high heat for 2 minutes, then add enough oil to barely coat bottom of pot and heat until shimmering. Cook the pork until well browned on all sides, turning with tongs once each side is seared (remember not to move the meat too soon or it will not brown properly and will stick to the pot; wait until it releases easily). This will take a total of 12 to 15 minutes; reduce the heat if the bottom of the pot is getting too dark (you want browned, not burned, bits for flavoring the sauce). If, after removing the pork, you see burned bits, wipe out the pot and add more oil before proceeding. (Or deglaze pot with a little water, bringing it to a boil and scraping up the burned bits; pour off liquid and bits.)
• Cook Aromatics:Reduce heat to medium and add leek, garlic, parsnip, and celery root. Season with salt and pepper. Stir frequently and cook until leek is translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Braise Pork:Return pork to pot, and pour in 1 cup cider. Bring to a boil, and deglaze pot, scraping up browned bits from bottom. Add remaining 3 cups cider and the stock along with the herb sachet. (The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the pork; add more stock if it doesn't.) Bring to a boil on top of the stove. Cover, and put in the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Cook until the pork is very tender (it should offer little resistance when pierced with a knife), 2 to 2 1/2 hours, turning over with tongs about halfway through so the meat cooks evenly.
• Finish Braising with Garnish Vegetables:Transfer the meat to a plate and strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids to extractas much liquid as possible (discard solids). Return the liquid and the pork to the pot and add the garnish vegetables, nestling them into the liquid; the liquid should almost reach top of vegetables. Bring to a boil on the stove, and then return to oven and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Lift out the vegetables and arrange them on a serving platter. Transfer pork to another plate. Cover both and keep warm near the stove.
• Make a Beurre Manie:Rub the softened butter together with the flour until completely incorporated. Pour off and measure the cooking liquid remaining in the pot; you should have about 2 cups. Return it to the pot and boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 6 minutes. Whisk in the beurre manie and continue whisking until the liquid comes to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 minute (to remove the raw starchy taste). Turn off the heat and stir in the cream (if using) and mustard.
• Serve:Use a fork to shred the meat into large chunks. Transfer to platter with vegetables. Serve with sauce and more mustard on the side.

CIDER-BRAISED PORK SHOULDER WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F
• Score fat and any skin on pork in a crosshatch pattern. Make slits all over meat with a small sharp knife and insert a garlic sliver in each slit. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides, turning occasionally with the aid of tongs and a carving fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.
• Add onions to pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Stir in cider and return pork to pot.
• Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and braise pork in middle of oven until very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer pork to a serving dish with the aid of tongs and carving fork.
• Boil cooking juices with onions until mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, 2 to 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and serve with pork.
• Cooks' note:· Pork can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered. Reheat in liquid, covered, at 325°F 1 hour.

HARD CIDER-BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Rinse the pork and pat it dry. Using a thin, sharp boning knife, make ten to twelve deep, narrow slits in the pork and insert a sliver of garlic into each. Season the meat generously all over with salt and pepper, and then use kitchen twine to tie the shoulder into a compact, uniform shape. If it isn't already, allow it to come to room temperature.
• Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil and sear the pork on all sides, taking your time, turning it frequently and adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching. Done properly, this will take about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Transfer the pork to a large plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan, and add the onion, carrot, and apple. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté over medium heat until they are golden brown and soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add both ciders and the halved head of garlic, and bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the pan. Put a piece of parchment or aluminum foil over the meat, folding it down around it so that it makes a snug tent. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and place it in the middle of the oven. Cook until the pork is very tender, about 3 hours, turning it once or twice to keep all sides moist.
• Transfer the meat to a platter to rest before slicing. Strain the broth, discarding the apple and vegetables. Skim the fat from the pan juices and return the juices to the pan. Over medium heat, reduce to about 2 cups. Adjust the seasoning, and serve with the pork.

BRAISED PORK SHOULDER WITH APPLE CIDER AND GINGER BEER

Steps:

• Season pork shoulder with 2 tbsp salt and pepper. Using kitchen twine, tie pork at 1/2" intervals, forming a compact cylinder. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, or cover and chill overnight. If chilled, let pork stand at room temperature for 2 hours before continuing. Preheat over to 300°. Place pork in a large heavy ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid; arrange shallots, garlic, and apples around pork. Add broth, cider, and ginger beer. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and transfer to oven. Braise pork until a knife slides easily through meat, 4-5 hours. Let meat cool in braising liquid, then refrigerate until cold (the meat will slice more easily when cold). (Can be braised 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.) Preheat oven to 350°. Using tongs, transfer pork to a cutting board. Strain braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard fat and solids. Slice pork between kitchen twine and place in a large roasting pan. Carefully remove twine, leaving slices intact. Pour enough braising liquid into pan to cover pork halfway (1 1/2 - 2 cups) and arrange rosemary over. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until pork is just heated through, 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, pour remaining braising liquid from bowl into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil sauce until reduced to 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer sliced pork to a platter (discard any liquid in pan) an drizzle some of the sauce over. Service remaining sauce alongside.

BRAISED & BARBECUED PORK SHOULDER WITH CIDER KETCHUP

Steps:

• The day before, use a very sharp knife to cut the skin away from the pork, being careful to leave the fat attached to the meat (or ask your butcher to do this). If not done already, score the skin in a criss-cross pattern, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Season the skin liberally with salt and put on a plate in the fridge, uncovered, to dry overnight.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the onions, bay, thyme, garlic and fennel seeds in a large flameproof casserole dish. Season the meat liberally, then nestle it into the tin. Pour over the cider, pop on the lid and cook in the oven for 2½ hrs. Remove from the oven and, once cooled slightly, place the pork on a tray or in a container. Pour the liquid into a jug, cover and put everything in the fridge to chill overnight.
• The next day, lift off any fat that has hardened on the surface of the braising liquid, then spoon it back into the dish with the vegetables. Add the vinegar, apples and sugar, and simmer for 1 hr. Leave to cool slightly, then remove the herbs and garlic. Blitz in a blender and taste for seasoning - you want a balance of sweet and sharp, so adjust the sugar and vinegar if you need to, then pour through a sieve to make a thick, pureéd ketchup.
• To reheat the pork and make the crackling, fire up the barbecue or heat the oven to its highest setting. If cooking outside, lay the crackling on the grates and cook, turning occasionally, until it is puffed up and golden, while the pork is on the other side of the barbecue, heating through and nicely browning. Leave to rest for 10 mins before bringing to the table and carving. If cooking in the oven, lay the crackling on a wire rack over a baking tray on the top shelf and cook until crisp, while the pork reheats and browns underneath. If necessary, turn on the grill while the pork rests to really crisp up the crackling.

CIDER-BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• 1. Dry Rub: Mix for 5 ingredients in a bowl; rub over the pork on both sides.
• 2. Roll the butterflied pork up, and tie with kitchen string at 1 inch intervals. Chill pork, uncovered for 8 to 12 hours.
• 3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove roast from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour. Then sear pork roast on all sides in a dutch oven or large pan in olive oil. Remove roast and wipe clean the pan. Add your broth, apple cider and honey; cook till it comes to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and whisk in the mustard; simmer & stir for 5 minutes or so.
• 4. Add the pork roast back to the dutch oven or a large baking dish, pour the liquid over the roast, add your apples, bay leaves, onion and garlic around the sides of the roast.
• 5. Cover with a piece of parchment paper. Cover with lid or like I did seal with some tin foil over the top of roast. Bake for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Remove from oven and let pork remain in baking dish or dutch oven for 1/2 hour.
• 6. Carefully transfer pork to a serving platter. Cover with tin foil while you make the sauce. Sauce:Skim fat from cooking liquid & then pour cooking liquid through a wire mesh strainer into a large saucepan. Discard the apples & onions. Bring the liquid a simmer over medium heat. Slice up the other apple and add to the sauce. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 5 - 7 minutes until it reduces. Remove from heat; add butter and vinegar. Stir until butter melt & then pour over the top of pork. Add your celery & bay leaves around the sides of platter.
• 7. Serve immediately.

SLOW-BRAISED PORK SHOULDER WITH CIDER & PARSNIPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the oil in a large lidded flameproof casserole and brown the meat in batches, then set aside. Fry the onions, celery and parsnips with the bay leaves for 10 mins until golden brown. Sprinkle in the flour and give a good stir, then add the pork and any juices back to the dish.
• Add the cider and stock so that the meat and vegetables are covered. Season and bring to a simmer, then cover and put in the oven for 2 hrs. Serve sprinkled with parsley, with mashed potato and greens, if you like.