Apple Cider Braised Porcelet Shoulder
Cook Time
6 ½ hours | Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield
Serves 12-14
RECIPE Ingredients
- 1 Porcelet Boneless Shoulder, 6 lbs
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large onions, roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup Calvados brandy
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cups good quality apple cider
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, cored and quartered
Recipe notes
Pork and apples are a tried-and-true combination. In this recipe, our succulent milk-fed porcelet shreds into melt-in-your-mouth morsels when braised for hours in apple cider.
RECIPE Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pat the pork dry and season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat oil to medium-high in a large oven-proof pot or Dutch oven with a lid. Add pork and brown on all sides; about 6 minutes per side. Remove pork and set aside.
- To the same pot add onions, and cook until softened and begin to look golden; about 15-20 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one additional minute. Deglaze pan with Calvados. Stir in thyme, rosemary, and Dijon.
- Return pork to pot, nestling it down in the onions. Add cider, chicken stock, and bay leaves; bring mixture to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven.
- Reduce heat to 300 F. Braise until meat is very tender, about 6 hours.
- Remove from oven and return pot to stove top. Transfer pork to a cutting board and remove kitchen strings; let rest 10 minutes.
- Add apples to pot and boil until thickened and liquid slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Transfer pork to serving platter and spoon onion apple liquid over and around the meat.
