Pork shoulder, cider-braised
- 10 Servings
- 20mPrep Time
- 40mCook Time
- 60mReady In
A sweet-tart flavor of fall, apple cider goes with Halloween, leaf raking and all the rest of the autumn festivities. In most of the world, cider means a fermented, alcoholic beverage, but in the United States, we use the term interchangeably for both the fermented juice of apples and the fresh-pressed juice it’s made from.
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil 1 whole bone-in pork shoulder, 12 to 16 pounds Salt and pepper to taste 1 white onion, peeled and medium diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons fresh thyme 2 quarts fresh apple cider 2 quarts chicken stock 1 cup apple-cider vinegar 2 bay leavesDirections
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Heat a large cast-iron pot or other heavy pot and add the olive oil.
- Season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper and place in hot pot.
- Sear all sides of pork until browned well.
- Take the pork shoulder out of the pot and add the onions.
- Saute onions until translucent and add the garlic and thyme.
- Saute 1 minute and put the pork shoulder back into the pot.
- Add the apple cider, chicken stock, cider vinegar and bay leaf.
- Cover and place the pot in the preheated oven.
- Braise for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until tender.
- After about 1-1/2 hours, flip the pork shoulder in pot to insure the pork is evenly cooked in the juice.
- Remove the pork form the pot and let stand, covered, for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
