Braised Pork Shoulder With Apple Fig Sauce Food

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.

BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Using a spice grinder, grind the coriander and cumin seeds until they are a fine powder.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the pork shoulder with the ground spices and salt, then tie each piece so they cook evenly.
• Coat a Dutch oven with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Brown the first pork on all sides. Remove the pork from the pan and reserve. Ditch the fat in the pan and give a few drops of new oil. Repeat with the second pork and remove.
• Lower the heat to medium and toss in the fennel and onions and season them with salt and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. Cook the onions and fennel until they are soft and very aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.
• Add the wine and reduce by half. Stir in the mustard and add the bay leaves and thyme. Return the pork to the Dutch oven and add stock to the pan until it comes halfway up the side of the pork. Add salt if needed. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and put the Dutch oven in the preheated oven.
• After 1 hour, turn the pork over and add more liquid to the pan if the liquid level has gone down. Cover and return to the oven for 1 hour.
• Turn the pork back over and return to the oven without the lid and cook for 45 more minutes. The liquid should concentrate.
• Remove the pan from the oven, remove the pork and reserve for 15 minutes, tented with aluminum foil. Skim any excess fat from the pan and reduce the pan juices, if needed.
• Slice the pork and serve with onions, fennel and juices.
• Wine Pairing Suggestion: Pinot Grigio

PORK LOIN WITH FIGS AND PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Generously season pork with salt and pepper; brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Transfer skillet to oven, and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate; tent loosely with aluminum foil (reserve skillet).
• Place skillet over medium heat; add shallot, and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in port; cook until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Add figs; cook until warmed through, about 1 minute (adjust consistency of sauce with water if needed). Slice pork, and serve with figs and port sauce.

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.

SLOW COOKER APPLE CIDER BRAISED PORK

Steps:

• Season pork with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear pork on all sides in the hot oil until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pork to the slow cooker.
• Reduce stovetop temperature to medium; cook and stir shallots and celery in the skillet until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in apple cider vinegar and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is nearly evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pour shallot mixture over pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Add apple cider, garlic cloves, and bay leaf. Cover, set slow cooker to Low, and cook until fork-tender but not falling apart, about 6 hours. Turn pork over every 1 to 2 hours. Remove pork roast to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
• Pour remaining liquid from the slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer into a large saucepan; place over high heat. Discard bay leaf and other solids. Bring sauce mixture to a boil, decrease heat and cook, skimming fat from the top, until reduced to 1/4 of the original volume, about 10 minutes.
• Remove sauce from heat and stir in Dijon mustard and cayenne pepper. Slowly whisk in cold butter until incorporated. Sprinkle in fresh herbs and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Cut pork into 1/4-thick slices and serve with sauce poured over the top.

BRAISED PORK SHOULDER WITH APPLE-FIG SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Set the oven at 350 degrees and set rack in the lower third of ovrn 2. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt. In a large flameproof casserole oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Use two large spoons to transfer pork to a bowl. 3. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, ginger and rosemary to the pan to the pan. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. 4. Return the pork and any juices in the bowl to the pan. Pour in cold water. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and transfer in to the oven. 5. Cook the pork for 3 hours or until a fork inserted into the meat pulls out easily when withdrawn. 6. Meanwhile soak the figs in boiling water for 15 minutes or until softened. 7. Transfer pork to a bowl; set the pan aside. 8. Pour the cooking juices through a sieve into a bowl discarding the vegetables. Skim the fat from the liquid with a large spoon of gravy separator. 9. In the pork pan melt the butter over medium high heat. Cook the apples for 4 minutes stirring occasionally or until they start to brown. Add the figs and their soaking liquid and cook 1 minute more. Add the pork cooking juices and bring to a boil. Return the pork and any juices in the bowl to the pan. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, turning the pork until it is hot. 10. On a cutting board, halve the pork (reserve half for tomorrow's pulled pork sandwiches). Cut the remaining meat into thick slices. Set aside 1 cup of sauce without fruit (for the sandwiches). Spoon remaining sauce over the meat.