Canoe Braised Pork Food

BRAISED PORK IN SWEET SOY SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the pork in about 1 inch pieces and saute in a pan with the vegetable oil for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat, until the pork is no longer pink and starts to brown.
• In a medium bowl mix the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the pork and bring to a boil. You may think there's too much water, but it will reduce. Once it's boiling turn the heat down to low and let simmer for about 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally, or until there's only about 3 tbsp of sauce left.
• Garnish with green onions. Serve over noodles or steamed rice.

SUCCULENT BRAISED PORK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms. Transfer the pork to a plate. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it. Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor. Whisk in the wine and reduce it by half. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock, parsley stems, and bay leaves. Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork. Do not cover the pork with liquid. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

BRAISED PORK SHANK

Steps:

• For the brine: Bring the water to a simmer in a large non-reactive pot. Turn off the heat and add salt, sugar, coriander, peppercorns, rosemary, bay leaf and garlic and bring to a simmer. Whisk until the salt and sugar is dissolved, and then let it cool in the fridge or an ice bath until the brine hits a temperature of 35 degrees F.
• Add the shanks to the cooled brine and weigh down with a plate to ensure that the shanks are completely submerged. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
• After brining, remove the shanks from the brining liquid to a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel to dry off a bit. Discard the brining liquid.
• For the braise: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil so that it covers the bottom of the Dutch oven or roasting pan completely. Put some flour in a shallow dish. Add a heavy pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper to the flour and whisk to combine. Dredge the shanks in the flour, shaking off the excess, and add them to the pan. In order to get a nice even golden-brown sear, you don't want to overcrowd the pan. (Do this step in two batches if necessary.) Brown the shanks on all sides, a few minutes per side, then remove to a plate while you sear the rest.
• Add the celery, onions, carrots, garlic, rosemary and thyme with a large pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables until tender, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce by three-quarters. Add the apple cider and reduce by half. Add half the chicken stock and bring the braising liquid up to a simmer. Taste it for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper if necessary. Place the shanks back into the pan; the liquid should go about halfway up the shanks. If it does not, add the rest of the liquid until it reaches the desired half. Put the pan in the oven and cook until the meat is tender, about 200 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer, 4 to 5 hours.
• Remove the shanks from the oven and carefully transfer the shanks to another large pan. Then strain the braising liquid over the shanks. Cool them in the liquid overnight in the refrigerator.
• The next day, reheat the shanks in their liquid. Then remove them to a large serving platter. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the meat.

BRAISED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, carefully place one piece of pork in the saute pan and sear, turning once, until golden. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces of pork. Set aside.
• Carefully add the beer to the drippings in the pan and cook, scraping up the cooked bits with a wooden spoon, until reduced.
• Heat the remaining 5 tablespoons of oil in a large flame-proof roasting pan over medium heat. Add the celery, onions, carrots, garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the pork to the roasting pan. Add the deglazed pan juices and enough chicken stock to cover the pork and vegetables. Add the peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves and 2 generous pinches of salt. Cover the pan with foil and braise for 3 hours. Remove the foil and roast 30 minutes more. This will allow the pork to gain a beautiful color and for the braising liquid to reduce.
• Let the pork cool in the braising liquid for 30 minutes to increase tenderness. Remove the pork from the roasting pan and strain the braising liquid. Refrigerate separately until ready to use. The pork can be served sliced or shredded.

BEER-BRAISED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat into a small bowl and reserve. Add the onion and thyme sprigs to the skillet and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and 3/4 cup chicken broth and cook until the beans are tender and most of the broth evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook until wilted. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Rub the pork chops with salt, pepper and the chopped thyme, then coat with the flour. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat in a separate skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Add the beer and remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan; bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium low and loosely cover. Cook until the pork is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate and let rest.
• Continue cooking the braising liquid until reduced and thickened, about 6 minutes; swirl in the butter. Divide the bean-cabbage mixture among plates. Slice the pork and add to the plates. Top with the pan sauce, bacon and another pinch of red pepper flakes.

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

CANOE BRAISED PORK

Steps:

• 1. If using a picnic shoulder, tie in several places with butcher twine to make a neat roast. 2. Dissolve salt in 1 cup cider in saucepan over medium heat. Set aside. 3. Heat oil in large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot, celery and garlic for 5 minutes until onion is soft but not brown. Add juniper berries and herbs. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 4. Add dissolved salt, remaining cider, 1 bottle of beer and maple syrup. Bring to boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Strain through fine sieve. Let cool completely. 5. Put pork in large non-metallic bowl and add marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning pork occasionally if not completely submerged. 6. Remove pork and discard marinade. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper. 7. Heat 2 tbsp oil in large pot over medium heat and brown pork on all sides. Remove to a plate. 8. Add remaining oil and cook onion, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary for 5 minutes until onion is soft but not brown. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 9. Add beer and bring to boil over high heat, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes until beer has reduced by about half. Add jus and pork. Bring to boil. Cover tightly and transfer to 350°F oven. Cook for 3 to 4 hours until meat is falling from bone, turning pork over after 1 ½ hours. 10. Remove pork from pot. Strain cooking juices and set aside. Pull meat apart into chunks, discarding bones and excess fat. Drizzle pork with cooking juices and serve with yellow split peas. Makes 6 servings.

BRAISED PORK WITH PLUMS

Steps:

• Cut the pork into big pieces about the length of your thumb and twice as wide. Put into a bowl or food bag, and add the wine, soy sauces, half the ginger, half the garlic and half the chilli. Marinate for at least 1 hr or up to 24 hrs.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3, then heat the oil in a large casserole. Tip in half the spring onions, remaining ginger and garlic, the star anise, five-spice powder and cinnamon. Fry gently until fragrant and soft. Stir in the sugar, turn up the heat, then lift the pork from the marinade and turn in the oniony mix for about 3 mins until the meat is just sealed but not browned. Tip in the marinade, tomato purée and stock, give it a stir, cover, then braise in the oven for 2 hrs.
• After the first hr is up, add the plums to the pan. Take the lid off and carry on the cooking, uncovered. The meat should be completely tender, turning golden brown where it breaks the surface of the sauce. Spoon off any excess fat from the surface, then scoop the meat and plums carefully from the pan with a slotted spoon. Turn up the heat and boil the sauce for 5-10 mins until reduced and slightly syrupy. Return everything to the pan, gently warm through, then scatter the rest of the spring onions over the top to serve.