Cider Braised Pork Cheeks Food

CIDER BRAISED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Using sharp knife, trim fat cap on roast to 1/4 inch. Cut 1-inch crosshatch pattern, 1/16 inch deep, in fat cap. Place roast on large sheet of plastic wrap. Combine sugar and 1/4 cup salt in bowl and rub mixture over entire roast and into slits. Wrap roast tightly in double layer of plastic, place on plate, and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Unwrap roast and pat dry with paper towels, brushing away any excess salt mixture from surface. Season roast with pepper.
• Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear roast until well browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Turn roast fat side up. Scatter onion and garlic around roast and cook until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups cider, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer to oven, and braise until fork slips easily in and out of meat and meat registers 190 degrees, 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours.
• Transfer roast to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator; discard solids and let liquid settle for at least 5 minutes.
• About 10 minutes before roast is done resting, wipe out pot with paper towels. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of clear, separated fat from top of fat separator into now-empty pot and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season apples with salt and pepper. Space apples evenly in pot, cut side down, and cook until well browned on both cut sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil.
• Wipe out pot with paper towels. Return 2 cups defatted braising liquid to now-empty pot and bring to boil over high heat. Whisk in apple butter until incorporated. Whisk cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup cider together in bowl and add to pot. Return to boil and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Off heat, add vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover sauce and keep warm.
• To carve roast, cut around inverted T-shaped bone until it can be pulled free from roast (use clean dish towel to grasp bone if necessary). Slice pork and transfer to serving platter with apples. Pour 1 cup sauce over pork and apples. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.

BRAISED PORK CHEEKS

Steps:

• Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F).
• If your pork cheeks have a lot of fat surrounding the meat, trim most of it off because your dish will end up being too greasy.
• Put the flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add your pork cheeks and coat them in the flour.
• Heat up a deep oven-proof frying pan or a pot on high heat, add your vegetable oil, get your pork cheeks and shake off any excess flour, then add your place the in the pan. Brown on for 2-3 minutes on both sides until you get a lovely golden colour.
• Once the pork cheeks are well coloured, remove from the pan and transfer to a plate. Turn the heat down on the stove to about medium heat, then add your sliced onions. Fry until translucent, then add your garlic and fry for a further minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.
• Add your balsamic vinegar and your apple cider. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Reduce the cider for about 5 minutes until thick.
• Return the pork cheeks back to the pot, then add just enough stock to almost cover the pork cheeks about 3 quarters of the way up. Then, add your thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.
• Put in the oven and cook for 2 hours.
• Once you have cooked the pork cheeks, remove them from the pot/pan, then transfer to a plate and cover them with foil. Also, now would be a good time to discard the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves.
• Put the pan back on the stove (remember it use a tea-towel or mittens to protect your hands) and then continue to simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened. If you see any fat floating on top, skim it off with a spoon or a ladle.
• Once the sauce is done, shred or slice the pork if you want and then serve.

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 CHEEKS

Steps:

• Season both sides of pork cheeks with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour and press it into the meat to coat thoroughly.
• Heat clarified butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear meat on both sides until richly browned, adjusting heat lower if necessary. When cheeks are browned, reduce heat to medium. Transfer cheeks to a plate to rest.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet. Add onions, carrots, and celery to skillet. Cook and stir until softened and sweet, seasoning with a pinch of salt. Add vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Pour in the cider and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Add sage and rosemary. Reduce heat to low and transfer cheeks back to pan. Cover. Cook until fork tender but not falling apart, 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the pork cheeks. Transfer to a plate.
• Bring liquid to a boil over high heat, skimming off fat as it rises to the surface. Reduce volume of liquid by about 60 to 70%. Sauce will start to thicken up. Taste for salt and season as needed. Transfer cheeks back to liquid. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until cheeks are heated through and tender and sauce is thick enough to coat cheeks.

CIDER-BRAISED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chops in two batches, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot and cook onion over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic, flour, and 2 tablespoons apple butter and cook until onions are coated and mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in cider and thyme, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon, and bring to boil. Add browned chops and any accumulated juices to pot, cover, and transfer to oven.
• Braise until chops are completely tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer chops to serving platter. Strain sauce, then use a shallow spoon to skim off fat. ( Note - a fat separator, if you own one, is a much better method to discard excess fat.).
• Whisk in vinegar, parsley, and remaining apple butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing sauce at table.
• NOTE - The chops and sauce can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days. To serve, heat sauce and chops together over medium heat until chops are warmed through.

CIDER BRAISED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH APPLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Add the flour, salt and pepper to a shallow dish and whisk together. Add the tenderloin, turning to coat it completely, shaking off any excess.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and when it is hot add the pork and sear, turning to brown on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any oil.
• Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the cider, scraping the bottom to remove any browning bits. Add the rosemary, thyme and mustard to the skillet, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Return the pork to the pan, cover and transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the apple quarters and continue to cook, covered, in the oven for an additional 15 minutes until the apples are slightly soft but still firm and the pork registers 145°F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Transfer the apples and pork to a plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• While the pork is resting, place the pot over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a boil, if it is very thin then allow it to reduce by 1/3, whisk in the butter to make a glossy sauce. Transfer the sauce to a dish or pitcher.
• To serve: Place the pork onto a cutting board and slice crosswise into 8 slices. Arrange the slices of pork on a serving platter with the apple slices and spoon the sauce over the pork.

SHERRY-BRAISED PORK CHEEKS

Steps:

• Heat 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan then add the onion. Cook gently for 10 - 15 minutes until softened and lighty coloured. Remove and set aside.
• Toss the cheeks in the seasoned flour. Add a little more oil to the pan and turn up the heat. Brown the pork cheeks all over in batches. Turn the heat down to medium.
• Return all the pork and the reserved onions to the pan. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and cook for a minute, then pour in the sherry. Use your spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan and mix in all the flavours.
• Pour in the beef stock then bring the pan to a simmer. Simmer gently for 2 hours or until the cheeks are tender.
• Scatter with parsley leaves and flaked almonds. Serve with rice or buttery mashed potato.