This Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder is a really simple dinner thay can be easily cooked in one pot. Its perfect for a cozy night in during the fall months. Tender pork cooked slow in a bath of fresh apple cider, onions, apples, and fresh herbs. Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder is fall-apart tender and packed with all the flavor.
I love a nice tender meat laid over mashed potatoes and smothered in sauce and vegetables. I really enjoy Dijon Chicken, but a warm and tender stew or braised pork shoulder is just on another level that’s almost as good. And I know you’ll love this recipe and want to have it time and time again.
You can use the pork to make the most epic fall sandwiches, sliders, or grilled cheeses for a tailgate or game day. Or you can spoon it over egg noodles/spaetzle or mashed potatoes for the ultimate cozy fall dinner.
The pork and the apples and the herbs really balances out one another and just elevates the whole dish.
The recipe is not complicated to make and only requires a handful of ingredients! I do recommend investing in a large dutch oven, as most braisingnrecipes will happen in a dutch oven.
When buying pork shoulder it’s always best to purchase one that’s more high quality, you can either buy bone in or not.
pork shoulder can be found both boneless and bone-in. But howndo you know which is best for Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder?
Bone – in. I like the bone-in pork shoulder. As the pork slowly cooks, the marrow, collagen, and gelatin in the bones slowly breaks down and makes the sauce extra rich and flavorful. There is a noticeable difference in the texture and thickness of the sauce.
Though, do keep in mind that here are a couple of drawbacks. Bone-in meat cooks more slowly since you can’t cut it into small pieces, so prepare for that. I used bone-in pork shoulder and was only able to cut the meat in two.
Boneless. Boneless pork shoulder is a great option as well. It allows you to cut it into smaller pieces, which means it will cook more quickly and a bit more evenly. If time is a constraint for you, boneless is the way to go. That being said, you sacrifice a lot of flavor that the bone gives by going boneless.
whichever one you choose is up to you.
you can store your leftovers in an air tight container fornuo to a week after allowing it to settle to room temp.
If you’d like to freeze it just let the meal cool to room temperature then transfer to a freezer bag and store. Good forn3 months, just defrost in the fridge over night.
to reheat ad the dinner back to a deep skillet or dutch oven with some extra broth.
you can also serve this with a salad, bread, other fall vegetables and mashed potatoes or other potato style.
Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 3hours hrs 45 mins
Total Time: 4hours hrs 5 mins
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb pork shoulder roast or boston butt roast*
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 cups fresh apple cider* (not apple cider vinegar)
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion
- 1 head of garlic, top sliced off opposite of the root end
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 red onion, cut into thick slices
- 2 firm and slightly tart apples*, peeled and cut into wedges
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 325 F.
Start by trimming the pork of excess fat, if there are large fat caps. Cut the pork into 4 large pieces, or leave it whole if it’s bone-in.
Pat the pork pieces dry with a paper towel and season liberally all over with kosher salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, arrange the pork in a single layer. Sear for 4-5 minutes per side until the pork is deeply browned. Repeat on all sides. Depending on the size of your dutch oven, you may need to do this in batches.
While the pork is searing, whisk together the cider, stock or broth, dijon, and dehydrated minced onion together and set aside. Use kitchen twine to tie the rosemary and thyme together in a small bundle.
Once the pork is browned all over, pour in the braising liquid. Arrange the herbs and garlic head in the pot with the pork, cover and place in the oven.
Braise for 3 hours or so (start checking at 2 and a half hours for boneless), flipping the pork halfway through. Once the pork is just shy of fork tender, remove the pork from the oven and arrange the onions and apples around the pork. Cover and return to the oven for another 30-45 minutes. The pork should be very tender at this point.
Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest in the braising liquid for 30 minutes before serving.
Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the husk into the broth or onto the pork. Season braising liquid to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the juices spooned over the pork, apples, and onions.
Notes
*If you notice that your pork is especially fatty, consider trimming some excess fat before searing.
* the best apples are firm, slightly-tart apples like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, granny Smith, etc.
I must tell you or remind you. That apple cider is not the same thing as apple cider vinegar. So you should NOT use vinegar in of apple cider in this recipe.
