Catalan Braised Pork Shoulder With Dried Fruit Recipes

CATALAN BRAISED PORK SHOULDER WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325º.
• Using kitchen string, tie the pork shoulder crosswise, spacing the ties 1 inch apart. Rub the pork generously with salt and pepper and the garlic.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 5 to 6 quart flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over high heat until almost smoking. Add the pork and cook until richly browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Add the remaining oil while the pork browns, if the casserole looks too dry. Transfer the pork to a bowl. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and pearl onions to the casserole and brown well, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the kirsch and cook over high heat until it is reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 1 minute. Add the wine, beef stock, cherries, apricots, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and rosemary sprigs and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the casserole to dislodge the brown bits. Season the sauce with salt to taste.
• Return the pork to the casserole. Cover tightly and transfer it to the oven. Bake the pork, turning it once or twice, until it is very tender and an instant-read thermometer registers 165º, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the pork to a plate and cover it with foil to keep warm. Remove and discard the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and rosemary sprigs.
• Transfer the casserole to the stove top and cook the sauce over high heat until it is slightly syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove the string from the pork and discard it. Cut the pork into slices and arrange on a serving platter. Pour the sauce over the pork and serve.

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

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:

• Generously salt and pepper the pork shoulder and let meat come to room temperature (about 2 hours) Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Add olive oil to a large, deep pan, Over medium-high heat, sear pork until brown on all sides; set aside.
• Dump excess oil from pan, leaving a coating of oil.
• Add onions to pan and sweat over low heat until translucent.
• Return pork to pan and add remaining ingredients.
• Cover and place in oven, and cook for 2 to 3 hours (internal temperature should be about 140-150°F) or cook on stove top for 2 to 3 hours over low heat.
• Remove pork from pan and let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing.
• Serve with a starch and vegetables.

CAUCASUS-STYLE BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Mince garlic, then mash to a paste with 2 teaspoons kosher salt using a heavy knife. Grind coriander and fenugreek seeds and red-pepper flakes to a powder in grinder, then stir together with garlic and 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl. Make 2-inch-deep slits all over meat with a small sharp knife and push some of paste into slits. Rub remaining paste all over meat. Put pork in a bowl and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.
• Bring meat to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork on all sides, turning with tongs and a large kitchen fork, about 8 minutes total. Transfer pork to a large plate and cook onion in fat remaining in pot, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits, until beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Return pork to pot and add water and remaining teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly with lid and transfer to oven. Braise, turning meat once, until very tender, about 3 hours. Cool pork in pan juices completely, uncovered, about 1 1/2 hours, then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.
• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Remove fat from surface of pan juices and reheat pork (with pan juices), covered, in oven 1 hour. Transfer pork to a platter using cleaned tongs and large fork. Stir cilantro, vinegar, and table salt and pepper to taste into pan juices and serve with pork.

ITALIAN BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Rinse and dry pork roast. Season all sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add roast to the hot skillet; turn and sear until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer roast to a large lidded baking dish, leaving pan drippings in the skillet.
• Add carrots, onion, shallot, and garlic to the hot skillet and reduce heat to medium. Saute in the pan drippings until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes; do not overcook.
• Pour red wine, beef broth, and tomato puree over the roast in the baking dish. Add sauteed vegetables, parsley, and thyme.
• Cover and bake in the preheated oven until meat pulls apart easily, 2 to 3 hours.