Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Carmelized Onions! An Inexpensive and Gourmet Dinner

There is something beyond delicious about a hunk of meat cooking in the oven for several hours-getting juicy, succulent & falling apart that is just so magical. Hee hee! Pork shoulder is a great meat for just this purpose. Not only is it flavorful and exquisite but it is a very inexpensive cut. You can purchase this cut leaner if you choose for a slightly higher price, but keep in mind the fat is where the flavor comes from. This recipe only takes about 1/2 hour to prepare. The rest of the time is spent in the oven getting tender for you!

Try and buy your pork locally farmed, & free-range! LargaVistaRanch & Western Spirit Ranch LLC are two local Colorado farms to check out for all your meat eating, and raw milk finding purposes also listings of distributors for greater convenience.

I recommend to serve this dish with mashed or roasted root vegetables (turnips, beets, parsnips, potatoes), sweet potatoes, sauteed spinach w/ garlic & lemon or green beans (my favorite!). See what your local farmers market has featured week!


Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onions
4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 (3-4 lb) bone in fresh pork shoulder half
2-3 garlic cloves cut into slivers
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb (5-6 medium sized) bag of onions, halved lengthwise than cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
3/4 cup unfiltered apple cider (I love Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar which can be purchased at any natural food store)
Salt/pepper to season

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F

2. Score fat and any skin in a cross-hatch pattern. Make slits all over the meat with a small sharp knife and insert a sliver of garlic in each. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat oil in a 4-5 qt heavy ovenproof pot over moderatly high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides, turning occasionally with the aid of tongs or a carving fork for about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.

4. Add onion slices to pot and saute over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally until softened and starting to turn golden about 5 minutes. Add about 3/4 tsp salt, saute and stir 8-10 minutes more until the onions are caramelized.

5. Stir in cider and return pork to the pot. Cover with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil and place in the center of the oven to braise for 2 1/2-3 hours.

6. Remove from oven and transfer pork to a serving dish, garnish with roasted root vegetables.

7. Continue to boil the juices uncovered for approx. another 2-3 minutes until the juice is reduced to about 2 cups. Season w/ salt and pepper and serve next to the pork.