Cider-Braised Pork with Onions and Apples

I do receive a small commission from Amazon for any clicks on links to their website, so if you could help me out by clicking on any of those links, it would be greatly appreciated!

Do you like pork? I love pork, and my favorite cut is pork shoulder. It's also usually a pretty reasonably priced cut of meat, and so I cook it with some regularity. It's also really good cooked in both a Dutch oven and a crock pot, which, if you've been reading this blog, are my two favorite kitchen devices!

This recipe is a delicious combination of tender pork, savory onions, and sweet apple slices, and depending on the size of the pork shoulder can feed 6+ people.

Here's what you need -

• A crock pot or a Dutch oven

• 3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1" cubes

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 2 onions, thinly sliced

• 2 apples, cored and sliced

• 1 cup apple cider (or can use apple juice)

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Place the cubed pork, flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag and shake well to coat the meat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the Dutch oven or heavy skillet (if using a crock pot). Add half of the pork and brown it on all sides but do not cook it all the way. Remove the pork to a plate, heat the remaining oil in the Dutch oven (or skillet) and brown the rest of the meat. Remove that meat to the plate, too.

Add the onions and the apples to the Dutch oven (or skillet) and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent - about 6 minutes. Add the cider to the pot and stir, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Heat to a boil and cook until the cider is reduced by half, approximately 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and browned pork along with any juices on the plate from the meat back to the Dutch oven. Return to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender - about 2 hours. Add the mustard and thyme, cover, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

* If using a crock pot, add all ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Serve with buttered noodles or baked sweet potatoes. Baked sweet potatoes are my choice because there's just something about the combination of tender pork, apples, onions, and sweet potatoes that just works so deliciously together.

This sounds like a fall dish, and I guess maybe it is, but I fix it throughout the year whenever I get a craving for it. Enjoy!