Easy Braised Pork Shoulder with Kale-Carrot Sauté
Ingredients (serves 8-10)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup kosher salt plus more
1/4 cup sugar
1 7–8-lb. skinless bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt or picnic)
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sherry or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup (packed) light or dark brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot (try one of our rainbow carrots!)
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
1 apple (such as Granny Smith or Fuji)
4 cups stemmed kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
Recipe Tips
Prep: 30 min | Total: 12 1/2 hrs
In a mortar and pestle or on the bottom of a sturdy skillet, crush fennel seeds and peppercorns. Add coarsely ground spices to a bowl of 1/4 cup kosher salt and sugar. After rubbing mixture all over shoulder, put into a dutch oven and let marinate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 325°. Add 1 cup boiling stock or water to roasting pan; cover pan tightly with foil. Place lid on top if you have one. (Create a tight seal to lock in the steam and juices.) Transfer pan to oven and roast until meat is very tender and falling off the bone (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center without touching the bone will read 195°), about 5 1/2 hours.
The pork should be moist and cooked at this point so remove pan from oven and take off foil. Increase heat to 500° and add 1/4 cup vinegar and brown sugar into juices inside the pan. Return to oven and roast, watching closely to prevent burning, until pork is browned and liquid begins to reduce, about 12 minutes.
Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and pour cooking liquid in pan into a small saucepan to reduce on medium – high heat. After bringing to a boil, occasionally spoon off fat from surface, until a thick, syrupy glaze forms, about 10 minutes (there will be about 1 1/2 cups glaze and up to 1 cup fat; discard fat). Season glaze with salt and pepper; set aside.
Prep carrots and apples: using a peeler, peel carrot into thin ribbons. Core, quarter, and thinly slice apple.
In saute pan, add oil and lightly saute shallots till just soft. Add kale with a couple tablespoons of water to help steam kale. Add in carrots, apples. Saute till kale just soft and apples start to leach their juice. Last minute, add 1 Tbsp. vinegar in a large bowl with a couple tablespoon of the pork juices. Season with salt and pepper and toss all ingredients together. Arrange on a platter. Top with pork; pour reserved glaze over pork. Serve with tongs.
