Braised Pork in Apple Jus

Braised pork shoulder in apple juice is a warm, aromatic stew in which pork shoulder—the marbled, juicy pork shoulder—is slowly cooked in unfermented apple juice. The juice acts as a braising liquid and gives the dish a refreshing sweet-and-sour depth that perfectly complements the creamy, fat-marbled meat. It's a quintessential comfort food dish for autumn and winter, served with parsnip purée, celeriac purée, mashed potatoes, or caramelized vegetables.

In short:

→ A tender, slow-cooked pork shoulder stew in an aromatic sauce of unfermented apple juice and herbs, with a warm, sweet-savory flavor balance.

Recipe for 6 people

Prep time:

Prep time: 30 min.

Cooking time: 3.5 hours

Ingredients:

For the Meat:

1.5 kg Procereur

1.5 tbsp. Linseed oil

2.0 L. Apple juice (cloudy) (unfermented)

3 tbsp. Soy sauce

500 ml. Chicken broth

1 tbsp. Black pepper

4 Bay leaves

1 Cinnamon stick

1 Star anise

1 tbsp. Brown sugar

1 tbsp. Orange zest

1 tbsp. Salt

For the Onions:

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

For the Parsnip Puree:

450 grams peeled and chopped parsnips

250 ml cooking cream

500 ml heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Miscellaneous:

Dutch Oven (Le Creuset) (5.6 ltr.)

Saucepan

Fryingpan

Sieve

Blender

Preparation:

Meat:

Cut the meat into large chunks and season well with salt and pepper.

Sear the meat well on all sides in linseed oil.

Remove the pork and drain the fat.

Return the meat to the pan, add the apple juice, stock, and herbs.

Bring to a boil, then cover and bake in the oven at 160°C (320°F) for 3.5 hours.

Onions:

Snij de uien in ringen.

Mix de bloem, zout, knoflookpoeder, uienpoeder, witte peper en paprikapoeder

Doop de uien in de karnemelk en haal deze door de bloemmix.

Frituur de uien op 180 graden. Als deze goudbruin zijn laat ze dan uitlekken op keukenpapier.

Pastinaakpuree:

Slice the onions into half rings.

Mix the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, and paprika.

Dip the onions in the buttermilk and coat them with the flour mixture.

Fry the onions at 180°C (350°F). Once golden brown, drain them on paper towels.

Gravy:

Once the procureur is out of the oven, sieve half of the sauce in a saucepan and let it thicken until the desired consistency is reached.

Serving suggestion:

Parsnip purée, celeriac purée, mashed potatoes, or caramelized vegetables.

Wine suggestion:

Red

Côtes-du-Rhône (Grenache/Syrah blend)

Slightly fuller, spicier, and rounder. Good if the stew is rich and darker in flavor.

White

Riesling (dry or fine-herb)

The fresh acidity and slight residual sweetness pair beautifully with apples and fattier meats.

Beer suggestion:

Westmalle Dubbel

Caramel, raisins, mild herbs → complements the stewed meat beautifully.

Bon Appétit ...