Braised Pork Shoulder with Apples

The easiest pork shoulder recipe! Quick prep and then relax while your oven does the work. Tender pork shoulder, braised with onions and apples makes an elegant comforting meal.  Slow cooker and Instant Pot directions included!

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As the weather is turning colder we turn to a braise as our favorite way to prepare both pork and beef. Serve with our creamy mashed potatoes and sauteed swiss chard for the perfect cold weather Sunday dinner.

In This Post

• 📖Why This Recipe Works
• 🧾Ingredient Notes
• ⏲️How to Braise Pork Shoulder in the Oven
• 🥗What to Serve with Braised Pork Shoulder
• 🌡️Storage
• 💬Frequently Asked Questions
• 📖 Recipe
• ⭐Reviews

📖Why This Recipe Works

Braising is a cooking technique that involves a quick sear in a hot pan, followed by a slow simmer in a flavorful liquid, such as stock, wine, or beer, in a covered pot.

The low temperature and slow cooking allows the collagen in the meat to break down making tough cuts, like this pork shoulder, tender and succulent.

Not enough time for slow cooking today? Save this recipe for later and try our pork chop skillet dinner instead.

🧾Ingredient Notes

Boneless Pork Shoulder Roast- Also called a boston butt or pork butt, you will need a 3 to 4-pound piece of meat. You can also use a pork loin roast for this recipe.

Bacon- A nice streaky bacon will add fat, instead of olive oil or butter, and a bit of smoke for flavor.

Apples- See below for pairing apples with pork.

Onion- I only included one onion, yellow or white, but feel free to increase the amount

Hard Apple Cider- For a non-alcoholic version try apple cider or a 50/50 mix of chicken stock and unsweetened apple juice.

Seasonings- Apple cider vinegar, fresh sage leaves, and dijon mustard

🍎Best Apples for Pork

The best variety of apples to cook with pork are Winesaps, Braeburns, Jonagold, Fuji, and Cortland apples. These varieties of apples are firm, so they hold up well to cooking.  The apples range from semi-sweet to tart.

For this pork roast recipe, we chose locally grown Winesap apples. Mr. Peel typically says fruit cooked with meat is a travesty but even he agreed, this was the best pork roast with apples ever! 

I think it was the Winesaps that won him over.

⏲️How to Braise Pork Shoulder in the Oven

This recipe follows the standard sear and braises in the oven. But we wove in a few unique ingredients to give this pork roast a big flavor.

Step 1- Sear

Crisp bacon pieces in a large roasting pan or a dutch oven. Once crispy, remove the bacon and set aside.

Select a pork shoulder with good marbling. Preferably boneless but bone-in works as well. Thoroughly dry the pork roast with paper towels and generously season with salt and pepper.

In the same pan, sear the pork shoulder in the bacon fat. Be sure to take your time and sear the pork on all sides. The pork should be a deep golden brown.

Transfer the pork shoulder to a plate.

Step 2- Saute

Your onions should be cut into half moon pieces, about ¼ inch wide. Add them to the pan. Saute the onions until they just begin to soften

Deglaze the pan with the hard apple cider and vinegar. Add back the pork roast to the pan along with the fresh herbs.

Step 3- Braise

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours or until fork tender. Turning the pork roast halfway through.

The pan should have plenty of liquid, but if it begins to dry out add ½ cup to 1 cup of water to the pan.

Step 4- Sauce

Remove the pork roast from the pan. Skim off excess fat and reduce the liquid by ⅓.

Finally, it is time for the apples! Add the apples and cook until just softened. Stir in the reserved bacon and Dijon mustard.

To serve, tear the pork roast into large rustic pieces. Top with apples and a small amount of the pan sauce. Serve the additional pan sauce on the side.

💭Slow Cooker Instructions

This pork roast recipe can be easily adapted to be made in a slow cooker. The initial prep is the same but can be done a day before.

1. Fry up the bacon in a heavy bottom pan until crispy and set aside.
2. In the same pan, brown the seasoned pork shoulder, then place in the crockpot with the onions, sage, hard apple cider, and apple cider vinegar.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add the apples, bacon, and Dijon, cook for an additional two hours. Alternatively, you can add the apples and Dijon and turn the slow cooker up to high for one hour.
4. Remove the sage sprigs and serve.

💭Instant Pot Instructions

Don't have a crockpot?  No worries!  We called the Instant Pot queen for some help. Our friend Sandy from Simply Happy Foodie put together detailed instructions for making our pork roast with apples in your Instant Pot.

1. Cut the pork roast into 3 or 4 equal sized (1 lb) pieces (depending on the weight of your pork roast. A
   3 lb roast, cut in 3 pieces, 4 lb roast in 4 pieces, etc.). Pat dry with a paper towel and generously
   season with salt & pepper on all sides.
2. Turn on the Sauté setting and add the bacon pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove
   the bacon to a paper towel and set aside.
3. Add the pork to the pot and brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side to get good color. Remove
   to a plate and set aside. Add the onions and cook them until they just start turning translucent. If the bottom of the pot starts
   to get a bit dry, add a splash of the hard cider.
4. our in the hard cider and the vinegar. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to
   deglaze it. Get all of the browned bits (fond) off of the bottom of the pot.
5. Transfer the pork roast back into the pot along with the fresh sage leaves.
6. Place the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Cancel the Sauté
   setting.
7. Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button, or dial on Ultra. Then press the +/- button or dial to
   select 65 minutes. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
8. When the cook cycle is finished and it beeps, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 minute
   Natural Release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to do a Quick Release of
   the remaining steam/pressure (if for some reason the pork is not tender enough, put the lid back on,
   seal it, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. If you precut the pork you should be good to go.).
9. When the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid and remove the pork to a plate and tent it with foil.
   Discard the sage leaves. Skim off the excess fat from the pot liquid.
10. Turn on the Sauté setting and simmer the liquid until it reduces by ⅓. Add the apples and cook until
    just softened. Stir in the reserved bacon and Dijon mustard. Turn off the pot.
11. To serve, tear the pork into large, rustic pieces. Top with apples and a small amount of the pan sauce.
    Garnish with parsley. Serve the additional pan sauce on the side.

Please show Sandy some love by visiting her site and definitely be sure to check out all her Instant Pot recipes!  I have had my eye on this Instant Pot and the first thing I am going to be making is Sandy's Instant Pot Low Country Shimp Boil.

🥗What to Serve with Braised Pork Shoulder

I always like a creamy side like polenta, pureed celeriac, or Boursin cheese mashed potatoes to pour the sauce over.

Pair that with a crunchy green veggie, like our quick sauteed greens or fresh green beans.

Both my garlic green beans and my curry powder green beans are a good pairing. There is something about the light curry flavor with the apples that I adore.

🌡️Storage

Leftover pork shoulder should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The pork will keep for 3 to 4 days but the apples may get a little mushy.

You can reheat the pork in the braising liquid on the stovetop or in the oven.

💬Frequently Asked Questions

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📖 Recipe