Succulent Braised Pork

Way back in January my sister came all the way from Oakland, CA to a conference that she goes to every year that happened to be in Charleston this year. I was super excited to be able to spend some sister time together and have her see our place. I didn't know how much I was really going to see her since she did have a conference to go to after all. On the last day she was giving a presentation so I knew with all that she would be pretty busy. Just in case she had time to eat with us, I planned a few what I would call "special meals" that I would be excited to share with a guest or a sister that I never get to cook for. One of these recipes was for a braised pork shoulder which just happened to be on sale at the grocery that week.

Succulent Braised Pork
by Melissa d'Arabian

2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
1 bunch parsley stems, tied with string
2 bay leaves
1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms. Transfer the pork to a plate. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it. Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor. Whisk in the wine and reduce it by half. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock, parsley stems, and bay leaves. Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork. Do not cover the pork with liquid. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Sorry this picture is so lame. But I was so excited to eat the pork I totally forgot to take the picture till there was only one bite left!

This meat is so tender and packed with flavor. I like to serve it with some roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes, something to soak up the delicious juices that are left in the pot.

If you need a special meal for a special guest try this one. Or just in the mood to make something tasty for yourself. It is a slow cooking kind of meal, I would suggest making it on your day off. But it is worth the time. If you can handle smelling tasty pork all day, then go for it!