Cider Braised Pork Chops With Heaven And Earth Recipes

Steps:

• Generously salt all sides of the pork shoulder chunks. Heat oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Brown pork shoulder pieces until surface is seared and crusty, about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Transfer browned pork to a plate. Add onions to oil and reduce heat to medium and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook and stir about 2 minutes. Add torn sage leaves; cook until onions soften and begin to brown, stirring frequently. Pour cider into pot; stir to deglaze bottom. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in cider vinegar. Reduce heat to low.
• Transfer pork shoulder pieces to cider mixture. Cover; simmer gently on low 1 hour. Remove lid and turn pieces over. Cover; simmer on low until meat is fork tender, 1 to 2 more hours. Transfer pork to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Raise heat to high and bring sauce to a simmer. Whisk in creme fraiche. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half and is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in a pinch of cayenne. Transfer pork back to pot; reduce heat to low. Baste pork with sauce while it heats through and becomes perfectly tender, and the sauce is as thick as you want it, about 15 more minutes.

Steps:

• For the brine: combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, coriander, mustard seeds, allspice berries, bay leaves, thyme and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and pour in the cold cider. Let the brine cool to room temperature.
• Put the pork chops in a large resealable plastic bag and pour in the brine. Press out excess air and seal tightly. Put the bag in a shallow container so it can lay flat and refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Drain the chops, rinse and pat dry. Discard the brine.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chops (work in batches if necessary; do not crowd the pan) and cook, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown and cooked through, 13 to 14 minutes. (If the chops are browning too quickly or the pan drippings start to burn, lower the heat.) Remove to a plate.
• For the sauce: Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and place over medium heat. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook until sizzling, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to make a paste. Whisk in the cider and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer until very thick, about 1 minute. Add the stock, bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the cream and simmer to bring the sauce together, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, vinegar and parsley. Season to taste with salt. Add the chops to the pan and simmer, turning occasionally, until just heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs.

Steps:

• Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to skillet and sauté until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer pork to plate. Add onions, celery and bay leaf to skillet. Sauté until onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Mix in curry powder. Add cider and boil until sauce is slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Return pork and any accumulated juices to skillet. Simmer just until cooked through, about 3 minutes for boneless chops and 5 minutes for bone-in chops. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chops in two batches, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot and cook onion over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic, flour, and 2 tablespoons apple butter and cook until onions are coated and mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in cider and thyme, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon, and bring to boil. Add browned chops and any accumulated juices to pot, cover, and transfer to oven.
• Braise until chops are completely tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer chops to serving platter. Strain sauce, then use a shallow spoon to skim off fat. ( Note - a fat separator, if you own one, is a much better method to discard excess fat.).
• Whisk in vinegar, parsley, and remaining apple butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing sauce at table.
• NOTE - The chops and sauce can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days. To serve, heat sauce and chops together over medium heat until chops are warmed through.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the oil in a large lidded flameproof casserole and brown the meat in batches, then set aside. Fry the onions, celery and parsnips with the bay leaves for 10 mins until golden brown. Sprinkle in the flour and give a good stir, then add the pork and any juices back to the dish.
• Add the cider and stock so that the meat and vegetables are covered. Season and bring to a simmer, then cover and put in the oven for 2 hrs. Serve sprinkled with parsley, with mashed potato and greens, if you like.