This braised pork shoulder recipe has it all. High flavor, low cost, and slow-cooked in the oven.
What could be better? All of these factors make it one of our favorite pork recipes.
This braised pork shoulder recipe is one of our many easy ways to make pork.
About this dinner
This savory Boston butt dinner will feed your family and guests for just a couple of dollars per serving. With lots of savory flavors and vegetables, it is the perfect meal for Sunday dinner or weeknight meals.
This braised pork shoulder recipe starts on your stovetop and finishes in your oven.
The different cuts of pork
This braised pork recipe uses the shoulder, which is the same cut as Boston butt. These are good cuts for making stew and other slow cooker pork recipes.
Pork shoulder and Boston butt are interchangeable terms for the same cut of meat.
How to braise food
We make this braised pork shoulder using a braising technique of cooking. Braising is a common way of preparing meat and vegetables that involves a combination of wet and dry heat.
When braising, meat is often seared first over high heat on the stovetop and then covered and slow-cooked in the oven at a reduced temperature. That's how we make this braised pork shoulder.
Braising often involves some "real cooking" techniques. We will get into that in just a bit, specifically with our use of tomato paste and flour, when making this deliciously braised pork shoulder.
How to make it
Take a 2 or 3 pound cut of Boston butt and cut it into six large chunks.
Now that we know a bit more about the various cuts of meat and have a better understanding of braising, it's time to make this braised pork shoulder!
Start by cutting up the meat into about six large chunks. If you have a piece of butt with the bone it, even better! The bone will add flavor and texture throughout the braising process.
Use a large Dutch oven and work in batches, sear the chunks of meat on all sides, over medium-high heat unit a golden crust develops.
This takes about 3 minutes. Then, set the seared meat aside.
Sweat a mirepoix in the Dutch oven for five or six minutes.
Now you will reduce the heat and use the same Dutch oven to sweat a mirepoix of carrots, onion, and celery. When sweating vegetables, the goal is to merely soften them without caramelizing them or making them turn brown.
Browning tomato paste will add depth and flavor to it.
After the mirepoix softens, add some tomato paste to the skillet and stir it around until it cooks for a few minutes and turns darker.
Pro Cooking Tip: Browning and cooking tomato paste will add depth and flavor to any recipe that uses it.
Cooking the flour for a minute or two takes away its raw taste.
Once your tomato paste is nicely caramelized, use a fine mesh strainer and sprinkle some flour into the bottom of the skillet and stir it around for a couple of minutes.
This is a great way to add flour to any recipe if you don't want it to clump. It works especially well for making a roux or gravy recipes! The flour will help add body to the braised pork shoulder and slightly cooking it first will take away the raw taste of the flour.
Add a cup or so of red wine and reduce it by half.[/caption]
Now we are starting to add some of the "wet" for the braising process of this recipe. I recommend a full-body red, like a cabernet sauvignon or a pinot noir. Are you starting to get a better idea of just how wonderful this dinner is going to taste?!
Add some beef broth, parsley, and bay leaves to the pot.
Finally, we are going to add some beef broth, a couple of bay leaves, and some parsley to enhance the flavor of this amazing dinner. Now, the only thing left to do is cover the pot, place it in the oven. And then wait.
Make this braised pork shoulder dinner for just a couple of dollars per serving.[/caption]
This braised pork shoulder is part of a recent night of family cooking at our house in town which also included a fried cabbage with a bacon side dish and German potato dumplings.
May I just say that all three of these recipes get along quite nicely. Try this easy family dinner soon. It's perfect for fall, and your family will love it.
How can I use leftovers?
If you have any concerns about leftovers from this savory dinner, I suggest using them for a pot pie later in the week. We did not have that luxury. Our
Braising recipes
- Butter-Braised Radishes, Kohlrabi, and Brussels Sprouts
- Braised Savory Meatballs
- Braised Beef Stew
- Braised Garlic Chicken & Capers with Lemon-Anchovies Sauce
- Beef Bourguignon
- Easy Braised Beef
Easy pork recipes
- Savory Pork Wellington
- Smoked Pork Tenderloin
- Honey Pecan Pork Chops
- Harvest Pork Pan-Seared Pork Chops
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fennel
- Juice Box Pork with Sweet Potatoes
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📖 Recipe
Braised Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs Pork shoulder
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 stalks Celery chopped
- 1 Carrot chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 1 cup Red wine
- 2 cups Beef broth low sodium
- 1 bunch Parsley tied
- 2 Bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Cut pork shoulder into five or six large chunks. Heat olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven, over medium-high setting. Working in batches, sear the pork chunks on all sides until they have a light golden-brown crust. Remove pork and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add onion, celery, and carrot. Sweat the mirepoix for about five minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in salt and pepper.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes until it starts to brown slightly. Then, sprinkle the flour in the pan and cook it for a couple of minutes as well. Add the red wine and cook to reduce slightly. Return the pork chunks to the Dutch oven.
- Add enough beef broth until it reaches the top of the pork but does not cover it. Add parsley and bay leaves, cover the Dutch oven and place in oven for three hours or until fork tender. Allow the meat to rest for five minutes and then serve.
Video
Notes
- Discard parsley and bay leaves before serving.
- If you're not a fan of pork, try an inexpensive cut of beef in this recipe instead. Braising takes tough meat and tenderizes until it's soft and delicious!
Catalina
This is such a comforting perfect autumn dish! Meat dishes are my favorite! Full of flavor and so delicious!
Veena Azmanov
I love the flavors and simplicity of this recipe. I am looking forward to buying a dutch oven soon. This would be a perfect winter food dinner recipe for us. Saving this for later.
Mahy Elamin
Wow this looks insanely good! So yummy! My husband loves pork very much. This is the perfect recipe for him.
Denay DeGuzman
This autumn recipe looks hearty, flavorful and super scrumptious! I look forward to cooking this on a cool fall evening.
Lauren Vavala
This pork looks so tender and all those flavors are just delicious! I LOVE Dutch oven cooking this time of year!
Dianna
We love cooking our dinners in a Dutch oven. Everything comes out so juicy and tender.
April
I like how detailed your recipe is! It has everything one needs to prepare for a dish like this. And the fact that it is slow-cooked helps me imagine how flavorful it must be!
Claudia Lamascolo
that juice alone made my mouth water what a great recipe and surely these are fabulous captures of this great dish!
Gloria
What a great way to prepare pork shoulder. Such a great cut of meat to work with in comfort food season. I love using my dutch oven for recipes like this.
Karyl Henry
I don't have a dutch oven, but I'm house sitting and they have several...which is perfect for me to try out recipes before I buy...this recipe is ON THE LIST!! Looks absolutely mouthwatering