Cider and fresh herbs add flavor to this delicious oven braised pork shoulder or Boston butt. The pork is browned and then braised in a mixture of apple cider and chicken stock.
Serve the pork with mashed or boiled potatoes and your family’s favorite veggies. Broccolini is an excellent choice, or serve it with green beans, peas, or carrots. The shredded pork makes great sandwiches, too!
PrintCider-Braised Pork Shoulder
Apple cider flavors this delicious oven-braised pork shoulder (also known as Boston butt). The recipe can be made with a fresh pork picnic, too.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 32 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Pork, Pork Shoulder
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 pounds pork shoulder roast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 cup diced carrot (about 3 medium carrots)
- 1 cup diced celery (about 3 ribs)
- 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary (or about 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoons chopped sage (or about 1 teaspoon dried leaf sage)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or about 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme)
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325 F.
- Pat the pork roast with paper towels to dry. Trim and discard any visible fat.
- Sprinkle the pork roast all over with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, and chopped onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Add the garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove the vegetables and herbs to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the pork shoulder to the hot oil and cook for about 10 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.
- Add the vegetables and herbs back to the pot with the pork shoulder. Add the apple cider and chicken broth; bring to a boil.
- Cover the pot and transfer the pork to the oven. Braise in th oven for 3 hours, or until the pork is very tender.
- Slice, shred, or chop the pork. Skim the fat from the juices, strain, and drizzle over the pork to moisten.
