Braised Pork & Winter Fruit

Recipe by Craig Thompson of Rockside Ranch. He originally adapted the recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook.

Rockside Ranch pork is naturally sweet and delicious in this winter dish using dried fruits and red wine.

With slow cooked, braised meat dishes, I prefer to start them in the morning or the day before serving. This gives you time to taste the meat and wait for the perfect tenderness to occur and, the flavors have more time to blend. You can braise the pork in the oven or use a crockpot. I love to serve this dish with Potnips, see below. Leftovers make great sandwiches. Add spicy or Dijon mustard and coleslaw.

A bone-in picnic or shoulder roast is in between the Boston butt (upper shoulder) and the hamhock. It has less fat than a Boston butt but more connective tissue and a bone down the center. It needs plenty of time to braise gently but the silky rich flavor is worth the wait.

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large bowl combine pork, dried fruit, red wine, vinegar, dill, mint, cumin and thyme. Cover and marinade, refrigerated, for 24 hours. Turn meat once.
• Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking.
• Preheat oven to 325˚F or set the crockpot to high.
• Remove pork and fruit from marinade. Reserve fruit in a small bowl. Reserve marinade separately. Pat the pork until very dry with paper towels and lightly sprinkle with salt.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven large enough to fit the pork comfortably. Add the pork and brown the meat until nicely caramelized and colored. Allow meat to caramelize to a rich brown color before turning or moving. To get a beautiful caramelized coating, the browning process will take 20 to 30 minutes.
• With a slotted spoon transfer pork to a plate (if you will be braising it in the oven) or the crockpot. Drain the oil from the Dutch oven, add the shallots or onion and sauté over medium heat until wilted and golden.
• Add the reserved marinade and deglaze the pan by bringing it to a boil, scraping up any browned bits remaining in the pan. Cook for several minutes, until slightly reduced. Add the meat back to the pot. If you are using a crockpot, pour the liquid over the meat.
• Stir in the apricots, raisins, half of the chicken stock, the bay leaves and honey; mix well. Cook the meat, turning once halfway through cooking, until very tender and falling off the bone. Add additional stock if needed. A 2 ½ to 3 pound roast will take about 4 hours.
• Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

For the potnips…

• Start a pot of water to boil large enough to cover the potatoes. Generously salt the water.
• Peel the parsnips and cut them into ½-inch pieces. Drop them in the water to cook until very tender.
• Meanwhile peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks.
• Strain the parsnips and place them in a wide bowl to allow steam to escape.
• Add the potatoes to the salted water and boil until tender. Drain well.
• Add the potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a handheld mixer. Whip the Potnips adding butter, dairy, salt and white pepper to taste.