Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onion and Apple Confit

Tried with 3 different cuts of pork:
- Shoulder with skin
- Smoked pork loin
- Shoulder butt
Favorite was shoulder with skin (we like fat). However, the smoked pork loin made for extremely delicious tacos. I shredded it and mixed with the sauce and it was killer. I would pay good money for it.

Calvados is rather expensive, so I just had cider with some vodka, lol. Did the trick for me. Agree that I didn't taste the apple much in any of the 3 different tries, which was a bummer, but oh well. I also made one batch in the Instant Pot.

However I made it, I enjoyed it, and I will be making it again. Two thumbs up from me!

Way too dry. Pork lacked flavor.

Following other reviewers lead, I increased the amount of Calvados, garlic and thyme & mustard. Oddly, though this didn't have a lot of flavor. Also 4 onions is a LOT of onions, more than is needed for a good sauce. But even though apples show up in 3 ways--brandy, cider and a whole chopped apple--I didn't get a lot of apple flavor. A sprinkle of lemon juice at the end might have helped, but I didn't have a lemon to try it. I'm hoping the leftovers will be more flavorful after sitting overnight.

Cooked as directed, this will result in what I hate most in cooking, a recipe that sets people up to fail. My thoughts:
Ingredients
2 pinches salt is not enough to season a roast, use more.
2c liquid (stock and cider was not enough to cover my roast.

Timing
10 minutes to: peel and thinly slice 4 large onions; peel, core, and cube a large apple; peel, core and chop 2 garlic cloves; and strip 1 T of fresh thyme from stems, is unrealistic
Caramelizing onions: 18-20 minutes is exceedingly optimistic. Following the instructions is likely to result in a combination of charred and raw onion. ½ hour to 1 hour is a more realistic scenario. And that is with improved technique over the recipe instructions.
Since it is unrealistic to do all the prep in 10 minutes, I would delay preheating the oven. I would aim for (at a maximum) 20 minutes of preheat. So perhaps start the oven when the onions are 20 minutes from done.
4 hours would be a better estimate of recipe time. Maybe more, depending on the onions.

Technique
The onions can start on medium, but they require watching. They will probably need to be reduced to medium low as they cook down. Deglazing with a little water and/or adding some fat during the process will be needed. To get browned, not burned, onions must be cooked low and slow. More than the occasional stir will be needed.
I don’t understand cooking the apple, garlic, and thyme for 30 seconds after deglazing the pan. There’s not much benefit to the apples and thyme, they could just go in raw. Garlic could take 30 seconds of low heat, perhaps 1 to 2 minutes would be better. You also might need the pan to cool down a little from the heat used for deglazing.
Putting the pork in the pot, adding liquid, and putting the whole thing in the oven: I would bring the pot to a gentle simmer on the stove top, cover very well (layer of plastic wrap, layer of foil, and then the lid), and then put it in the oven.
Dijon mustard at the end: I would add checking salt and pepper, considering adding cider vinegar and/or cream, and definitely putting some fresh parsley and maybe some fresh thyme on as a garnish.

I made this and followed the recipe exactly. Very good. VERY! I loved the apple/onion confit although it is a LOT of onions. I think next time I will do 3 not 4 onions. And I couldn't taste the Calvados, so next time I will double up on that. But there will be a next time!!

Really yummy! It was fairly easy to make too. I added some sage and immersion blended the gravy after it reduced. It was quite sweet so I found myself adding a LOT of black pepper at the end and sprinkled in some Aleppo pepper as well. Was great with mashed potatoes and delicious in a sandwich the next day!

you absolutely need a fatty piece of pork for this recipe. I made the mistake of using a sirloin pork roast and it was very dry. the sauce was good but needed a little something else.

How would you alter this recipe tomato it with a bone in pork shoulder?

Finally got around to trying this and like almost all of the recipes I try for the first time I didn’t change anything. It was fabulous..won’t change/add/ subtract anything.

Update to my original post. This was AMAZING. I doubled the recipe and added carrots, I used Saltopia meat head instead if s&p for browning the pork and also doubled the garlic, served over mashed potatoes, I fead 9 people and everyone LOVED it

Food 52 has never steered me wrong, reading negative reviews will not deter me, I will add a few organic carrots and parsnips and may increase the herb ratio, and really preseason the pork with Saltopia's jurassic pork,(look them up, AMAZING) I will side this with creamy mashed potatos

As it supplies high quality ambient Vegetables. Sliced, diced, puree or paste, Vegetables in aseptic bags are a great alternative of using the raw Vegetables.
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Products produced in aseptic bags, cans or pouch:
Onion, garlic, cucumber, pumpkin, butternut squash, olive, avocado, pineapple, pear, plum, strawberry, ginger, corn, peas, tomato.

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First time braising a pork butt. We really enjoyed it served over egg noodles, with a side of roasted green beans. I thought the flavor was very good, a bit sweet. The texture of the pork with the onions and apples was amazing.

This was delicious. My only comment is the prep time. Searing the pork and camelizing onions takes significantly longer that 10 minutes! We also used regular brandy and it was fine. This is a keeper

This was "good" but it lacked depth in flavor. Just kind of average for me. Sorry.

I couldn't understand the review from the chef who said this recipe was awful. I was so stoked about this recipe! Got a 3 lb. heritage pork shoulder (coppa cut). I amped up the flavors w more garlic, toasted & ground caraway, fennel, coriander mustard seed which I added to the liquid. Extra apples and onions w hard cider and homemade chicken stock. It was just meh. The pork was divine, not so much the rest. I plan on using leftover onion & apples for the caramelized onion and Butternut squash tart, which IS divine!

When preheating a convection oven--should I do convect ROAST or BAKE? Or just ROAST or BAKE? There is a difference but NO ONE really addresses this.

Quite yummy and satisfying. It exceeded my hopes based on other attempts I’ve made with pork shoulder in the past. I did use a bone-in pork shoulder that was about 3.75# and let it cook about 4 hours. It was certainly fork tender and falling off the bone. Served it with roasted potatoes for my husband and sweet potato for me along with green beans. Looking forward to the leftovers😋.

a complete waste of time and money. i am a private chef and this was a awful. i normally like Food52 suggestions, not this time

Perfect dish to break in my new Dutch oven (how have I lived so long without one!?). I skipped the lovely but pricey calvados for a cheaper apple brandy and added and additional apple, since I had one more lying around. The pork was good - the confit delicious. Definitely worth the slow braise.