Author Notes
This fall I discovered boiled apple cider and I cannot believe I lived this long without it. Boiled apple cider is fresh cider boiled down into a naturally sweet, viscous syrup. The magic is reduction. Ever since my first batch of boiled cider I have been obsessively stirring it into drinks and cocktails alike and spreading it onto every baked good I can find. Now I'm taking it to savory dishes like these braised pork tacos. Boiled apple cider takes around 5 hours to reduce, but requires so little attention, just a few stirs with a wooden spoon from time to time. Similarly, low-and-slow braised pork shoulder requires very little attention, but needs at least 8 to 10 hours on low heat to melt into juicy, shredded perfection. The recipe calls for braising the pork shoulder with a myriad of spices and half of the apple cider, while the remaining half of the cider is boiled down into a syrup. Put the pork shoulder in the oven to braise 8- to 0 hours before mealtime, set the cider on the stove to reduce down, and turn to any activity in the house you like until just before serving time— then, throw together a quick slaw of tart Granny Smith apples, watercress, red cabbage, and carrot to serve with the tacos. For a crowd, use a larger pork shoulder and increase the cooking time as needed. Either way, these make incredible leftovers. —Chase the Flavors
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe was really good. The pork fell right off the bone just as the recipe described. The slaw by itself is pretty spicy, but when it's paired with the sweetness of the pork it really balanced it all out nicely. I served it to a bunch of friends and everyone loved it, but found a little sprinkle of salt to serve really brings out all the flavors. —maryGpastorek
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Ingredients
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5 to 8 pounds
bone-in pork shoulder
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8
garlic cloves, peeled
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2
thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, each about 2 inches long and at least an inch wide, peeled
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2 tablespoons
cumin seeds, toasted
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1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
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1 teaspoon
smoked paprika
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1/2 cup
olive oil
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
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1 gallon
fresh apple cider, preservative-free
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1
lemon
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2
large shallots, quartered
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1 cup
red cabbage, chopped thinly
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1 cup
watercress (loosely packed and stems removed), chopped
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1/2 cup
julienned carrots (matchsticks)
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1
jalapeño, finely diced
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1 cup
julienned Granny Smith apple (matchsticks), seeds and stem removed
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2
avocados, for serving
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12 to 16
white corn tortillas, for serving
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place the pork shoulder skin-side up on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to score the fat and skin, but not the meat beneath, cutting parallel lines about 1/2 inch apart; rotate the cutting board 90°, then repeat, scoring parallel lines until a diamond pattern has formed across the entire pork skin.
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Using a larger mortar and pestle or a food processor, grind together the peeled garlic cloves with the fresh ginger, toasted cumin seeds, salt, and smoked paprika. A mortar and pestle works best to smash everything into a paste, but a food processor can get the job done. Whisk the paste together with the olive oil.
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Season the underside of the pork with a pinch of salt and pepper, then place it skin-side up in a large baking dish. Make sure that the baking dish is large enough to hold the pork and half a gallon of apple cider, with extra room to spare (this will keep juices from overflowing onto the oven floor and give you plenty of room for basting). Rub the garlic-ginger-spice paste into the scored crevasses of the pork skin. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes at 425° F. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 275° F.
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Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin of the peel from the lemon, careful to only get the skin and not the white pith. Cut the lemon peel into 3-inch pieces if you got the entire peel in one swoop (also, props to you if you did; I have yet to accomplish one piece). Add the lemon peel to the pan along with the quartered shallots. Pour half a gallon of apple cider over the pork and put it back in the oven.
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Bake for 8 or more hours, basting with the pan juices every hour or so. The pork shoulder is done when the meat is falling off the bone and the skin is ultra crispy. Let cool before shredding.
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Meanwhile, boil the remaining half gallon of apple cider. Bring the cider to a boil over high heat in a large stockpot. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 5 hours. The cider will reduce from 1/2 gallon to 1 cup and take on the consistency of maple syrup.
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Drain the pork pan juices, reserving 2 cups. Loosely shred the pork and set it aside in a large serving bowl. Combine the cup of boiled apple cider with two cups of pan juices in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. While the boiled cider and pan juices simmer together, prepare the slaw.
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Combine 1 tablespoon lemon juice from the peeled lemon with the chopped cabbage, watercress, carrot, jalapeño, and Granny Smith apple.
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Pour the boiled apple cider and pan juices from the saucepan onto the shredded pork. Warm the corn tortillas in a frying pan and let dinner-goers fill them with the boiled apple cider shredded pork, apple cabbage slaw, and avocado slices.
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