Slow Cooker

Apple Cinnamon Roasted Pork Shoulder with Sweet Seasonal Vegetables andĀ Fruit

by:
March 30, 2010
5
3 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

A carnivore's dream-sweet and juicy meat, falling off the bone. Serve with sweet, flavor-infused seasonal veggies and fruit, which you'll roast in the same pan. Generally, calculate ~40 minutes per pound of meat when cooking at 350F. However, when cooking at a lower temperature, remember to increase the cooking time. —Mariya

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Ingredients
  • 4.5 pounds pork shoulder
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion-minced
  • 6 medium carrots-cut into 2 inch lozenges
  • 4 medium sweet potatoes-medium dice
  • 2 Granny Smith apples-each cut into 8 wedges
  • 1 Anjou pear-cut into 8 wedges
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves-minced
  • 2 cloves garlic-minced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup Grand Marnier
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves-minced
Directions
  1. Trim any excess fat from the pork (you may leave as much or as little fat as you'd like; it adds a whole lot of flavor!); score the skin with your knife (by making a criss-cross pattern).
  2. On med-high heat, heat oil in a roasting pan; season pork, generously, with salt and pepper and brown on every side; once nicely browned, remove and set aside.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium and add onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, and cinnamon stick to the pan and coat in the fat; cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Add thyme, garlic, and cranberries and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add Grand Marnier to the pan and bring to a quick simmer.
  6. Put the pork back into the pan, cover, and place into a 325F oven; cook for approximately 4.5 hours-turning the pork ~2-3 times (uncover for the last 25 minutes of cooking); oven temperatures vary-be sure the meat is extremely tender; the internal temperature should be 160F.
  7. Allow the meat to rest for 12-14 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the fruit and veggies-which will absorb the flavor of the meat and be extremely aromatic.

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3 Reviews

Mariya March 30, 2010
Thank you! Hope you have a chance to try it out.
TheWimpyVegetarian March 30, 2010
What a gorgeous picture! And it sounds so delicious. I love the addition of fruit and Grand Marnier.
Intelatin March 30, 2010
I like how this looks. Usually in American cuisine, they cook the vegetables separately without any seasoning and thus they do not retain any flavor at all. Your dish looks tasty.