Old Fashioned Pork Roast

The Complete Cook’s Country
TV Show Cookbook
America’s Test Kitchen

 

So I’ve made this a couple of times and I remember liking it better the first time around.  Maybe because I skipped the last step this time, or because it was a particularly fatty pork butt.  But it wasn’t horrible.  The taste was really good, it was just an exceptionally fatty piece of meat. But pork butts aren’t known for being lean.  So… while it wasn’t horrible, it’s not a favorite.  But I’ll share it anyway, because the flavors of the onions and the sauce are really quite nice.

So, here it is, I’ll give you the option of whether or not to give it a try.  😊

Note:  A heavy roasting pan with 3-inch sides is the best choice for this recipe, but a shallow broiler pan also works well.

Ingredients

6 pounds boneless pork butt roast, fat trimmed to 1/8 inch, tied lengthwise and crosswise
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons peppercorns, cracked
1½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, chopped
2 large red onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
1 cup apple cider
¼ cup apple jelly
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

 

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.  Pat pork dry with paper towels.  Combine garlic, peppercorns, salt, rosemary, sage, and fennel seeds in small bowl.  Rub roast with herb mixture.
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  2. Transfer to roasting pan and cook for 3 hours.  Scatter onion wedges around roast, tossing onion in pan drippings to coat. (If roast has not produced any juices, toss onions with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil before adding to pan.) Continue roasting until meat is extremely tender and skewer inserted in center meets no resistance, 3½ to 4 hours. (Check pan juices every hour to make sure they have not evaporated.  If necessary, add 2 cups water to pan and scrape up browned bits.)
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  3. Transfer roast to large baking dish, place onions in medium bowl, and pour pan drippings into 2-cup liquid measuring cup, adding enough water to measure 1½ cups.  Let roast, onions, and drippings cool for 30 minutes, cover each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
  4. One hour before serving, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.  Cut meat into ¼-inch slices and overlap in large baking dish.  Skim off fat from pan drippings and transfer drippings and reserved onions to medium saucepan.  Add cider, jelly, and vinegar and bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to simmer.  Spoon ½ cup sauce over pork slices and cover baking dish with aluminum foil.  Place in oven and heat until very hot, 30 to 40 minutes.
  5. Just before serving, reduce sauce until dark and thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.  Serve pork, spooning onion mixture over met or passing separately.

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