Citrus Braised Pork with Crispy Shallots
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes3
hoursI love this recipe. I only changed it a little. I did cut up the half of orange into large pieces to add more flavor plus the extra acidity helps tenderize the meat. This is a hit every time I cook it. I serve it with brown jasmine rice and saute baby Bok Choy. It is a delicious meal and what I love is it can be made a day or two before and then reheated and served for dinner. The crispy shallots are AWESOME so don’t skip this step. It is very easy to do and adds a great depth of flavor. The dish would be missing something. I make this on a cold Sunday so it can simmer for hours. I make the shallots while the dish simmers so they can easily be made ahead of time. This is a dish my family begs for.
Ingredients
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 large pieces
2 Tablespoons avocado oil or grapeseed oil
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 medium oranges, rinsed and dried
5 garlic cloves, smashed and skin removed
3 inch piece fresh ginger, skin removed, chopped coarsely
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
1/4 cup Mirin
1 1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 large shallots, outer skin removed and thinly sliced
Jasmine Rice, white or brown
Fresh Cilantro, chopped for garnish
Directions
- In a large Dutch oven, warm 2 Tablespoons oil. Season the pork with salt and cut into 4 equal parts, brown the pork either in batches or if all will fit. Brown the meat on both sides, turning occasionally about 8-10 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.
- Peel 1 orange with a pairing knife into big strips of the rind. Then cut both oranges in half. Using a mesh sieve, squeeze the oranges so to get 1/2-2/3 cup juice. Then cut one half of the oranges into small pieces. Set aside.
- In the pot, add the orange peel, orange pieces, juice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and 2 cups water. Give a good stir and raise the heat to med high to bring to a boil. Place the pork back in the pot and make sure the liquid covers some of the meat. Bring to a boil, cover the pot and reduce heat to med low/low so it can simmer for 2 hours.
- In a small sauce pan, bring 1/3 cup vegetable oil to a simmer and add shallots. Occasionally stir the shallots so all are covered by the oil and can brown equally. Stir until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Have a plate ready lined with several paper towels and using a slotted spoon remove the golden shallots to the paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt immediately after removing the shallots from the oil. ***Save the oil from the shallots and keep it in an air tight container for flavoring salads or use in cooking.
- After two hours, remove the lid from the pork and cook an additional 1 hour. Cook until the pork comes apart easily when trying to shred.
- Once ready, using 2 large forks, shred the meat and make sure it drinks up all the beautiful liquid in the pot. Place a mound of rice on the plate and serve the pork and sauce over the rice. garnish with fresh cilantro.
