Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Apple Cider and Spicy Mustard Roasted Pork


I'm a big fan of the pork butt. It's extremely economical, simple to make, so tasty and as my butcher puts it, "it's one of those cuts that you can cook the s#@t out of." Hey, the guy butchers animals for a living, he's a rough and tough farmer and that explanation probably had him showing some restraint. Eloquence aside, this really is one of those cuts that benefits from long, slow cooking times. If you're not familiar with pork butt it's the cut most commonly used to make pulled pork which is also a dish that requires long cooking times until the pork essentially falls apart. I love pulled pork and make it quite often but it is rainy and chilly here today and I wanted a comfort roast-ish meal. Two of my favorite combinations with pork are apples and spicy mustard so a while ago I decided to join the forces and came up with this super simple, utterly delicious roasted pork. I like to serve this pork with roasted potatoes and carrots for a truly old school like-your-grandmama-would-make comfort meal.

Recipe:
3 lb pork butt roast (ask your butcher to tie it for you)
1 large clove garlic cut into 1/4" slices (equalling about 6 slices)
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1 cup water
1/4 cup stoneground spicy mustard or spicy dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a small paring knife, slice 6 slits halfway into the pork. Push the garlic slices into the slits. Prepare the pork by rubbing the mustard over the entire roast. Pour the apple cider and honey into the roasting pan, whisk together and place the roast into the pan. The liquid should ideally come up half way up the roast. If it doesn't in your pan, add a little more water. Cover the roasting pan and place in the oven.
3. Baste the pork with the apple cider every hour or so and roast for 5-6 hours or until the pork is fork tender.
4. Once the pork is tender, remove it from the roasting pan, loosley cover with foil and set aside to rest. Meanwhile, Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan. Bring the juices to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the juices have reduced slightly to a sauce-like consistency.
5. Carve the roast and serve it with the reduced sauce.

2 comments:

The Food Addicts said...

Wow this recipe sounds great!

Madeline said...

Thanks @The Food Addicts. It really is delicious and so easy to make.

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