Braised Pork With Prunes and Orange
Updated Feb. 23, 2023
- Total Time
- 2¾ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder, fat trimmed, cut into 2- to 3-inch chunks
- 1tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- Black pepper
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2large shallots, chopped
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½cup sherry vinegar
- ½cup dry red wine
- 1½cups chicken broth
- 2sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1orange, for 2 (3- to 4-inch) strips orange zest plus peeled, chopped orange segments, for topping, optional
- 1½tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 5½ounces prunes (about 1 cup)
- ⅓cup chopped parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
584 calories; 38 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 32 grams protein; 741 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the pork all over with the salt and several generous grinds of black pepper. Melt the butter with the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add half the pork chunks, spread them out, and let them brown on one side without moving them for 5 minutes. (If the pan starts to burn, reduce the heat to medium-high.) Remove the pork to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork. (You can sear the pork on more than one side, but doing it on one side saves time and is enough to build flavor and texture.)
- Step 2
Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, to evenly combine, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup of the sherry vinegar and the red wine; bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, thyme and orange zest strips. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Stir in the pork and any juices on the plate. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and braise in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile stir together the remaining ¼ cup sherry vinegar, the brown sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the prunes and set aside.
- Step 4
Uncover the pork and add the prunes and their soaking liquid. Let the dish cook another 40 to 50 minutes, until the pork is very tender and the sauce is reduced and thickened. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, then stir in the parsley. Serve topped with chopped orange segments, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
All due respect Mary Ellen Marte - that’s not the recipe. Not even a little. I made the recipe and it’s incredible. I doubled the orange zest and threw in a few more prunes. I ran out of sherry vinegar so I subbed with more red wine. Incredibly delicious dish on a cold February night! Let that meat really braise - I added more time on the end after adding prunes- so good!
Here's what I do: instead of pork, I used alligator meat I have on hand. Instead of a dutch oven, I used a pizza oven that's powered by the waterfall in the backyard. I soaked the dried shrooms and foraged leaves on my hikes in curry-spiced moonshines. I seasoned everything with spices from every country I've been to and tree barks from the local park. Yasss!
Step 3: what if you soaked the prunes in port wine? Still need brown sugar and sherry vinegar?
Absolutely delicious. The only changes I made were soaking the prunes in port instead of sugar/vinegar solution and used blood oranges. Definitely a keeper.
Important: ensure you put the lid back on after you add prunes. I searched Sarah’s other braised pork recipe to ensure it was the right move. Made this tonight. The orange/prune are an unexpected but beautiful combination. I served this over garlicky browned butter mashed potatoes with a super toasty ciabatta roll. It was a hit. This was a random weeknight dinner, so I grabbed everything from Trader Joe’s (except sherry vinegar, which you can get from Whole Foods, World Market, etc.) Specifics for those interested: I used Charles Shaw cab sauv ($3.50), 3 pork tenderloin totaling 4lb, a large navel orange, added 1/2 tsp of “Valencia orange peel” from McCormick (Amazon). You could zest/freeze strips next time you eat an orange, or use 4 small mandarin instead. I used a vegetable peeler to get the orange strips without getting too much pith (white bitter stuff). I used sherry vinegar/brown sugar for the prunes. Next time I’ll use Sarah’s slow cooker version, or convert it to IP—it was tender, but only 40% was “fall apart with a fork” tender. Pork shoulder would have done better, but I like being able to get just 4lbs for $18 from TJ’s. It was also easy to cut. The acidity probably wasn’t great for the cast iron dutch oven either. I took about 1 c. of the liquid and added 1 TBSP of honey, heated over medium high heat with about 2 tsp corn starch to serve over the mashed potatoes and on top of the pork. I felt the sweetness cut the acidity perfectly. Delicious.
Double the prunes and orange zest for extra pleasure! I had to use balsamic vinegar, but the result was still delicious.