Braised Pork Roast

Yesterday, I made a pork roast that was out of this world (if I do say so myself)...It was also incredibly easy. And the bonus is that I have plenty left over to make quesadillas and tacos tonight. I probably have enough left over for another meal later in the week. I also made a wonderful smash of celeriac, apples and carrots.

Here's how it went down:

You will need:

a pork roast large enough to feed your family x 2 (in order to have leftovers)
a large cast iron Dutch stock, 4 cups
water, 2 cups
bay leaves
6-8 cloves of garlic
one large yellow or white onion
salt and pepper
oregano
sage

Preheat oven to 350. Heat up the cast iron Dutch oven on the stove top. Add olive oil to the bottom of the pan and wait for it to shimmer and start to smoke. I would set the stove on medium high...don't want to burn the oil, but it needs to be hot to create a good crust on the outside of the roast. Salt and pepper the roast and place that side down in the pan, then salt and pepper the rest of the roast. If you have a large roast, you will need quite a bit of seasoning, so don't be afraid to salt liberally.

**This is a Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven. No, I am not selling it, but wanted to give credit since I am using their photo.

Let it sear for a few minutes, then turn, creating a brown crust on all sides. I know you will be tempted to move it or check it, but once the meat hits the surface of the pan, don't mess with it for 5-7 minutes or you won't get a good crust.

Next, add vegetable stock and water until the liquid is about 2/3 of the way up the roast. Add the onion, garlic, handful of bay leaves and a couple of palm-fulls of oregano and sage, feel free to adjust amounts according to the size of your roast and taste. Bring liquid to a boil, add lid and place in oven.

In order for this to braise, it needs to be cooked low and slow. Keep it in the oven for 3.5 hours or so, depending upon the size of the roast. I flip mine over once in the middle of the cooking process. Take it out, let it cool just a bit and chow down!

Tips:

• a bone in roast adds to the flavor, plus you can reuse the bone in a future soup
• I think a larger roast really benefits from this cooking method
• don't skip the browning and don't skip the stock
• use a cast iron Dutch oven, I haven't found any other pot that rivals the success of this one

Comments

[Crcepelak]

Made this tonight, good flavor. I did throw the onion and garlic in before the liquids, just personal preference. Have a good one!