Apple Cider Braised Pork Recipe [+Video]

This braised pork recipe is a flavor-packed pork dish braised in apple cider and chicken stock until fork tender. We also add some fresh herbs, roasted garlic and onions for even more rich flavor.

Combining the savory pork with the sweet apple cider and apple slices makes this the perfect comfort food for a cool fall evening!

Recommended Equipment

• Large Dutch Oven

Before You Begin…

We will start by getting the pork ready to be braised. Pat dry the chunks of pork shoulder and season them with salt and pepper. Then you will brown the chunks on all sides. This locks in the juices and adds so much flavor to the pork. Don’t skip this step!

What is Braising?

Braising a method for cooking meat. It uses a combination of both wet and dry heat to cook the meat until it is super tender and saucy. In this recipe we sear the pork using a dry heat, and then the pork is cooked in a little bit of liquid (wet heat) over a longer period of time. Braising creates deep and rich flavors and fall apart tender meat. It’s one of my favorite ways to cook meat.

What Do I Need to Make Apple Cider Braised Pork?

Here are the items you will need to make this recipe:

• Pork Butt: I prefer to buy a bone-in pork butter because it has better flavor and then cut it off the bone into large chunks for this recipe.
  • PRO TIP: I buy a big pork butt and chop it in half, remove the bone and then quarter each half and freeze them in two bags for two separate rounds of braised pork.
• Canola Oil: used to brown the pork chunks
• Braising Liquid: Apple Cider, Chicken Stock, Apple Cider Vinegar, Dark Brown Sugar, Dijon Mustard, Salt and Pepper
• Aromatics: Garlic, Rosemary, Thyme, and Red Onion
• Butter: adds richness and flavor to the pork while keeping it moist
• Granny Smith Apples: added for the last little bit of cooking to add more flavor and they make a delicious addition to the meal

This is meant to just be an overview of the ingredients. Keep scrolling down to the recipe card to see all the measurements needed for each ingred

Apple Cider Donut Muffins

I love the crisp autumn air, the leaves changing colors on the trees, the pumpkin spice everything and most of all, these apple cider donut muffins!

These apple cider muffins are one of our favorite healthy breakfast options. They have the perfect amount of sweet from the cider and brown sugar and the sour cream helps keep them extra tender and moist. 

Does your family have any fall traditions? I’m not sure if it’s like this everywhere else, but when fall rolls around here in Utah, all sorts of pumpkin patches pop up with corn mazes and fun activities for families. One of our favorite places is down in a little town called Santaquin at Rowley’s Red Barn. It is the cutest farm with a red barn where you can buy ice cream, fall produce, the best apple cider on earth AND the most outrageously delicious apple cider donuts. I don’t know what they put in those donuts, but they are dangerous!

These apple cider donut muffins are those donuts but in muffin form because, let’s be honest, muffins are just easier than donuts! Everyone has a muffin tin but not everyone has a donut pan. It’s time to make these donut muffins a new fall tradition in your family!

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