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

Smoked Brisket Chili – 5 Different Ways

Our chili recipes are some of the most popular out there, so it was time to share our mega tasty Traeger smoked brisket chili! And we are sharing 5 different ways to make it – stove top, oven braised, smoker, slow cooker or Instant Pot.

The smoky flavor of the brisket with those bold chili flavors ands spices makes for an outrageously good bowl of chili. I love to top my bowl with shredded cheddar cheese and some sour cream.

I mean, where do I even start? This smoked brisket chili recipe has been living in my brain for probably the past 5-6 years and it has taken me all this time to get it down on “paper”. How weird that we rarely use paper anymore. Remember all those calendars on walls and sticky notes of reminders?

5 Different Ways

Anyway, I always have leftover brisket, those things are huge and my children are small. Therefore, brisket chili. And you don’t need a ton for this recipe…just 1.5 lbs.

I want to help you out so there will be five different versions explained. Please don’t get bugged! I will get questions about making it different ways so I’m just trying to anticipate that and help. The five different ways are stove top, oven braised, smoked, slow cooker and Instant Pot. Then there will be instructions for both uncooked brisket and leftover brisket for each method. Make sense? Sheesh, I hope so! Here we go…

First, I will start by explaining how to brown uncooked brisket if you’re going to go that route…

How to Brown Brisket for Chili

1. Cube the pieces of raw brisket meat – Trim any hard fat as that will not melt away in the cooking process. Remember, the size of the meat is what you’ll be eating so we want no bigger than 2″ pieces (these will break down so you can smash them a bit, creating smaller pieces once cooked).
2. Season the brisket with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in the bottom of a cast iron dutch oven or large pot until shimmering. Cook the brisket in batches, never at once or it will end up cooking in liquid, aka boiled meat. Remove to a plate and proceed with the recipe of your choice, oven braised, smoked, or stove top. 

 Using Leftover Brisket for Chili

If you have leftover brisket either from our smoked brisket recipe or our slow cooker brisket, your steps will be fewer…

1. Because your meat is already prepared, start by cooking the veggies and seasonings first. 
2. Add cubed
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Garlic Dill Fingerling Potatoes

Little buttery fingerling potatoes braised with garlic and dill and topped off with fleur de sel salt are the next greatest thing to hit your Sunday dinner. You are going to love these potatoes!

To me potatoes are just the perfect family food. There’s just something about them that always brings back memories of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinners etc, all home cooked by Mom. But times have changed, and so have potatoes.

I knew as a young girl that there were Russet potatoes. And that was all there was to it. I had no idea there were other kinds and that they are not only different but some potatoes cannot be subbed for other potatoes in recipes. For example, these brown butter braised dill fingerlings. Read on to find out why.

What are Fingerling Potatoes?

Fingerling potatoes are low in starch and extra creamy inside with a paper thin peel that crisps perfectly when roasted. There are lots of different types of fingerling potatoes – red, yellow, purple, golden or a mixture of all colors.

What Do Fingerling Potatoes Taste Like?

Once roasted these potatoes have a flavor that is mild, nutty and earthy, and their texture is firm and moist.

Why Use Fingerling Potatoes?

I mentioned earlier that you wouldn’t want to substitute other potatoes in this recipe. The reason for this is that fingerling potatoes braise better than other potatoes because you leave them whole since they are so small. They get soft and tender inside while the skin gets crispy and delicious. Fingerlings are also perfect for fast meals since they don’t have to be peeled and they cook through quickly.

The Ingredients for Dill Fingerling Potatoes

One of my favorite thing about potato recipes is that they usually don’t take many ingredients to make them delicious. This recipe calls for just 7 ingredients. Here is what you will need:

• Butter: unsalted and used to braise the potatoes on the stove top
• Fingerling Potatoes: rinse them but no need to peel them and you only need 1 pound of them
• Kosher Salt: used to flavor the braising fingerlings
• Black Pepper: freshly ground
• Fresh Dill: You’re really going to want fresh dill here, but if you absolutely must use dried, use 1 teaspoon. You’ll also use part of the dill while the potatoes are braising and the rest will be added at the end before serving.
• Garlic: adds flavor to the potatoes as they braise
• Course Salt: fleur de sel or kosher salt, used to season the potatoes right before serving

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. You can save or print the recipe from there as well.

What Can You Substitute For Fingerling Potatoes?

If you cannot find fingerling potatoes, new potatoes are a comparable substitute.

What is Fleur de Sel?

Fleur de Sel is salt in its purest form. It forms as seawater evaporates leaving a thin crust on the surface. It is so pure that it has no bitterness and adds delicious flavor to food.

I’m going to guess that most people don’t have Fleur de Sel on hand, so any other coarse salt, including Kosher salt works just