A one-pot meal with pork shoulder slow-braised to ultimate tenderness in a rich tomato sauce balanced with crisp white wine and flavour-infused chunks of potatoes, apple, mushrooms, carrots, and sweet green peas. A hearty meal to comfort you through the cold days!
My ‘red wine braised beef short ribs with rosemary’ recipe became popular on Pinterest in recent months. With over 500+ repins and shares (Thank you!!), I decided to develop another recipe for you. This version involves pork and white wine. Not convinced? Usually, red wine is well suited for braising meats; however, I used a Pinot Grigio white wine instead. Let me preface that I am not a wine connoisseur, but I like to believe that I am a wine enthusiast. On weekends, I enjoy a glass… or a bottle… depending on my mood…ssshhhh don’t tell my doctor.
Pinot Grigio is light in taste and is considered a dry white wine with hints of citrus notes such as lime, pear, and green apple along with honey, peach, and floral notes. Since pork recipes sometimes include fresh apples for a little acidity, I thought that a Pinot Grigio would pair perfectly with this stew. The acidity in the wine balanced the fattiness of the pork really well. I am glad I took the chance to try this! Wow, it tasted ah-mazing!! Hearty root vegetables simmered with savoury flavours from chicken broth and spices married with a crisp white wine produced a flavourful tender pork stew that can best be described as forbidden food only meant for the gods. Ok…maybe slightly dramatic. But seriously! If you are a pork fan, give this stew a try! Your soul will thank you!
*Good To Know*
- What cut of pork is suitable for braising in a stew?
I used pork shoulder (aka. pork butt or pork roast) because it is a fattier cut that adds a lot of flavour and is suitable for braising for a long time. You can use boneless pork chops or pork tenderloin but reduce the braising time by an hour or more depending on the amount of meat you use. Tenderloin and chops tend to be leaner cuts and become tender faster than fattier cuts. - What type of white wine should I use to braise pork?
A dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio is what I used for this stew. An excellent alternative is a white Pinot Noir or a Sauvignon Blanc. If you want to add wine flavour without the alcohol, you can use dealcoholized white wine. Some liquor stores carry several non-alcoholic wines that you can buy. Alternatively, you can substitute white wine with additional chicken stock. - Can I use a roasting pan instead of a dutch oven?
Dutch ovens are multi-purpose for roasting, braising, slow cooking and more. These heavy pots are made from enamelled cast iron (or ceramic) and are especially great for braising since they can retain liquids for a long period of time. Although an essential part of the kitchen, the downside is that it is expensive cookware.
I do not recommend a roasting pan. It’s more shallow than the dutch oven making it a not-so-ideal tool for braising meat. This type of pan is meant only for roasting, and liquids within will evaporate faster. So what’s a cheaper substitute? You can use an oven-safe stockpot instead. I used this 7-quart dutch oven, but you can use a 5-quart or even a 4-quart stockpot as an alternate pot.
Ingredients you will need:
For the stew
- pork shoulder (aka. pork butt or pork roast)
- yellow or white onion
- garlic
- tomato paste
- thyme (dried or fresh)
- bay leaf
- mini red potatoes
- carrots
- dried mushroom medley (or fresh mushrooms like cremini or white)
- apple (a sweet variety is best for braising, such as Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious)
- Worcestershire sauce
- frozen sweet peas
- kosher or sea salt
- ground black pepper
For the wine
- Pinot Grigio (alternative you can use is White Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc)
To garnish
- parsley (fresh or dehydrated)
Cut pork, season, and sear
Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder, then cut it into 1-inch cubes. Generously season the pork with salt and pepper, then sear it in a single layer on medium-high heat in a large dutch oven with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. I used a 7-quart but a 5-quart dutch oven is ok too.
Tip
- Adjust your cooking time if you decide to cut the meat into bigger cubes.
Cook vegetables and add the wine
While the heat is still on medium-high, add more vegetable oil (if needed) and cook the potatoes and carrots with salt for 2 minutes. Add sliced onions and continue to stir, then add minced garlic. Pour in white wine and use your spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot while you combine the vegetables with the wine. Continue to cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms into the vegetable mix. I used a dried mushroom medley that I soaked an hour beforehand. You can use fresh mushrooms instead if you do not have dehydrated mushrooms. Lastly, add dried thyme, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce and combine them into the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium.
How to braise pork for the stew
Add the pork back into the pot, then add apple chunks and mix to combine everything in the pot. Slowly pour in chicken broth and water evenly over the meat. Mix a bay leaf into the stew and cover the pot with the lid. Remember to remove the bay leaf once the stew is cooked. Place the pot into the oven on the middle rack. Braise the pork at 325°F (163°C) for 2 1⁄2 hours. Then add frozen peas and braise for another 10 minutes. The potatoes in the stew are starchy enough to thicken it but if you prefer the stew thicker, you can create a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Heat the stew on the stove on medium heat and pour in the cornstarch slurry. Carefully stir the stew until it has thickened.
When ready to serve, garnish the stew with chopped fresh or dehydrated parsley. You can enjoy the stew on its own, serve it with toasted bread, rice or noodles.
White Wine Braised Pork with Apple & Root Vegetables
Ingredients
For the pork
- 2½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
For the stew
- 16 mini red potatoes, rinsed & cut in half
- 2 large carrots, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 large cooking onion (yellow or white), peeled & cut into wedges
- 3 teaspoons garlic (4 cloves), peeled & minced or pressed
- 1 cup Pinot Grigio white wine, substitute with chicken broth or water
- 1 cup dried mushrooms (soaked in water for 1 hour), or 2 cups sliced fresh cremini or white mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 3 teaspoons fresh, roughly chopped thyme
- ¾ cup tomato paste (1 small can)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large apple (Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup frozen sweet green peas
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C) and ensure the oven rack is set to the middle.
To cook the pork
- Season pork cubes with salt and ground black pepper. Heat a large dutch oven on medium-high heat with 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil and sear pork cubes in a single layer for 30 seconds per side until lightly browned. Do this in batches if needed. Remove and set aside on a plate.
To cook the stew
- Keep the heat on medium-high. If needed, add another tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add red potatoes, carrots, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine, then add sliced onions and minced garlic. Cook everything for 2 minutes, then pour in white wine and use your spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot while you combine the vegetables with the wine. Continue to cook the vegetables for 5 minutes for most of the alcohol to cook off.
- Add sliced mushrooms, thyme, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and then reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the pork back into the pot along with the cubed apples and bay leaf. Slowly pour in chicken broth and water, then combine everything with a spatula.
- Cover the pot with the lid and place it in the oven on the middle oven rack. Set your timer for 2½ hours.
- With oven mitts, carefully move your pot on top of your stove and add the frozen peas. Stir lightly and place the lid back on the pot. Then place the pot back into the oven and braise the stew for another 10 minutes. The pork should be fork-tender at this point.
To serve
- Garnish with fresh chopped or dehydrated parsley. Enjoy stew on its own or serve with bread, rice or noodles of your choice.
Tips
I do not recommend a roasting pan. It’s more shallow than the dutch oven making it a not-so-ideal tool for braising meat. This type of pan is meant only for roasting, and liquids within will evaporate faster. So what’s a cheaper substitute? You can use an oven-safe stockpot instead. I used this 7-quart dutch oven, but you can use a 5-quart or even a 4-quart stockpot as an alternate pot.
2 comments
Hello! Would love to make this recipe, but I don’t own a Dutch oven. Is there a way to make it in the crockpot?
Hello Lyss!
I haven’t tried this in a crockpot (great idea for another post though!). Having said that, if I were to use the crockpot, what I would do is sear the pork cubes in a pan first. Then follow the rest of the recipe as normal. Depending on the size of your slow cooker, you might need to adjust your ingredient measurements and cooking time. Hopefully this helps?