Braised Pork Butt with Port and Prunes

Serves 6 to 8. with leftovers
- FIT FOR COMPANY, REWARMS WELL, COOKING ON A BUDGET

UNLIKE THE PORK LOIN, the Boston butt, or pork shoulder butt, is ideal for long, slow, moist cooking. Prunes, like many fruits, complement the sweet and succulent flavors of the pork, and port wine provides a nice undertone of sweetness and fruit. We recommend a rolled and tied boneless butt, since it’s easier to carve and serve, but a bone- in roast will do as wel1 (this is all I use).

Flavor Step Combine all the herbs and spices in a small bowl and rub generously all over the meat.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat the oil over high heat in a heavy casserole or Dutch oven just large enough to hold the pork. Brown the meat on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes, Remove it and set aside. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot and add the pearl onions, leeks, and carrots. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the sparkling apple juice and stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the prunes and the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Put the pork back in and spoon some of the prunes and vegetables over the top. Cover the pot with foil and fit the lid on tightly.
Place the pot in the middle of the oven and cook for about 1½ hours, or until the pork is quite tender and registers 160° to 165°F on an instant-read meat thermometer. Remove the pork from the pot and cover loosely to keep warm. The final temperature of the meat after resting for 10 minutes or so may read 170° to 175°F.
Skim off any fat from the cooking juices. Remove 6 of the prunes and puree them in a food processor or blender. Stir the puree back into the sauce to thicken it. Remove the bay leaves and taste the sauce for salt and pepper. Remove the strings from the pork if necessary and carve into ½-inch thick slices. Serve with the sauce and prunes and vegetables. Don’t skip making the sauce, because it is awesome and tastes great.


Flavor Step – herb and mustard rub for pork
½ teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dry mustard, preferably Colman’s
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 4-to-6-pound boneless or bone-in Boston butt or pork shoulder butt, trimmed of most external fat
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups fresh or frozen pearl onions, partially defrosted if frozen
1 cup finely chopped leeks (white part only)
½ cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup Martinelli’s sparkling cider
½ cup beef or chicken stock
1 cup pitted prunes
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper