Maple Mustard Roast Pork
Tis the season of slow cooked meats and root veggies and I’m not mad about it. There is something incredibly life giving to me to have dinner cooking by lunchtime, the smells teasing my taste buds all afternoon. I look forward to eating it all day and when the 5 o’clock grumpies come around all we have to do is serve up and it feels like a gift. This pork roast in a staple in our house. It is complex enough for the grown-ups to be satisfied and simple enough to be loved by the littles. The leftovers are also incredibly versatile...serve it over rice, on nachos, as a pizza topping with BBQ sauce, the options are limitless!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
3 pound pork shoulder
2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste
2 cups apple cider
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tables spoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 sprigs each of rosemary and thyme
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to finish
Directions:
Preheat the over to 325. Heat a dutch oven over medium heat on the stove top. Melt the butter and season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on two sides. In a small bowl, mix the cider, broth, garlic powder, mustard, and maple syrup together. Pour over the pork and use a wooden spoon to scrape the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pot! Pop the rosemary and thyme into the pot and submerge them in the liquid. Place the lid on and cook for about 2-3 hours depending on the thickness of the cut. You may need more or less time so give yourself a buffer if you have a strict dinner time! When the meat is nice and fork tender, fish the woody herb stems out and pull the meat apart and let it sit in the pan juices to soak up more flavor. Add the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to liven the flavors up a bit. Check if it needs any more salt and adjust accordingly. Enjoy!
