Simple Supper Friday: Mustard Apple Pulled Pork
Mustard apple pulled pork topped with caraway kraut.
I’ve really had a thing for mustard lately, specifically Dijon. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been using Dijon nearly every chance I get. I think it’s safe to say I’m definitely in a mustard phase. It adds such a nice flavor and when something seems like it’s missing from a recipe, Dijon seems to take care of that. It’s easy to find good quality Dijon mustard that doesn’t have any sugar or junk ingredients in it either. Sorry, Grey Poupon won’t cut it.
On another note, I’m going to a healthy fats demo at Whole Foods this weekend. Remember my friend, Ashley at Craving4more? Well, you may recall that she hosted the sauerkraut tasting I went to last weekend, and invited me to the fats presentation this weekend. I believe the healthy fats she’s including are coconut oil, ghee, avocado and grass-fed tallow (house-made from the Whole Foods meat dept). I imagine it’ll be pretty great.
I’m not really sure what else I’ll be doing this weekend, other than grocery shopping and working Sunday morning, but I like not having much of an agenda. What I really need to be doing is reading/studying for my exercise science class, but I’m still waiting for my book to arrive in the mail. Hopefully, it’ll get here soon because that class moves fast and the material is complex, so I don’t want to get too behind!
What are your plans for the weekend? Anything fun?
Ingredients:
- 2 lb pork shoulder roast
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed ghee
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pink lady apple, chopped
- 1.5 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Firefly Kitchens Caraway Kraut for serving, optional
Directions:
- Melt ghee in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and celery and stir. Allow to cook a few minutes, until slightly softened. Then, add to the slow cooker.
- Season the roast with sea salt and pepper. Then, in the same pan, add the pork shoulder roast. Add a little more ghee if necessary. Brown the roast about 2-3 minutes each side and then place inside the slow cooker. Add the chopped apple as well.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, mustard, parsley, marjoram and thyme. Add a dash of sea salt and pepper, if desired. Pour on top of the roast and place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Let cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5. Once done, cut string off of pork roast, if need be, and shred with two forks.
- Serve with caraway sauerkraut on top, if desired.
Slow Cooked Shredded Pork with Creamy Applesauce
Slow cooked shredded pork with creamy applesauce.
Props to me … I had success with another pork recipe. Slow cooked, well seasoned and shredded is the way to go, otherwise, I don’t care for it. Bacon is the exception.
My main inspiration for this recipe? The Brady Bunch. Anyone remember the, “pork chops and applesauce” episode? Peter was the one who coined the phrase, but he was trying to mock someone’s voice. I don’t remember whose though. Anyone remember? I was a big Brady Bunch fan growing up and always watched it after school on TBS. It was The Brady Bunch followed by Saved by the Bell, which I also loved. Oh, the good ol’ days. Funny, but I still enjoy both of these shows today and occasionally watch an episode on Hulu or Netflix.
Ingredients:
- 2.5 lb pork shoulder roast
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1/4 cup bone broth
Directions:
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, and saute a few minutes, until the onion begins to turn translucent. Mix in the tomato paste and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Cook for another minute or so, and then add to your slow cooker.
- Use the same pan, over medium heat, to brown the roast. First, season it with sea salt and pepper on both sides. Then, add to the pan and sear for 4 minutes per side. Next, add the roast to the slow cooker and sprinkle the ground sage all over. Pour in the bone broth and cover the slow cooker with the lid.
- Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 6-7. Once done, shred the meat with two forks and stir. Serve with creamy applesauce (recipe below) and a green veggie of your choosing (I recommend kale or broccoli).
For the creamy applesauce:
- 4 organic braeburn apples, cored and chopped (skins on)
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, plus extra if needed
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the apples and water, and stir.
- After a few minutes, add the coconut milk and stir. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little more coconut milk if necessary.
- Once apples have softened into applesauce (chunks are fine and welcomed), remove from heat and serve with the pork.
Yields: 4-5 servings
Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder
Shredded pork shoulder, served atop of sauteed cabbage.
Some of you already know this by now, but I don’t care for pork. I’m just not fond of the taste, unless it’s bacon. You may recall though, that on New Year’s Eve, I ordered a shredded pork dish for dinner. I mainly ordered it because it was the least complicated thing for me to paleoize, but also thought I might like it since I love shredded meat, specifically chicken and beef. Well, I did like it … a lot! Since then, I’ve been thinking about trying out a shredded pork recipe myself. This past weekend, it finally happened.
It was a spur of the moment decision and completely unplanned. I really value moments like that. Anyway, I was in Food Front Co-op in NW Portland after work on Sunday, and spotted one small and lonely pork shoulder roast. At that moment, I decided it was time, and threw it in my basket. For the recipe, I flew by the seat of my pants and used what I had on hand.
The recipe turned out phenomenal. It tasted so good, that I didn’t want the last bite to come. To compensate, I very slowly savored every last morsel. I usually do well with eating slowly, but I especially did well this time.
If you’re not much of a pork person, like me, this recipe may surprise you. I can’t wait to make it again.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb pork shoulder roast
- 2 tsp grass-fed ghee
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 4 large carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 head cabbage, chopped (use more if serving more than 2 people)
- Avocado slices, optional
Directions:
- Combine spices, sea salt and pepper, and coat all sides of the roast. If you have extra spice mixture leftover, set it aside. You will use it later. If you use it all, that’s fine too.
- Melt 1 tsp of ghee (or fat of choice) in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork shoulder, and brown a couple minutes on each side. Once all sides are browned, remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tsp of ghee (add more if needed) over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes, until softened. Once done, pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
- Add carrots to the slow cooker and place the roast on top of the veggies. Add the chicken broth, lime juice and any remaining spice mixture.
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 8-10.
- Once done, turn the slow cooker off or to warm. Then, remove the pork roast and cut off the twine. Shred meat with two forks and add back to the slow cooker. Give everything a stir.
- In a pan over medium heat, melt a little fat of choice. Add the chopped cabbage and season with sea salt and pepper. Saute about 5 minutes, or until softened.
- Serve the shredded pork mixture over the cabbage and serve with avocado slices, if desired.
Yields: 3-4 servings
