Perfect for a cozy, hearty fall meal, this apple cider braised pork shoulder is a rich and filling dish jam packed with the flavors of autumn. Cooked low and slow, this cider braised pork becomes fall apart tender and is perfect for pulled pork.
When it comes to a recipe for pork shoulder, smoking them for an extended period works well, but not everyone has access to a smoker. However, braised pork shoulder can be done by any home cook and leads to an incredibly tender, juicy pulled pork. Unlike smoking, however, braising can add a ton of additional flavors, such as the apple cider used here.
Braised pork is a great option for experimenting with flavors, and this cider braised pork does not disappoint. One of my most popular recipes is Guinness braised pulled pork, and it tastes incredible. This version of pork braised in cider is a great option for a cozy fall dinner.
Pork and apples are such a classic combination for good reason. Whether its ham served with applesauce or cider glazed apple pork chops or this cider braised pork shoulder, the combo always hits the spot. Mix and match with your favorite sides to create a whole dinner or make some pulled pork sandwiches for any time of the day.
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🍳 What is Braising?
Braising is a cooking technique that involves searing meat in some form of fat, and then cooking it slowly while partially submerged in a liquid. Starting with a hot pot or pan and a high smoke point fat or oil, you’ll sear the meat on all sides to form a crispy crust. Remove the meat and add aromatics like onions and garlic, then deglaze with a cooking liquid such as stock, wine, beer, or even water. Bring the mixture to a boil and re-add the meat. Lower the temperature to a simmer and cover for a few hours. While this can be done fully on a stove-stop, the oven is a better choice for consistency in temperature and because it cooks from all directions instead of only from the bottom up.
Braising is a great technique for imparting flavor and breaking down proteins that come from slow-twitch muscles. Think of fast-twitch muscles as the part of an animal that is normally used for quick movement or rarely used at all. Things like chicken breasts or a filet are fast-twitch and should be cooked using fast methods; when you hit the desired temperature, the food is ready. Slow twitch muscles, however, are the stamina parts of an animal such as the shoulders and legs that are always being used to stay standing or allow them to move around. These muscles have a lot of connective tissue that can make dishes feel tough to chew. At around 140-160°F, most proteins would be done cooking, but this is when the fat and connective tissue begins changing from collagen into gelatin.
Cooking your protein beyond the point of being “well-done” might seem counterintuitive, but as the collagen turns into gelatin, it’s making your meat tender again. To break down most of that collagen and create a moist and flavorful dish, braise until the meat registers between 195-205°F (91-96°C).
Pin🐖 Which Cut of Pork is Best for Pulled Pork?
My go-to when making pulled pork is a bone-in pork shoulder, specifically pork butt, or Boston butt. Depending on where you live and where you shop, you might see numerous names for this cut, but it should be at least one of those three. You may also see pork shoulder listed as picnic shoulder or a picnic cut. Both butt and picnic are cuts of pork shoulder, but the picnic is cut further down and is usually sold with the skin on and part of the leg where it was cut just above the hock.
If you have a smaller cooking vessel, you can also opt for smaller boneless cuts of pork shoulder or precut the pork into large chunks. You’ll need to adjust the cooking time and amount of braising liquid you use though. When braising, make sure the meat is partially submerged and fully submerged.
🥘 Ingredients
The ingredients for apple cider braised pork shoulder are broken up into two categories: the pork and the rub for the pork, and the ingredients for the braising liquid and aromatics.
PinPork Shoulder Seasoning
Pork – A 6–8-pound bone-in pork butt works great in this recipe. Most pork butts can vary a lot in sizes and weights but shoot for something in this range as that’s about the largest you’ll be able to fit into a 7-quart Dutch oven. If your Dutch oven is smaller, you can look for boneless pork shoulders in the 3–5-pound range or cut the shoulder into large pieces (about a pound each chunk).
Sugar – Some brown sugar in the pork rub helps brown the outside when searing and adds a nice touch of molasses flavor to the pork.
Seasoning – A liberal amount of kosher salt and black pepper help to flavor the pork, along with onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and ginger.
Oil – Use 2-3 tablespoons of neutral oil to sear and brown the pork shoulder before braising. This step adds a nice, rich flavor to the pork.
Braising Liquid and Aromatics
Onion – One large, sweet onion is good here. Any onion or shallot will work, but I lean towards a sweet or yellow onion or even shallot over other options.
Fennel – Another nice addition to fall recipes, fennel pairs well with the onion, apples, and pork flavors. Roughly slice the bulb and you can also add the fronds as an herb to the braising liquid.
Apple – One large or two smaller apples are sliced and added here as well. No need to peel. A tart apple like Granny Smith can slightly cut back on the sweetness from other ingredients.
Garlic – Use a few smashed cloves here. No need to cut or grate them smaller.
Spices & Herbs – One or two cinnamon sticks, 4-5 whole cloves, dried thyme (or 3-4 sprigs fresh), fennel seeds, and bay leaf. If you don’t have or want to use sticks, replace them with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. If you don’t have whole cloves, use about a ½ teaspoon of ground clove, allspice, or nutmeg. You can also add the fronds from the fennel at the end.
Cider – Use quality apple cider here for most of the braising liquid. Do not substitute with apple juice or hard apple cider, and do NOT use apple cider vinegar instead.
Stock – Use a decent chicken stock or broth for the rest of the liquid. Vegetable broth is also useable, but I wouldn’t recommend beef stock as it’s a bit heavier and can compete with the flavor from the cider.
Apple Cider Vinegar – Optional, but you can add some apple cider vinegar near the very end of cooking while simmering the braising sauce before serving. This can add a bright pop of acidity to the sauce at the end.
🔪 How to Make
Apple cider braised pork shoulder has 3 main stages of cooking. Start with searing the pork, sautéing the vegetables and apple, then deglaze with the liquids. Slow cooking takes place in the oven for a few hours of hands-off time. Finally, rest the pork and strain and cook the braising liquid for a flavorful sauce.
Searing and Sautéing
Preheat oven to 325°F / 162°C.
PinStart by trimming the pork shoulder. Trim large pieces of fat but do not remove the fat cap. Combine all the rub ingredients and cover the entire pork shoulder with them. Pre-heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat with some neutral oil until the oil is hot and shimmering. Sear the pork shoulder on every side until well browned, about 3-4 minutes each side. Remove the pork and set aside for now.
PinIf the Dutch oven looks a little dry, add another tablespoon of oil. Toss in the sliced onion and fennel and sauté until slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and apple and cook another two minutes, stirring often. Deglaze the bottom of the pan with the apple cider and add the cinnamon, cloves, thyme, fennel seeds, fennel fronds, and bay leaf, stirring to combine everything.
Braising
PinAdd the pork shoulder back into the Dutch oven and add enough chicken stock until the shoulder is roughly 70-80% submerged. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover, and transfer to the center of the oven.
PinCook, covered, for 3 hours or so. It’s done when you can pull pieces off easily and the center registers at least 195°F / 91°C (best around 202-205°F) on an instant read thermometer. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and let it rest, uncovered, for at least 5 minutes. Gently remove the pork shoulder and transfer to a foil lined baking sheet and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes before roasting, or at least an hour before pulling.
Sauce and Roasting
While the pork is resting, pour the remaining braising liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a pot and discard the solids. Place the pot onto the stove over high heat and bring it to a boil for a minute or two, then lower to a simmer.
Optionally, if you like pulled pork with a nice, crispy bark like you get from smoking it, do this step before shredding the meat. Raise the oven temperature to 450°F / 230°C. Once heated, transfer the pork shoulder on the foil lined baking sheet onto the center rack of the oven. Let it roast for about 15 minutes, then remove and allow it to rest 45-60 minutes before pulling.
PinOnce rested, use claws or forks, and shred the pork. Using a ladle or serving spoon, drizzle a generous amount of the braising liquid over the shredded pork. Mix, and drizzle some more.
📖 Variations
There are only a few variations for this apple cider braised pork shoulder recipe, mostly for cooking method or serving method. Some of the variations I list below are mentioned to avoid them.
PinCooking Methods
Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder – You can make this cider pork in a slow cooker/crock pot as well. I would sear the pork in a pan on the stove, and then follow the rest of the instructions using the slow cooker instead of a Dutch oven. Cover and cook on low for at least 10-11 hours, or on high for 7-8 hours. Depending on the size of your pork shoulder, it can take more or less time, check for temperature and tenderness.
Instant Pot Pulled Pork – For this method, you’ll need to make a few tweaks. Use at most a 4-5lb pork shoulder and cut it into 4-5 large pieces. Use the sauté function to sear the meat, then hit cancel and deglaze with some apple cider. You need to do this step to avoid the burn warning.
Add the pork back in with as much aromatics and liquid as you can without crowding the instant pot. Secure the lid and close the vent. Pressure cook on high for at least one hour, then release pressure naturally for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes you can quick release any remaining pressure.
Cider Braise Pork Roast – If your end goal isn’t pulled pork, but a more pot roast like pork roast, that as an easy change. Everything can be done the same way but remove the shoulder from the Dutch oven when it reaches 180°F or so. You can still do the oven roast if you wish for a crisp bark or skip it. Remove any large pieces of fat and pull apart into large chunks for serving.
Options to Avoid
Hard Cider Braised Pork Shoulder – I love using Guinness in my Guinness braised pulled pork, and it adds a great flavor. I’ve tried this recipe as well with hard ciders like Angry Orchard, and hard cider mixed with apple cider, and honestly, it’s not worth it. The alcohol is cooked out anyway, but the hard ciders leave a much weaker flavor profile than a quality apple cider does in my opinion.
Different Herbs – Some preparations with pork pair very well with herbs like sage and rosemary. I keep things a little simpler in the braising liquid here because you use that braising liquid to also baste the pulled pork once cooked. You can also reduce the liquid even more and serve it with the pulled pork. Because of this, you should avoid overly strong herbs, or they can overpower the other flavors in the cider braise.
Pin🥗 What to Serve with Cider Braised Pork Shoulder
You can serve apple cider braised pork shoulder as a meal, or as sandwiches or sliders as well. I prefer onion rolls or potato rolls especially. You could also add it to tacos, nachos, or quesadillas.
Potatoes – Good potato side dishes include fries or wedges, sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes, or even German potato salad.
Salad and Slaw – A few good salad ideas include a cucumber salad, arugula salad, or a roasted corn salad. A lot of people like to top their pulled pork sandwiches with traditional coleslaw, or to enhance the apple flavors from this pork, try my fennel and apple slaw. Pickled red onions are a great topping as well, especially if making tacos.
Classic Side Options – For some classic side dishes with pulled pork, mac and cheese is always a good option, as well as collard greens, baked beans, and corn bread.
Vegetables – For some more greens on the plate, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli or broccolini, or some bacon and onion green beans are all good choices as well.
Pin💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Whether braised or smoked, pork shoulder and other large, fatty cuts with lots of connective tissue needs to be cooked low and slow. While pork is safe to eat once cooked to 145°F, pork shoulder should slowly be cooked until at least 195-205°F. At this temperature, the fat and connective tissues render and breakdown, literally melting away into the meat and making it incredibly tender.
Pork shoulder, and any cut of meat with a large fat cap, should be cooked fat side up. Having the fat cap on top lets it render down and into the meat, not only providing flavor, but a constant source of moisture to help keep the meat from drying out.
Depending on who you ask, some pit masters that smoke pork shoulder will call for 2-4 hours wrapped and placed in a cooler (the kind you take on vacation, not a refrigerated cooler). For braised shoulder, I leave it sitting out on a baking sheet for at least 45 minutes to an hour. Letting it rest allows the juices to redistribute throughout the shoulder, giving the pulled pork better flavor and making it easier to pull apart as well.
195°F is a good minimum, but the 202-205°F range is best. The real test is how tender the meat is, regardless of the exact temperature. If you push a temperature probe into the pork shoulder and it pushes through like soft butter, it’s ready.
🍽 Equipment
Most of what you’ll need to make this apple cider braised pork shoulder recipe you’ll probably already have, but I have 3 items I’d like to mention. One is a must have and the other two are optional but helpful.
Dutch Oven – If you don’t have one, a large, enameled Dutch oven is highly useful for a lot of cooking applications. They’re perfect for braising but can also be used to make soups and stews and even deep frying. This 7-quart Dutch oven is big enough for most any needs.
Roast Lifters – These roast lifters are great for moving around large turkeys and beef or pork roasts. I’ve used large tongs or serving forks in the past, but this simple tool makes moving the pork shoulder around for searing so much easier. They also work perfectly by removing the pork shoulder from the braising liquid more gently and help transfer it without it falling apart.
Bear Claws – I’m not a huge fan of single use kitchen tools, but I got these meat shredding claws as a gift one year. I must admit they work like a dream for shredding meat, so if you braise or smoke meat often enough to justify having them, they really are a great tool.
Pin❄️ Storage
Once cooled, the cider pulled pork can be transferred to an airtight container or large zipper locked bag and refrigerated for 4-5 days. You can store the cooled braising liquid in the refrigerator for about the same amount of time. Reheat the pork in a microwave, on the stove top, or in the oven. The latter two options work well if you want to crisp it up some.
This recipe also freezes well. Once cooled completely, transfer to an airtight container or freezer storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months. I would thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. The braising liquid could also be frozen in a canning jar, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
📋 Recipe
Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
Pork Shoulder & Seasoning:
- 1 6-8 pound bone-in pork butt, see notes
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2-3 tablespoons neutral oil, for searing
For the Braise:
- 1 large sweet onion, roughly sliced
- 1 bulb fennel, roughly sliced
- 1 large apple, roughly sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 4-5 whole cloves
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, or 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1-2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups chicken stock, see notes
Directions
Searing and Sautéing:
- Preheat oven to 325°F / 162°C.
- Start by trimming the pork shoulder. Trim large pieces of fat but do not remove the fat cap. Combine all the rub ingredients and cover the entire pork shoulder with them. Pre-heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat with 2-3 tablespoons of neutral oil until the oil is hot and shimmering. Sear the pork shoulder on every side until well browned, about 3-4 minutes each side. Remove the pork and set aside for now.
- If the Dutch oven looks a little dry, add another tablespoon of oil. Toss in the sliced onion and fennel and sauté until slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and apple and cook another two minutes, stirring often. Deglaze the bottom of the pan with the apple cider and add the cinnamon, cloves, thyme, fennel seeds, fennel fronds, and bay leaf, stirring to combine everything.
Braising:
- Add the pork shoulder back into the Dutch oven, fat side up, and add enough chicken stock until the shoulder is roughly 70-80% submerged. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover, and transfer to the center of the oven.
- Cook, covered, for 3 hours or so. It’s done when you can pull pieces off easily and the center registers at least 195°F / 91°C (best around 202-205°F) on an instant read thermometer. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and let it rest, uncovered, for at least 5 minutes. Gently remove the pork shoulder and transfer to a foil lined baking sheet and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes before roasting, or at least an hour before pulling.
Sauce and Roasting:
- While the pork is resting, pour the remaining braising liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a pot and discard the solids. Place the pot onto the stove over high heat and bring it to a boil for a minute or two, then lower to a simmer.
- Optionally, if you like pulled pork with a nice, crispy bark like you get from smoking it, do this step before shredding the meat. Raise the oven temperature to 450°F / 230°C. Once heated, transfer the pork shoulder on the foil lined baking sheet onto the center rack of the oven. Let it roast for about 15 minutes, then remove and allow it to rest 45-60 minutes before pulling.
- Once rested, use claws or forks, and shred the pork. Using a ladle or serving spoon, drizzle a generous amount of the braising liquid over the shredded pork. Mix, and drizzle some more.
Naelle
I would never have thought of cooking pork shoulder with apples before, this looks fabulous! Maybe on a Sunday afternoon so there's plenty of leftovers for the week. Can't wait!
Chris Pezzana
Pork and apple is such a great combination, even when slowly braised. Braising low and slow definitely isn't a quick weeknight dinner, but it does make plenty of leftovers for easy meals once cooked. Hope you enjoy it when you make it!