Dutch-Oven Pork Shoulder with Apples and Root Vegetables

Dutch-oven pork shoulder sears in lard, then braises with tart apples, sage, and chunky roots until deeply savory. It echoes Porkopolis dawn on Cincinnati’s public landing, when the Ohio still smelled of salt, lard, and coming steam.

Serves 6

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Ingredients

• 3.5 pounds pork shoulder
• 4 medium tart apples
• 4 large carrots
• 3 medium parsnips
• 2 medium onion
• 1 tbsp dried sage
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 tbsp lard

Instructions

1. 1Preheat oven to 325 °F. Pat pork shoulder dry and season generously with salt, pepper, and sage.
2. 2Heat lard in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Sear pork on all sides until well browned, about 15 minutes total. Remove meat.
3. 3Cut apples, carrots, parsnips, and onions into large chunks. Add to the Dutch oven and cook 5 minutes to begin softening, scraping up browned bits.
4. 4Return pork to the pot, nestling it among the roots and apples. Cover and braise in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours until pork is fork-tender. Rest 10 minutes before slicing.