This braised pork with apples starts with chunks of pork shoulder cooked low and slow with apple cider, broth, carrots and parsnips, then combined with apples for a fabulous Fall dinner. The delicious and plentiful apple cider gravy is perfect with mashed potatoes.

Braised pork with apples in baking dish.

This braised pork with apples is the perfect Fall dinner! Chunks of pork shoulder are braised in apple cider and broth with added carrots and parsnips. Near the end of cooking, apple slices are browned and added to the pot for the last bit of cooking. The plentiful and delicious apple cider gravy is perfect for spooning over mashed potatoes!

Ingredients and substitutions

A few notes about the key ingredients …

Pork Shoulder – you can start with a bone-in or boneless pork shoulder or even pork shoulder steaks. For best results, cut away and discard pretty much all of the large veins of fat to avoid an overly fatty finished dish. Use only the lean, fat-marbled meat part.

Apples – use any kind of apple you enjoy or have on hand, though I think a red-skinned apple is best here. I used Honeycrisp apples here. As the apples don’t cook a long time in the oven, almost any apple will hold up well.

Apple Cider – this is the pressed fresh apple cider (non-alcoholic) that is usually found in the produce section at grocery stores. You could use apple juice in place of the cider. DO NOT USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!

Carrots and Parsnips – I used both carrots and parsnips in my dish, but you could use all carrot or all parsnip if you prefer.

How to make braised pork with apples

This is a summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete ingredients list and instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.

Pork pieces placed into hot skillet.
1
Pork pieces after browning.
2
Adding onion to skillet after removing pork.
3
  1. Start by adding the pork shoulder pieces to a hot skillet with a little oil.
  2. Brown the pork on all sides and then remove to a plate.
  3. Add the onion to the same skillet and cook briefly.
Adding carrots and parsnips to skillet.
4
Pork returned to the skillet.
5
Adding apple cider to the skillet.
6
  1. Add the carrots and parsnips to the skillet and cook with the onions.
  2. Return the pork pieces to the skillet.
  3. Add the apple cider to the pot.
Adding chicken broth to the skillet.
7
Skillet before placing in the oven.
8
Browning apples in butter in a skillet.
9
  1. Add the chicken broth to the pot.
  2. Season with salt and pepper and add a few thyme sprigs. Cover the pot and pop in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours.
  3. While the pork is in the oven, brown the apple slices in butter.
Adding mustard and cream to skillet after cooking.
10
Adding browned apples to the skillet.
11
Thickening the gravy with a cornstarch slurry.
12
  1. Remove the pork from the oven and stir in the mustard and cream.
  2. Add the browned apple pieces to the pot and stir in. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
  3. Remove from the oven and immediately thicken the gravy with a cornstarch and water mixture as needed. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed and serve.

Recipes tips!

  • The gravy is going to be thin right out of the oven, so you’ll want to thicken it with a cornstarch slurry as directed in the recipe instructions. The residual heat in the dish should be sufficient to thicken the gravy, but if it doesn’t seem to be thickening, return it to a medium stovetop burner.
  • Don’t forget to taste the gravy at the end of cooking and add additional salt and freshly ground pepper as needed, to bring together all the great flavours. If the gravy tastes flat at all, it needs more salt!
  • The delicious apple cider gravy is perfect for serving this dish with mashed potatoes.
Braised pork with apples in baking dish.

Making ahead, storing and freezing

This dish could be made ahead and refrigerated, then gently reheated on the stovetop until warmed. If the sauce has thickened up you can thin it with a splash of broth or water.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

This braised pork should freeze well for up to 3 months, although the apples might suffer some from the freeze/thaw process. If making this dish to freeze, you might delay the apple addition until ready to serve.

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Braised pork with apples in baking dish.

Get the Recipe: Braised Pork with Apples

Pork shoulder chunks, carrots and parsnips cooked low and slow in apple cider and broth, then combined with apples for a fabulous Fall dinner. The delicious and plentiful gravy is perfect over mashed potatoes.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 lb pork shoulder, fat trimmed and cut into chunks *see Note 1 below
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped or sliced
  • 1 medium parsnip, chopped or sliced (or use more carrot)
  • 1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice, not apple cider vinegar! *see Note 2 below
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs, or a generous pinch of dried thyme leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large red-skinned apple (such as Honeycrisp), cored and cut into 8 wedges
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.

To thicken the gravy:

  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 Tablespoons cold water

For garnish:

  • 2-3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Tip! Trim the pork shoulder well, removing and discarding as much of the fat as you can, leaving just the leaner, fat-marbled pieces of pork
  • Preheat the oven to 340F (non-convection).
  • Heat the cooking oil in an oven-safe skillet, braiser or Dutch oven with a lid over medium heat. (2 1/2 – 3 quart size is perfect). Season the pork with salt and pepper and add to the hot oil. Brown on all sides. *Don't crowd the pan. Cook the pork in batches if necessary. Remove the brown pork to a plate and set aside.
  • Once all the pork is cooked and removed to the plate, add the onions and a splash more cooking oil if needed to the same pot. Cook, stirring regularly until soft and golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots and parsnips and cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes.
  • Return the pork to the pot and add the apple cider and broth to the pot. Place a few thyme sprigs on top and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cover the pot and put into the preheated oven for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until the pork is very tender.
  • When the pork is near the end of the cooking time, melt the butter in a skillet and fry the apple wedges in the butter until lightly golden. Take the pork out of the oven and stir in the apples, mustard and cream. Return to the oven UNCOVERED for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, mix together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. When the pork comes out of the oven, stir the cornstarch mixture and drizzle into the hot dish a bit at a time, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens to your desired level. You may not need it all. Taste the gravy and add additional salt and pepper as needed. If the gravy tastes flat at all, it needs more salt!
  • Serve garnished with the chopped parsley. The plentiful and delicious gravy is perfect to spoon over mashed potatoes.

Notes

Note 1: To get 2 lb of trimmed and cubed pork shoulder you’ll want to start with a 2 1/2 – 3 lb pork shoulder (depending on how fatty it is).
Note 2: Apple cider refers to non-alcoholic, pressed fresh apple cider usually found in the produce section at grocery stores. You can replace it with regular apple juice.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips on making this recipe, including substitution suggestions and step-by-step photos, that you might find helpful.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Main Course
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 345kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 167mg, Potassium: 722mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 2451IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 2mg
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