Braised pork recipes are some of my favorite slow cooker recipes. There’s nothing better than smelling the delicious aroma of a pork shoulder, slow cooking with apples, kale and Dijon mustard. Once this dish is finished you can put it on a bed of rice, pasta, or just serve it as is to keep you warm on a cold day.
Before you put the pork shoulder in the slow cooker, you need to add as much flavor as possible by searing the meat prior to putting it into the liquid. Season the meat well and make sure the olive oil in the pan you are using is smoking. Just be careful that you don’t set off your fire alarm! This little bit of effort for the meat will be totally worth it!
I plan on doing more crockpot recipes in the coming weeks, as I now own 4 of them. Just an FYI to friends and family, I don’t need anymore! But seriously, I have other great ideas, especially for a healthy dessert. Stay tuned!
Anyways, on with the blog post!
- 3 pounds of 1" dice pork shoulder
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of ground chipotle powder
- 3 carrots 1/2" dice
- 1/2 red onion 1/2" dice
- 3 stalks of celery 1/2" dice
- 2 Gala apples 1/2" dice
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2 cups of Brussels Sprouts quartered
- 1/2 head of kale thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 liter of chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons of grainy Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup of rice flour
- 1 cup of water
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Toss the pork in the cumin, chipotle powder salt and pepper. Heat up a pan with the olive oil and sear the meat until all sides are browned. Add to the slow cooker and add the chopped carrots, onions, and celery to the pan. Sauté the vegetables for a couple of minutes and then add to the slow cooker as well. Add in the chicken stock, vinegar, thyme, and mustard, mix around and then put the lid on. Depending on what crock pot you own, it could take anywhere from 2-4 hours to cook the pork until the pork falls apart. When there is about 15 minutes left, make a slurry out of the rice flour and water and add to the stew. add in the chopped kale and Brussels sprouts and put on the lid. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Serve over rice or quinoa, or by itself.
The rice flour slurry turned out really great. It thickened perfectly, and of course is gluten free.
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