Milk-Braised Pork with Cheesy Grits

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There are a lot of ingredients in this spruced-up comfort-food dish, but trust us, it's worth the effort for a weekend treat. The recipe from Michael Watz of Chicago was a finalist in our recipe contest.

Milk-Braised Pork with Cheesy Grits
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Chill Time:
2 hrs
Bake Time:
1 hr 45 mins
Total Time:
4 hrs 30 mins
Servings:
5

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast

  • ¾ teaspoon onion powder

  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder

  • ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  • ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • ¾ cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onions

  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic

  • 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, plus additional if needed

  • 1 cup milk

  • ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

  • 1 tablespoon snippped fresh thyme

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 recipe Cheesy Grits

  • Fresh sage

Directions

  1. Trim fat from roast. In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Rub mixture over roast. Place roast in a shallow dish. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

  2. In a 4-quart Dutch oven, brown roast on all sides in hot oil over medium heat.

  3. Remove the roast from the Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir 30 seconds or until fragrant but not brown.

  4. Add 2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup milk, and the orange juice to the Dutch oven, scraping any browned bits up from the bottom. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, the thyme and cumin. Bring to boiling. Return pork roast to the Dutch oven.

  5. Carefully cover the pot tightly with foil and a tightly fitting lid. Roast in a 325° oven for 1 3/4 to 2 1/4-hours or until the pork roast is fork tender, adding chicken broth if needed to keep the roast half-submerged. Transfer roast to a shallow dish; keep warm.

  6. Skim fat from cooking juices. Place the Dutch oven onto the stove top. Bring juices to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes or until reduced by nearly half. (Meanwhile, make Cheesy Grits—try this simple recipe or use your own favorite.)

  7. To serve, shred pork into large pieces with two forks. Moisten the pork with some of the pan sauce. Serve pork over Cheesy Grits, garnished with sage leaves; pass the extra sauce.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

634 Calories
30g Fat
46g Carbs
43g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 5
Calories 634
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 30g 38%
Saturated Fat 14g 70%
Cholesterol 125mg 42%
Sodium 1070mg 47%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 17%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 43g
Vitamin C 21mg 104%
Calcium 461mg 35%
Iron 4mg 23%
Potassium 1018mg 22%
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