Milk-Braised Pork

This turned out excellent, very easy too. I used Gnocci pasta and the sauce was just scrumptious. My roast was just shy of 3 llbs - I put it in a small lecruset pot and only had to use a total of 2 1/2 cups milk & cream combined, which made plenty of sauce. I will make this again for sure.

This looks fantastic and I know I'll love it, but there is SO much cream and whole milk. Is it possible to use a lighter cream and perhaps milk and still get a decent sauce that isn't runny? Just looking for a lower calorie version where taste and texture won't be completely compromised. Thanks!

The great thing about cooking is YES, you can vary things once you understand the fundamentals behind cooking.

Here's my suggestion: Instead of cream, braise this dish with Rich Chicken Stock: http://rouxbe.com/recipes/6/preview

(except leave out the roasting of the bones and vegetables; making a white stock instead)

Once the meat is fork tender from braising (e.g. starting to fall apart), make a roux with flour and butter, then incorporate the reserved stock from braising into the roux to make a delicious chicken veloute. Ah... the cooking school is going to provide all the answers. For now, you could look to this recipe and scroll down to the "making gravy" step for tips on making a roux.

The resulting dish won't be as rich and creamy, but it will be great and much healthier.

I had decided not to write a comment as I had changed the recipe so much but the previous comments seemed to make my experience relevant. I made this last week with thick fatty pork rib chops in a single layer and covered with only 2% milk. Everything else was the same and I had to cook the chops as long as the roast for tenderness. Of course the cream would definitely add to the flavour and consistency but I was impressed how tasty the sauce became. Even though it was thin, I reduced and blended it and it was great with pasta. A nice change from the usual pork sauces.

If using lighter fat milk/cream, probably curds will form during the long simmering- just not enough fat to keep proteins in the milk homogenized. However, these curds are very delicate and in large clusters, so they can be broken up and homogenized in a blender at high speed, then returned to a pot and thickened with a roux. Skimming off the rendered pork fat first eliminates even more calories.

I have to feed a very finicky 5-year-old boy, and a meat and potatoes only husband, and well last night I've never seen either of them eat SO fast. When my son was finished he declared that this was his favourite dinner and that we should eat it every night....congrats on a fantastic recipe!!!

I made this last night at family dinner--my first time cooking for a crowd of 12. People went back for seconds, then thirds. I used more milk than cream, so the sauce was a bit thin, even after reducing for a long while. Everybody loved it, though. I'll keep the roux tips in mind for next time, because I'll definitely be making this again.

I made this the other day and my 4 year old commented it was like eating piggy and chicken together....I'm not sure why she thought this but she cleaned her plate and asked for seconds. For any parent that makes this dish a total success.

sounds absolutly fab; love pork, cream, and whole milk. Maybe for my family before my friends; easier to take their comments.

I made this tonight. It was just fabulous. I did tinker with the recipe, using 1 cup heavy, 1 cup light cream and 2% milk with a teaspoon of arrowroot to make sure the sauce was thick enough, but not too thick so my guests wouldn't be upset. I served it basmati rice which absorbed the sauce beautifully and coupled it with roasted asparagus. My guested simply adored the meal. I am so grateful for the recipes on this site. I'm never disclosing my secret to anyone. My Rouxbe friends will be the only ones who know! Thank you Rouxbe....

One of those fantastic dinners that the family love. I'd rather make it with all the cream once in a while and look on it as a treat instead of altering the recipe by lightening the amount of cream. I've also used pork chops (with fat trimed( instead of the pork shoulder and it was equally delicious. Great for taking cheap cuts of pork upmarket! Personally I think you can't beat a good mash (potatoes) with it.

I have done a similar recipe with mustard added to the cream & milk, however the sauce always splits - never thought about simply blending it.

Is there any reason why adding a good ladle of dijon mustard to the cream & milk in this recipe wouldn't be a good idea? Would the acid in the mustard make the sauce split, or change any of the reactions that occur during the braising?

I'm trying this tonight!!

That's it. It will work if you do it at the very end, just before serving. Also note that the sauce will likely split (even without mustard) as shown in the video, so don't worry. Simply strain it as shown in the video and blend it to give it a smooth consistency.

Good luck.

Thanks Joe, I may try next time. Tonight I made this dish exactly as instructed, since it was the first time I made it. It turned out PERFECT. I figured the cooking time may be shortened since I got a 1.6 lbs pork butt, but it took exactly 2 hours to become fork tender.

Also, in the end I got lazy and thought I'd skip the emulsifying-the-cream part (I don't have a hand blender). But finally I got courageous (!!) and pulled my blender out of the cupboard. It's definitely one of the KEY parts of the sauce! The sauce came out beautifully emulsified, rich and yet fluffy, like a soft cloud... definitely smooth!

Served it with some pan sauteed fennel, it was absolutely delicious. 100% rating.

even better. Glad it worked out. Sometimes it's just better to do ahead in case it takes 3 or more hours.

When you say "even better" you mean it will taste even better? I think I remember Dawn saying that about braised dishes in her lesson, going again now to review those lessons.

For this dish, would you suggest putting the pan with milk/cream and pork in the fridge as is, then the next day pull the pork apart, reheat in a low oven while reducing /straining / seasoning-reducing the sauce?

Thanks!

You are correct David, cool it properly and then refrigerate. You could finish the sauce, place everything back inside...cool and then refrigerate...up to you.

But for sure it is better the next day. In fact, I almost never do a stew or pot roast for the same day...if I can help it that is.

Just make sure to reheat at a very low temperature, as this sauce has a tendency to split.

Have a good day! Hope this helps!

Thanks Dawn. You say I can finish the sauce... by "place everything back inside" do you mean pour the sauce over the meat as in the last step of the recipe? Or did you mean thicken and strain the sauce, put back in the pan with the whole piece of pork?

I'm always concerned with sauces that once refrigerated at the right consistency, reheating them will further dry them and over - reduce them, requiring adding more liquid.

First of all, day ahead is sometimes better because the meat has a chance to absorb the great sauce.

Secondly, for clarity, you can finish the entire dish the day ahead, cool and then refrigerate. OR, you can cook it until fork tender (whole piece) and then cool, and refrigerate. OR you can cook it until fork tender, break it apart, cool refrigerate, etc... It really doesn't matter. What matters is that you KNOW now how to fix the sauce, thin it down if it's too thick (add more liquid), etc.

Trust, trust, trust your instincts. Many users in the online world have become so dependent on NEEDING directions (and we're happy to help out) because of "hit and miss" success from recipes. Don't be afraid to apply what you know. In this case you fixed the sauce the first time, now you can do it anytime and for any other dish.

Learn another skill now and never stop elevating your game.

wow this one was so yummy its now my favorite food to cook instead of pasta I ate it with rice.

experience: I went to the market bought it packaged for ten dollars but when I went to the buthcher and asked him to take away most of the fat the price went do six dollars ( its saves to remove fat and your life too) and I had a hard time twinning the meat .

I was really excited about making this but dog gone it, didn't plan the time right so I decided to make this in the pressure cooker. I don't know if I should have done that or not but it came out good. Everyone really liked it, but I want to try this again with braising and see what the difference in taste would be and the taste of the cream sauce. Sometimes when I make things in the pressure cooker, there is this taste, I can't put my finger on it but it's always present. slightly metalicy maybe, I don't know but am going to see the difference when I braise this the next time. I have to see if there is a section in rouxbe about pressure cooking too.

hi Dawn, on your braising video you use a white pot - how many quarts is it and is it a le creuset dutch oven? Thank you - love those videos JoAnn

I believe it is the 8.9L French Dutch oven (in the braising lesson) from Le Creuset.

I could be wrong on the size as we are lucky enough to have quite a few of these pots here at Rouxbe, all of which are the same color.

Actually I just watched the lesson, I believe it was a Mario Batali pot...about the same size. Sorry, I have since given it away to a new cook, so I can't check the size. I have to say that I do prefer the Le Creuset pots...sorry Mario :-)

Hope this helps!

I used the same pot. But mine came out to be sort of bland. I made one change, I used orzo(riso, whichever) and added to it. It shouldn't have changed the flavor. I even added some fresh herbs. I managed to spice it up some. I understand simplicity, but I like simple and flavorful. Like they do in Tuscany.