Recipes > Milk-Braised Pork
A family favorite - lightly seared pork shoulder is braised* in a combination of milk, cream, garlic and rosemary.
Kimberley Slobodian
- Serves: 6
- Active Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 3 hrs
- Views: 74,765
- Success Rating: 97% (?)
Steps
Step 1: Preparing and Cooking the Pork
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small sprig rosemary
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
- 3 lb pork shoulder (pork butt)
- 2 cups heavy cream (minimum 33% milk fat)
- 2 cups whole milk
Method
To start the pork, preheat your oven to 300º degrees Fahrenheit (150º C). Crush the peppercorns, peel the garlic, and gather the rosemary, salt and olive oil.
Next, rinse and dry the pork. Make sure it is good and dry; otherwise, you won’t get a good sear. Choose a pot that the pork will fit snugly into. There should be no more than an inch or so around the meat, otherwise, you’ll have to use more cream and milk than necessary. Also, check to see that the lid closes properly.
Preheat the pot over medium-high heat. Generously season the pork with the crushed pepper and salt. Press the seasoning into the meat.
Once the pan is good and hot, add the oil. Sear the pork on each side until light golden in color. In this case, you don’t want a deep brown color, as it will darken the final sauce too much.
Once the pork is seared on all sides, including each end, lower the heat and add equal amounts of cream and milk. Make sure the liquid rises to at least two-thirds the way up the pork. If not, add a touch more cream and milk.
Next, add the garlic and rosemary and bring to a simmer over low heat. As soon as it comes to a simmer, cover and place onto a tray, and then transfer to the oven. Let cook for about 2 to 3 hours, turning every half an hour or so.
Note: Refer to the drill-down on Combination Cooking Temperatures. This dish can also be cooked for a longer period of time at a lower temperature.
Step 2: Turning and Checking the Pork
Method
When turning the pork, it’s best to remove the pot from the oven, so you don’t lose too much heat from having the oven door open.
Carefully turn the pork over onto the other side. Continue to cook and rotate the pork every half hour, until fork-tender.
Step 3: Preparing the Sauce
Method
Once the pork is done, the meat should pull apart easily. Remove the pork from the cream and turn the oven down to warm.
Place the cream onto the stove top and bring to a gentle boil. Let the cream reduce by about one-third to one-half, which may take about 20 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, cut and remove the string from the pork. Break the pork up into pieces, trimming any excess fat, if desired.
Next, place the pieces of meat into an oven-proof casserole dish. Cover and keep warm in the oven, while the sauce reduces.
Step 4: Finishing the Dish
- kosher salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Method
Once the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, turn off the heat.
Strain the sauce, making sure to press all of the milk solids through the sieve. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve as well to incorporate any solids.
Blend the sauce with a hand blender to emulsify the cream. Return the sauce to the stove over low heat and let reduce further, if needed, until you reach the desired consistency.
To finish, taste the sauce for seasoning, remove the pork from the oven, and pour the cream over top. Serve.
Chef's Notes
- by Kimberley Slobodian
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- March 21, 2008
*The term braising is often used for dishes that are technically pot-roasted. Braising just sounds sexier than “pot roasting”. Even though the technique of pot roasting is for large cuts of meat, they are often referred to as braised dishes. In fact, anything cooked in a liquid for a long period of time, is often referred to as “braised”.
Served with a bowl of your favorite noodles or potatoes, and a big salad, this dish is perfect for a family-style dinner.
To avoid splitting the cream sauce, re-heat leftovers over medium-low heat.
63 Comments
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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://www.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.
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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....
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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!!
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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.
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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.
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even better. Glad it worked out. Sometimes it's just better to do ahead in case it takes 3 or more hours.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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
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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!
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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. -
what is the name of those noodles?? -
The video actually states the noodles...they are cavatelli noodles. They are good ones as they help to capture some of the sauce. Here is a link to what they look like (just scroll down and search for cavatelli) http://www.ilovepasta.org/shapes.html - Cheers!
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Is not a noodle; it is a macaroni pasta to be exact, as it does not contain eggs, and it is seldom made fresh anymore. Macaroni is usually confined to machine made pasta, so...but it is just not a noodle like a fettuccine or linguine. JMO, but I think it is accurate.
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Just made this and served it along side Sautéed Fennel with Parmesan. Both were new dishes to the family and were well received. It was quite yummy. However, I still managed to turn a 3 hour recipe into a 5 hour recipe. One of these days my cooking will get faster.
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Glad that you and your family liked the recipe. As for getting faster in the kitchen this just takes practice (and then more practice)...but don't beat yourself up sometimes things just take longer than other times (like when cooking a pork shoulder). Keep up the good work - cheers!
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Darren, one thing I've noticed about being fast: when I try a new recipe for the first time, I'm always pretty inefficient and slow. The second time I'm much faster already. In the end the more I do one recipe the faster I get at it. So if you keep trying new recipes every time you cook, chances are you'll be pretty slow every time, but as you do the same recipes again, or at least use the same techniques again in a variation of the same type of recipe, you'll get faster, not to worry. Hope that helps.
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Superb!! Even the kids liked this one. However I made a huge roast and have a ton of leftovers. Can I freeze this? I have one of those foodsavers that suck all the air out of the bag. I made it with egg noodles-firm but not aldente. any suggestions on freezing? Put the noodles in with it? Or throw the noodles out? Or...many possibilities. Thanks! -
You can freeze the pork for sure. I suggest you do it separate from the pasta. Leftover pasta can be frozen. For the best results, use your vacuum machine to get out all the air and then just plunge it into boiling water to reheat it. Cheers!
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One more question, this sauce was surprising to me in that it had a little tang like cheese. In fact the family thought I put cheese in it. I said, I don't know why it's like that. Maybe it has something to do with reducing the cream/milk. Maybe that's part of how they make cheese? Not sure. It had a pretty perfect balance in all the flavors. Just wondering, besides lemon juice, what would you use to give it an inch more tang. I don't think it needs anything else. Just curious how you would "brighten" this sauce. I can't wait to make it again and experiment a little bit at a time with flavors. I have so much to learn about that.
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I was just wondering why the temperature in this recipe calls for 300 F. The usual temp. for combination cooking, according to the drill down, is 200 F. Would this have something to do with the milk, so that it doesn't separate or something? Or because it's pork, to kill bacteria? -
Rouxbe Staff
You are paying good attention. This dish can be cooked at 200F with no problems. The temperature noted of 300F has nothing to do with food safety or the splitting of the cream. It's just a bit faster. As you learned in the Combination Cooking lessons, slow and low cooking provides the best results; however, if you are short on time, you can increase the temperature. We are trying to teach people a variety of ways of doing things so there aren't so many restrictions (i.e. Do this or else...). By understanding the impact that different temperatures will have on the final product, this gives you - the cook - flexibility to do your own thing. So go ahead and cook this dish at 200F and you'll be more than happy with the results. Cheers! -
Thanks Kimberly :) That is so nice to know. I am so happy to have my question(s) answered. My roast was 1/2 the weight and when the meat thermometer read 68 C it wasn't nearly fork tender, so I reduced the oven to 200 F and will keep cooking. I think it will turn out very dry. Now I am thinking smaller roasts need low oven temp. so the internal temperature can rise at / or about the same time it becomes fork tender. Or should I forget temperature and just focus on fork tender?
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Rouxbe Staff
With combination cooking, it isn't about testing the internal temperature of the meat with a thermometer. It is about the meat cooking all the way through and becoming fork tender all the way through (whether the cut is large or small). If the meat comes out a bit dry, it is likely that the cut didn't have much fat and/or connective tissue to begin with. The sauce should compensate somewhat for this though. It sounds like you just need to continue to cook the meat. Be patient and keep testing the texture by pulling the meat apart with two forks as shown in the video. Keep us posted! Cheers!
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I want to try this. The meat I have is a port shoulder that has been cut into 1" steaks. Would this be an appropriate cut (reducing time)? Thanks. Alison
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Pork shoulder steaks are the same as the cut of meat used in the recipe. The only difference is that ours is a whole shoulder roast. Turn and cook the steaks until they are fork tender. Depending on how many steaks you have the amount of liquid and the cooking time will vary. Cheers!
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I made this as my practice session for the Combination Cooking lesson last night. It was a HUGE success with the family. The pork was flawlessly cooked and the sauce...the sauce....I could eat it straight on pasta! I modified it to cook on a grill with a dutch oven. My dutch oven was slightly too big, but thanks to the lesson, I knew how to adjust for that without watering down the sauce. (http://www.nibblemethis.com/2011/02/milk-braised-pork.html) Thanks for another fabulous lesson and recipe, Rouxbe Team! -
I am going to cook this and chicken parmigiana for my nephews wedding reception for 75 people, I have cooked both dishes several times with great results. With the chicken I know I can make lots of extra sauce (just incase). But the pork I am worried it will not make enough sauce, could I maybe cook the pork in stock, and then make a sauce by emulsifying it with cream? Or would it be better to cook as recipe and add more cream and milk at the end stage after pork is taken out? I will be making all dishes day before so any advice would be great, thanks for the great lessons, my cooking skills have greatly improved. -
Rouxbe Staff
The amount of sauce that this dish makes is quite a lot. Rather than reducing it at the end to thicken it, you could thicken it with a slurry instead. Just make sure to add it bit by bit and let the sauce come up to a simmer each time before adding more so you don't over-thicken the sauce. Enjoy the wedding! Cheers!
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My dutch oven is a little too big and I was wondering....could I cook potatoes in this along with the pork? Does that sound awful? Would be nice to add some veggies to do a sort of one-pot-meal deal. Thanks!
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Indeed you could throw in potatoes just know that they would need to go in later (see the Stewing Lesson for more details about adding vegetables to this kind of stuff). Also, because this sauce can sometimes split the potatoes may not look as sexy. If needed you could always remove them from the pot roast once everything is done and then finish the sauce as per the recipe. Cheers!
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Hi, I've been making this about two times a month now. It's still a big hit in this house, even when I forget to add the garlic and rosemary. This recipe is literally idiot proof, I should know. I'm trying to get away from processed fats. So today instead of throwing away the huge chunk of fat I had to cut off the roast, I fried it up and put the drippings in the frig. I also used it to sear the roast. Nice. Lately I've been using cream and no milk. It's really good. Thanks for this recipe. It's the best thing for guests as you know you can't screw it up and can cook a day in advance. You gotta love that. I know i do.
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My favorite aspect of Rouxbe is that I'm learning processes and techniques that can be applied to all my cooking instead of being a slave to a recipe. That said, I am wondering why the pot in the video was placed on a tray in the oven. The pot had handles that could have been used to grab it, so I'm wondering if there is a specific reason the tray was used (even out the heat?) or if it just was an idiosyncratic choice on the part of the cook and not a necessary step.
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I made the recipe and after the pork was done cooking I noticed there was some amount of fat floating on top. I reduced the sauce and then used a fat separator, but it looked like the gentle boil to reduce the sauce had emulsified some of the fat into the sauce. My question is whether this was a good thing (since I know fat can carry flavor) or whether I should have used the fat separator prior to the gentle boil to reduce the sauce?
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Rouxbe Staff
A tray under the pot is not required, but can be used to prevent any spills on the bottom of the oven from happening. Cheers!
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Always remove fat first. I always take two days to make this. I put the whole thing from oven to the frig overnight, next day I remove the fat, much easier that way. If it still tastes good, don't sweat it. Just remove the fat first next time. Try making it over two days like I do. IT IS AMAZING!!
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Rouxbe Staff
A fat separator is not required for this cream sauce. Once reduced and blended, the fat does emulsify into the sauce. If this were a stock-based sauce (not a cream sauce that contains fat), it is better to skim off the fat so the sauce isn't greasy. You can remove some of it but part of the mouth-feel and richness in cream sauces is due to the yummy fat. Cheers!
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Thanks Kim. I didn't know this. Next time I'll try leaving it in, although I do like the idea of getting rid of some of those calories!
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I cooked the pork butt (I added vegetables and used milk only not cream) and when finished removed it from the liquid. I then separated the vegetables and milk curds from the liquid and refrigerated them. The next day, I skimmed the fat off the liquid part and then pureed the liquid and the reserved vegetables and milk curds. The result was a delicious orange sauce. Then I had my dilema. I needed to reheat the pork (which I chose to serve as sliced with gravy and mashed potatoes rather than with pasta). I thought- should I slice the pork and pour gravy on it and reheat it. Or should I pour milk on the pork to save the gravy for pouring on the dish? I ended up doing kind of both - poured some gravy (mixed with a little more milk) and reserved some. It was good, but would really appreciate the instructors comments on what the pros/cons are of reheating with gravy or with milk or stock. Also since I was using slices, is it better to reheat with meat already sliced? I thought that could dry it out, but I didn't want to reheat the whole roast again. Thanks much.
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Sounds like you made a delicious meal Lauren. Good job! As for reheating your pot roast, you may want to check out the lesson on "Pot Roasting". In particular, topic 6 called
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Thanks for suggesting the link to "Finishing the Pot Roast." From that I get that my slicing it and reheating with gravy was the suggested approach. My only remaining question on this point is on your thoughts on whether I could reheat the meat with milk or stock, saving the gravy for serving on the side. Also, I noticed that this lesson recommended re-heating on a very cold oven (200 F). Would it hurt to reheat at 300F? thanks.
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If you would like to serve the sauce separately, you can reheat the pork with a bit of stock (milk will most likely split). You just need enough stock so that the meat does not dry out. Cover the dish and reheat until you reach 165°F. Alternatively, you could use some of the sauce and a bit of stock to reheat the meat. This will just help the sauce to cling and become more a part of the meat as it reheats. As for the temperature you reheat it at, the higher the temperature, the fast it will reheat; however, this will affect the meat somewhat. For more information on this, refer to the topic called "Slow and Low" from the Combination Cooking lesson. You may also find this tip helpful. Hope that helps. Cheers!
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I saw a philadelphia regular cooking creme in the grocery today. Could that be substituted for heavy creme since I cant find any in my place. Thanks
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Unfortunately, we are not familiar with this product Ramon. I imagine that it could work some times; however, it will depend on what you are cooking and how the cream is intended to be used. As for using the "Philadelphia cooking cream" in this recipe, we can't say for sure how it would turn out as we have not tried it ourselves. Cheers!
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I started this recipe with my crock pot because this is the only cookware I have that is suitable to the size of the pork I bought. After searing the meat I transfered it to my crockpot. Minutes after that I was realizing that a crockpot way could be too long for me so I decided to transfer it to my ceramic cast iron 7 qrt pot. Consequently, I have to add more milk to cover at least a third of my meat. I run out of light cream. I continued the cooking on the oven top to see what is going on but again I became impatient so finally I transfered it to the oven set at 300F. 30 minutes after I pulled out the pot to turn the meat, I noticed a ring of caramelized cream around my pot, an inch to half of inch above the sauce level. I also noticed a splatter of the same around the pot and on or underneath the lid. I was thinking maybe there is something wrong with my pot since I bought it cheap from a bargain store. To make this long story short my question then here is this; What caused that caramelized or maybe burnt ring of cream around my pot? Does a non le creuset ceramic cast iron pot bleed? Spooky eh?!
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just in case I used the wrong term in my previous post, let me correctly specify what I meant by searing my meat. That is I browned the meat lightly.
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If the cream was just caramelized and not burnt, then it was likely just normal Ramon. It's hard to say exactly, as it sounds like there were quite a few things going on, but really it just sounds like it was due to the cooking. What matters more is whether or not it tasted off/burnt. If the cream was just burnt, then perhaps it was all of the things going on before you started the cooking that maybe caused this to happen—perhaps you had the heat to heat at some point, perhaps it was your pot etc. Hope it all turned out okay for you Ramon. Cheers! p.s. Yes, when you said "sear the meat" you were correct. For more information on this, be sure to watch the lesson on "Searing".
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thanks idol
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I followed the recipe but my pork came out to be chewy and dry. Any suggestions how I can improve? Lower temperature maybe?
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Rouxbe Staff
As a gross generalization, tender raw cuts of meats become tough when overcooked and tougher cuts only become softer when the collagen breaks down during cooking and the tough muscle fibers separate. So it could have been too high heat (it was supposed to be a braise and not a boil) or not long enough cooking depending on the cut. The recipe above suggests 2-3 hours. If you cook the meat too fast over high heat, the meat won’t achieve the fall-apart texture that makes pulled pork so desirable. Pork butt is high in collagen, which breaks down and converts to gelatin at around 160 degrees. At this point, it tenderizes the meat, so the bits that made the meat fatty and tough to begin with are working in its favor. So yes, my diagnosis from afar is to use lower temperature for a longer period of time.
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