Braised Pork and Pears

The combination of sweet from the pear and savory from the rosemary combine together in this slow cooked meal of Paleo Braised Pork and Pears. by Marla Starr, updated February 3, 2015 Posted on November 11, 2013

Braised Pork and Pears

Marla Starr is the founder of Paleo Porn, co-author of Pigskin Paleo and Owner of Starr Fitness. Marla is a Certified Personal Trainer, 200HR Certified Yoga Instructor, a Certified Barre & SUP/SUP Yoga Instructor offering Personal Training & Small Group Fitness classes both in person and virtually. In addition to all of the above she is also the Executive Producer of Minimalism. Please enjoy all the recipes in the Paleo Porn recipe archives!

I make pork a lot. There’s just something about cold weather that invites a hearty pork shoulder to the menu.

And in this case, I paired the this piece of pork with pears.

Actually I made this meal a few times in the last couple weeks. The first time I made it, I just threw a bunch of ingredients together and called it a day.

But when I posted a photo on the Paleo Porn Facebook page, someone asked for the recipe. So I went back to the kitchen to try to recreate what I had previously made.

The second time it came out even better than the first!

When the weather shifts to be more cold and there’s less sun light, my crock pot and deep covered baker tend to get a lot of action.

If you have a Dutch Oven feel free to use that in place of the skillet and deep covered baker method that I mention below.

If you enjoy this recipe, feel free to share with a friend and let me know how yours turns out. :)

Braised Pork and Pears

Yield: 3-4 Servings

Ingredients

3-4 lb pork shoulder
coarse ground sea salt, to taste
coarse ground black pepper, to taste
choice of fat (butter, coconut oil, bacon fat, lard, etc.)
1 pear (Bartlett or Anjou)
1 large onion
8-10 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
golden balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Season the pork shoulder with sea salt and black pepper.
Warm your choice of fat in a large skillet over medium heat and brown the pork shoulder on all sides.
While that's going, slice the pear and transfer it to the bottom of a deep covered baker, with a lid. (I used mine from Pampered Chef and it doesn't go on the stove top which is why I used a skillet to brown the pork first.)
Halve the onion then chop each half into thirds. Smash the whole garlic cloves with the side of a large knife on a cutting board and remove the papery outer layer. Chop the top off the pepper, remove the seeds and slice into large chunks.
Add the chopped onion, sliced pepper, smashed garlic, ground ginger and chopped rosemary to the baking dish on top of the sliced pear. Mix everything together, trying to leave pears on the bottom layer. I didn't want to use more dishes so I did all this in the deep covered baker, alternatively you could mix everything in a small mixing bowl.
Make space in the baking dish in the middle by moving the onion mixture toward the sides. Transfer the pork shoulder on top of the pears so the onion mixture is all around the pork.
Drizzle the golden balsamic vinegar over the top of the pork. Add a pinch or two of sea salt and black pepper, to taste.
Cover and braise for 2-2.5 hours or until the pork registers 160°F with a meat thermometer.
Remove from oven, slice meat and serve with juices and whatever vegetables remain.
Enjoy! :)

About the Author Marla Starr

Marla Starr is the founder of Paleo Porn, co-author of Pigskin Paleo and Owner of Starr Fitness. Marla is a Certified Personal Trainer, 200HR Certified Yoga Instructor, a Certified Barre & SUP/SUP Yoga Instructor offering Personal Training & Small Group Fitness classes both in person and virtually. In addition to all of the above she is also the Executive Producer of Minimalism. Please enjoy all the recipes in the Paleo Porn recipe archives!