Tuscan Braised Pork

4.43 from 19 votes

Pull out your dutch oven for this tender and flavorful Tuscan inspired braised pork! This savory and filling meal is just in time for those holiday dinners!

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Additional Time2

Total Time5 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: braised pork, tuscan pork

Servings: servings

Calories: 364kcal

Ingredients

2 cups dry red wine such as Chianti
1 large red onion chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds crushed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 - 3½ lbs pork shoulder trimmed and cut into 2 or 3 large pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 can Italian plum tomatoes diced and undrained, 14.5 oz
1 - 2 cups chicken broth preferably organic
Optional Fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Add wine, red onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, crushed fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes to a large glass or other non-reactive bowl and stir to combine.
Add pork chunks to bowl and turn until each piece iscovered. Cover and place bowl in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Turn pork occasionally while marinating to evenly distribute flavors.
To prepare, remove bowl from refrigerator and removepork pieces from marinade. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
Separate the marinade liquid from the solids and reserveboth, discarding the woody herb stems and bay leaves. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-duty skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the marinated pork and sear until evenly browned on all sides, approximately 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
Add the solids from the marinade and cook until onionsare soft and translucent, approximately 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add liquid from marinade to skillet and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until liquid is reduced to approximately one third of its original volume.
Add tomatoes and 1 cup chicken broth and stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 2 to 2½ hours, stirring every half hour or so. Add more chicken broth, if needed, while cooking.
When pork can be pulled apart easily with a fork, remove from heat and let rest in warm juices for 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately over a bed of creamy polenta and garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Notes

For best results, marinate the pork 1-3 days in advance. To save time, the pork can be marinated at room temperature for up to 2 hours before cooking.

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