Pork Shoulder Braised with Apples and Onions

Developed December, 2017. A hearty roast that pairs pork with apples, onions, and warm spices to yield a dish with complex flavors, sweet, savory, and aromatic.

6 lb pork shoulder, bone in
6 T General Purpose Dry Rub
vegetable oil
2 medium apples, cored, cut into wedges
2 medium onions, sliced through poles
2 t dry thyme
1 t fennel seed
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 t ground black pepper
1 T brown sugar (if apples are tart)
3/4 c white wine
about 1-1/2 c chicken stock

Score fat cap on 1/2 inch grid, after cutting off excess. Work dry rub well into all sides of the roast. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours. Blot dry, and brown well on all sides in oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove and cover to keep warm. Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Add sliced onions and apples to the pan, adding more oil if needed. Cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the seasonings, and when fragrant, add white wine and reduce by two-thirds. Return meat to pot, add stock to half cover the roast. Cover the pot, bring to a simmer, and transfer to the oven on a middle shelf. Baste occasionally, and roast until "fall off the bone" tender, about 2-1/2 hours. Internal temperature will be about 210 F (about 98 C). Tent the roast with aluminum foil and set aside to cool. To prepare the pan gravy, strain out the apples and onion and return  with de-fatted pan juices to the roasting pan. Use an immersion blender to turn into a smooth natural gravy. When the roast is cool, carve out the bone (shoulder blade). Cut the de-boned roast across the grain into thick slices. Serve with pan gravy. Steamed rice, turnip greens, roasted vegetables, and braised cabbage make good sides.