Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Savory Apple Gravy

Now here’s a good one for a cold winter day. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth delicious! A hefty pork shoulder is slathered with a rub of fennel seeds, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and garlic and set to marinate for a day or two in the fridge.

It is then nestled in a bed of sliced apples and onions, first browned on high heat in the oven, and then covered and allowed to cook low and slow, until it is almost falling apart. You don’t need a knife to eat this slow-roasted pork shoulder. Just a big appetite.

We first encountered this recipe by Napa chef Maria Helm Sinskey in the Wall St. Journal years ago. We’ve made just a few changes—reduced the salt rather dramatically, added some mustard, puréed and strained the gravy. I love this method of slow cooking a pork shoulder and think you will too!

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Savory Apple Gravy Recipe

The pork shoulder should be marinated in the rub overnight or up to two days.

Ingredients

• 4-5 pounds (1.8 to 2.2 kg) boneless pork shoulder, sinew and excess fat (beyond 1/4 inch) trimmed
• 1 Tbsp fennel seeds, toasted
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 2 Tbsp packed, fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped, or 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• Olive oil
• 4 medium good cooking apples, such as Fuji or Jonagold
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine (can sub water)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper

Read More: Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Savory Apple Gravy