Deliciously Healthy Braised Un-Pulled Pork

Oh maaaaaaaaan!

I just remembered something…

I LOVE MEAT!!

I mean, seriously. I love meat.

The only reason why I ever made the conscious decision to cut down on my meat consumption was because I am in total disagreement with the execrable living conditions under which factory farm animals are being raised, as well as the way they are being fed inappropriate foods, given all sorts of nasty hormones and antibiotics and mostly, the way they are, more often than not, being cruelly and inhumanely mistreated throughout their miserable existence. 

All in the name of profit!

Plus, well, there’s also the whole aspect of how that kind of animal farming negatively impacts the environment…

I never wanted to be a part of any of this.

I STILL don’t want to be a part of any of this…

But I love meat, you see? And I do believe that it is VERY good for me.

Soooo…

If I’m going to keep eating this much meat, I NEED to find me a good source of good quality meat. Meat that comes from a local farm, where the animals are free to roam all day, are well fed (and fed the foods that they are supposed to eat!), well cared for and also well respected and loved by humans who care about them.    

Looks like around here, it’s not all that easy to come across… Being fairly new to all this, it might take me a little bit of time but I am very actively looking.

Until I hit the target, I guess I’ll have to keep buying my meat at the grocery store, so I’ll have to favor the leanest cuts of meats… 

But hey, it’s not because it’s lean that a piece of meat can’t be super moist, tender and flavorful!

I think that just about any cut, if braised for a very long time together with a bunch of other tasty ingredients, herbs and spices, can be made into a delicious, tender, moist and juicy feast!

And this beautiful chunk of pork right here sure fit that description! 

Of course, it was absolutely delicious straight out of the oven, with a few braised carrots and a side of instant “sauerkraut”… But I find that pork cooked in this fashion is also fantastic cold or even reheated.

And seeing as how it was just me eating this HUGE roast, I did get A LOT of leftover!

Not that I minded, trust me!

My favorite way to reheat this braised pork is to cut it into thick slices or little bite size chunks and pan fry it in coconut oil.

YUM!

I’ve used some of that at least 3 or 4 times instead of chicken in this brilliant Butternut Squash Mash.

It also worked beautifully well to make an instant [adapted] version of this Brussel Sprout Casserole.

At that rate, it didn’t take long before this glorious roast was all gone…

I almost wish I’d made an even bigger one!

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Braised Pulled Pork

Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 2.75 kg pork loin, trimmed of all visible fat
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
• 2 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups water

The Spice Mix

• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp five peppercorn mix
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp instant coffee
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Grind all the spices together in a coffee grinder or using a mortar and pestle.
• Rub spice mix all over your piece of meat, making sure to coat it well on all sides. Take great care to really “massage” the spices into the meat.
• Wrap the loin in plastic film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. When pan is sizzling hot, add the meat and do not touch it until it has formed a nice dark crust, about 5 minutes. Flip the piece of meat over and sear the other side until it too, forms a nice golden crust.
• Transfer meat to a large Dutch oven.
• Add onions and garlic to the hot pan and cook for a minute or two or until fragrant; Add the 3 cups of water and deglaze the pan well, making sure to scrape all the bits and pieces that have attached to the bottom of the pan. Pour over the reserved meat
• Add the carrots and celery, put the lid on and place that in the oven for about 4½ - 5 hours, or until the meat detaches very easily when pulled with a fork.
• You might want to check from time to time just to make sure you still have enough cooking liquid. If it appears to have gone down too much, add a little bit more water.
• When the meat is cooked, remove from oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
  

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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