Braised Pork Marbella
By Amanda LuchtelPublished on February 22, 2023
Time
3 to 3½ hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. Avoid buying a pork butt wrapped in netting; it will likely contain smaller, separate lobes of meat rather than one whole roast. If you're using table salt, reduce the amount called for by half. Serve with egg noodles or couscous.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut pork crosswise into 3 slabs, then cut each slab in half crosswise (some pieces may separate slightly along natural seams; this is OK). Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add pork and cook until well browned all over, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to plate.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot and return to medium-high heat. Add garlic, anchovies, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in broth, wine, and vinegar, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in half of prunes, half of olives, half of capers, bay leaves, and oregano. Return pork and any accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer. Cover and transfer pot to oven. Cook until fork inserted into pork meets little to no resistance, 2 to 2½ hours.
- Remove pot from oven. Add remaining prunes, olives, and capers to pot, submerging them in braising liquid, and let rest, covered, until prunes have softened, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Stir 2 tablespoons parsley into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve.
Time
3 to 3½ hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Chicken Marbella first appeared in Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso's The Silver Palate Cookbook (1982). Since then, this braised chicken dish—which calls for the chicken to be cooked in a bold, surprising, salty-sweet combination of prunes and olives—has become beloved and treasured for good reason. We set out to achieve a luscious pork version just as beautiful as the original but with a little more comfort. To boost the meatiness and complexity of this dish, we browned pork pieces in a Dutch oven and then added anchovies, pepper flakes, and garlic as the base of the sauce for braising the pork. We ditched the original marinade and added half the olives, prunes, and capers at the beginning of the braise to add flavor to the meat and the sauce while it cooked. Once the pork was fork-tender, we added in the remainder of the prunes, olives, and capers and let it sit for 10 minutes until the prunes were plumped and warmed through, keeping their texture intact for the final dish. We found that just 1½ tablespoons of flour turned the rich braising liquid into a velvety sauce that wasn't too stodgy or too thin.
Before You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. Avoid buying a pork butt wrapped in netting; it will likely contain smaller, separate lobes of meat rather than one whole roast. If you're using table salt, reduce the amount called for by half. Serve with egg noodles or couscous.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut pork crosswise into 3 slabs, then cut each slab in half crosswise (some pieces may separate slightly along natural seams; this is OK). Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add pork and cook until well browned all over, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to plate.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot and return to medium-high heat. Add garlic, anchovies, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in broth, wine, and vinegar, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in half of prunes, half of olives, half of capers, bay leaves, and oregano. Return pork and any accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer. Cover and transfer pot to oven. Cook until fork inserted into pork meets little to no resistance, 2 to 2½ hours.
- Remove pot from oven. Add remaining prunes, olives, and capers to pot, submerging them in braising liquid, and let rest, covered, until prunes have softened, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Stir 2 tablespoons parsley into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve.
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