Ingredients
Scale
- 4 pork steaks, just over 1 inch thick and about 6 oz each
- salt & pepper for seasoning
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (heaping)
- 1 tbsp chipotles in Adobo sauce
- 12 oz stout ale (or porter or brown ale)
- 2 cups stock (pork or beef)
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp cumin, ground
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
Nutrition
Amount Per Serving: CALORIES: 325 TOTAL FAT: 13g SATURATED FAT: 3g TRANS FAT: 0g UNSATURATED FAT: 8g CHOLESTEROL: 44mg SODIUM: 403mg CARBOHYDRATES: 21g FIBER: 2g SUGAR: 9g PROTEIN: 16g
Directions
- Heat the oven to 300 F. Trim any excess fat from the periphery of the steaks (optional) and season them liberally with salt and pepper.
- Heat a braiser over medium-high (or a skillet if you will be braising in a roasting pan), add the olive oil and sear the seasoned pork shoulder steaks on each side, working in batches of 2. Set aside, lower the heat to medium.
- Add the onions and sauté until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and chipotle in Adobo and stir them into the onions. Cook about 1 minute. Deglaze with the stout (or stock or wine) and be sure to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the braiser/skillet.
- Add the brown sugar, cumin, thyme and all the stock. Stir to combine, place the pork steaks on top and cover with the braiser lid (or transfer everything to a roasting pan, place the steaks on top and tightly cover with 2 layers of foil so no moisture escapes). Place in oven and braise for 1.5 hours.
- After 1.5 hours check the pork for tenderness by pressing on it with a fork. If tender enough to your liking, braise uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes for an appetizing finish. If not tender enough, cover and braise a bit longer until satisfied (add a bit of water if liquid is really low).
- Serve garnished with a bit of finely chopped parsley of fresh picked thyme leaves.
- Before serving if there is too much fat rendered by the pork shoulder, skim it with a spoon.