Braised pork neck in apple juice – with bacon, leeks and apples.
Braised pork neck with apple juice, bacon and leeks is the kind of slow-cooked dish I could eat all year round. It is rich and full of flavour, yet the sauce is pale and light, which makes it perfect for autumn and winter – but certainly for spring and summer too.
The pork neck is cut into large portion-sized pieces, which are left to simmer until tender in a base of apple juice, Dijon mustard and plenty of fresh thyme. The meat turns meltingly tender and full of flavour, and together with the soft leeks, apples and crisp bacon it makes a wonderful combination.
Before serving I top it with crushed pork scratchings, which add a lovely crunch and go perfectly with the sweetness and freshness of the apples.
This is the kind of dish that feels cosy and comforting without being heavy. Serve it with whichever sides you like best – mashed potatoes, rice, boiled or fried potatoes – or perhaps some good bread for mopping up the sauce.
I also serve it with this salad, which is spot on if you ask me. Green salad with apple and celery – click here for the recipe.
Braised pork neck with apple juice, bacon and leeks
Ingredients
- 2,2 kg pork neck also sold as pork collar
- 250 g bacon, diced
- 25 g butter
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 600 ml apple juice cloudy, pressed apple juice if possible
- 600 ml chicken stock
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied into a bundle
- 200 ml cream e.g. whipping cream (38% fat)
- Cornflour and cold water
- 2 leeks, sliced into rings
- 1 apple, diced or sliced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Oil
To finish
- 1 handful pork scratchings, crushed
- Fresh thyme
To serve
- Mashed potatoes or rice
- Boiled or fried potatoes
- A fresh salad, if you like
Method
- Trim the meat of sinew and any large pieces of fat, and cut it into 8 equal pieces.
- Heat a splash of oil in a large pot and fry the bacon until golden. Set it aside in the fridge.
- In the same pot, brown the meat well on all sides. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set the meat aside on a plate.
- Melt the butter in the pot and fry the onions and garlic until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the Dijon mustard, heat it through, then stir in the flour.
- Add the apple juice and stock and whisk together well. Return the meat to the pot along with the bundle of thyme, cover and simmer for about 3 1/2 hours – or until tender.
- Lift out the meat and set it aside – cover it with foil.
- Remove the thyme bundle, pour the cream into the pot and thicken the sauce with a little cornflour mixed with cold water.
- Add the leeks and apple, add the bacon and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and top with crushed pork scratchings and fresh thyme before serving.
Nutrition
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