It certainly feels like spring around here. The signs are right in front of my face and probably yours, too. Birds are chirping, and as I walk down the street, my neighbors’ citrus blossoms leave me feeling intoxicated. At the market I’m seeing scores of bundled asparagus spears (the international sign of spring in food form) standing tall on shaved ice like thin green rockets cooling their jets/refueling before takeoff. Also, those scary COVID color tiers have finally begun to regress all over California from purple to red to orange, and vaccine-shot selfies are filling my feeds. All of it makes me feel like we’re in the middle of some social-seasonal renaissance, and I am here for it.
I really do love a transformation (change is good!). So when it comes to cooking right now, I’m also looking for some sort of metamorphosis. But, as always, it’s got to be something delicious and simple.
You might agree that braised pork and sauerkraut in its simplest form objectively feels wintry, but it doesn’t have to. You can add or subtract, swap out, sub this, modify that to make a wintry dish feel fresher and more in line with your mood or the season.
To prove this let’s first let’s talk about the “really green sauerkraut” portion of this week’s recipe. The really green is sort of a play on words because, well, a lot of sauerkraut is already made with fermented green cabbage. But since it’s spring and I associate this season with new, tender greens that may or may not represent new beginnings, I wanted to add a lot of fresh chopped herbs like tarragon and chives. They brighten up the salty-sour kraut and give it a new breadth. I also slice slivers of raw asparagus, adding sweetness and crunch to the silky soft kraut. In general, I like to eat asparagus raw for the first part of a season and then as I get bored I’ll blanch, sear, you name it. This is a personal ritual you should know, but it works for me.
Like any pork braise, start cooking this a couple hours or so before you want dinner on the table, but other than that you won’t need to do a lot. Sure, you’ll need to make a quick wet rub that feels more like the consistency of a marinade except that I don’t call for you to let it marinate because it’s unnecessary here. The sheer amount of time that the pork cooks allows it to get fully flavored in all the mustardy goodness.
Dijon and whole grain mustards along with a splash of vinegar and sugar turn this cut into a very tangy, pungent and, yes, very mustardy piece of pork shoulder. The effect is an incredibly tender meat that’s still sliceable with a dark golden caramelized crust.
For those looking for a plate of plain old soft sauerkraut and braised pork, I’m sorry, but you are not in the right place. However, for those looking for a heavily herbaceous, crunchy, bright, sweet and pungent braise that feels very comforting yet new and exciting, this is it.
Christian Reynoso is a chef, recipe developer and writer. Originally from Sonoma, he lives in San Francisco. Email: food@sfchronicle.com Instagram: @christianreynoso Twitter: @xtianreynoso
Mustard-Rubbed Pork Shoulder With Really Green Sauerkraut
You can easily scale up the meat portion of this recipe and still fit it into your Dutch oven, just remember to also scale up the measurements for the marinade as well. If you don’t have a Dutch oven or roasting pan with sides taller than the pork shoulder, be sure to foil-wrap the vessel tightly so the pork steams and doesn’t dry out.
Serves 2-3
2½ pounds boneless pork shoulder
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
12 ounces fresh sauerkraut
¼ cup finely chopped tarragon, leaves and tender stems
¼ cup finely chopped chives
1 cup flat leaf parsley, tender leaves
½ bunch asparagus (½ pound)
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pork in a Dutch oven and season all over with 2 teaspoons of salt. In a small bowl add the mustards, vinegar, sugar and garlic. Whisk together well to dissolve the sugar and then with your hands rub this wet mixture all over the pork well enough to fill any pockets. You’ll have a little extra rub, which is OK and will flavor the braising liquid, too. Add 2 cups of water; avoid pouring it directly over the pork.
Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and place on the middle rack in the oven. Cook covered for 1 hour. After the first hour, use an oven mitt to carefully (it’s going to be hot!) remove the lid from the pot and use tongs to turn the pork over, then keep cooking for 1 more hour, covered. At the end of the second hour, turn up the heat to 450 degrees and take off the lid. Cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, the bottom of the pot is mostly rendered fat and residual mustard marinade, the pork is golden brown and the meat is tender, about 30 minutes (about 2½ hours cooking time total). Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
During the last 30 minutes of cooking, make the sauerkraut. Heat a small pot over medium heat, add the sauerkraut and stir occasionally until it’s warm but not piping hot. Turn off heat.
Slice the asparagus on the bias into ¼-inch pieces. Once the sauerkraut is about room temperature, add the asparagus, tarragon, chives, half the parsley and a couple spoonfuls of the rendered pork fat in the Dutch oven. Toss well.
Once the pork has rested, carefully carve into half-inch slices and arrange on a platter with the sauerkraut and the remaining parsley leaves over the top.
April 03, 2021 at 12:03AM
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Have a taste of spring with this bright, herbaceous pork shoulder - San Francisco Chronicle
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