Recipe from Nick Anderer
Adapted by Sam Sifton
- Total Time
- 2 hours 45 minutes
- Rating
- 5(381)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is true restaurant cooking for the home: a recipe born of a professional kitchen’s need to use up leftovers, then cheated upon to strike away extravagances like suckling pigs, fresh-made pasta and veal stock. A common and inexpensive pork shoulder and a few extra pats of butter will do the trick nicely. —Sam Sifton
Featured in: Pork Ragù al Maialino
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 4
- 1pork shoulder, bone in, roughly 4 pounds
- Kosher salt
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 1medium white onion, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 1rib celery, cut into large pieces
- 1small fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into large pieces
- 1quart chicken stock (or enough to almost cover the pork)
- 3sprigs fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 29-ounce boxes dry lasagna, broken into 3-inch shards
- 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2tablespoons grated grana Padano cheese
- 1tablespoon chopped parsley
- Small handful arugula leaves, cleaned
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Using a sharp knife, remove the thick skin from the pork, leaving a sheen of fat on top of the meat. Season aggressively with salt and place in the refrigerator until ready to use, as long as overnight.
Step
2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a deep saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When it shimmers, gently cook the onion, celery and fennel until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and thyme and bring to a simmer, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Rinse pork to remove excess salt, dry with a paper towel and add to seasoned broth. Cover and place in the oven for 90 minutes or more, until the meat just begins to pull away from the bone.
Step
3
Allow both meat and broth to cool on the stove top for 30 minutes, or until you can touch the meat with your hands. Remove the pork and gently pull the meat from the bone, then tear the chunks into bite-size shreds. Place these in a large bowl.
Step
4
Strain the liquid into a separate bowl and then pour enough of it over the meat to barely cover. (Use the rest for soup.) Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Step
5
Put a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.
Step
6
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the pork and braising liquid. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the butter and stir to emulsify.
Step
7
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water according to the directions on the package, 10 to 12 minutes. When it is finished, drain and add to the sauce along with a splash of pasta water. Simmer for 1 minute, then add the lemon juice, half of the cheese, a tablespoon of olive oil and the parsley. Stir to incorporate.
Step
8
Serve immediately, topped with arugula and the remaining cheese.
Ratings
5
out of 5
381
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Cooking Notes
Genny
Made 4/10/16 with 3 1/2 lbs boneless pork butt. I made so many changes: Marinated the night before using porchetta flavors (garlic, sage, rosemary, parsley, olive oil and lemon zest), then browned in olive oil and braised at 300 in less liquid than suggested (1 cup chicken stock and 1 cup wine ) with onion and celery added. I cooked at 300 oven to an internal meat temp of 200 to shred the pork. I used spinach in the ragu and much less pasta. Excellent
Jeff
This is an outstanding dish and recipe, a favorite even of people who are not fond of pork. We make it the day before we want to serve it, tearing the meat while it is still warm and removing as much fat as possible, then cooling and defatting the broth. The lemon juice is necessary here, and we like more arugula than is called for. Have used other greens successfully (blanched spinach or collards), but the clean bitterness of arugula is best with the sweet, butter-bathed pork.
mary
We loved this! I scaled it way down since there are just two of us. I browned the pork shoulder just for some color and added flavor.
I should have reduced it more but it was still good. I used pasta which I finished off in the broth. The lemon is important.
Because you can do most of this the day before it is good for a nice week night meal.
Cary
Interesting recipe. Used boneless pork shoulder cubed on top of stove. Red wine and water for stock. Wonderfully flavored meat over pasta!
kateoz
Cooking time was approx 2.5 hours. Next time I may try browning the meat before softening the onion etc, to see if it add even more flavor.
Made with pappardelle instead of lasagne shards.
Everyone had seconds. Quite impressive dish
trexgirl
I make this all the time and love it exactly as written. My only change now is I make it in my instant pot! Easy to modify the timing of I go big for parties or smaller for weeknight dinner. I do 15 minutes per pound of pork. Soooo good
Eric
This was wonderful. The braising was done beforehand, so the actual prep was a breeze. Leftovers were simple and delicious -- just save the extra pasta and pork and as arugual as needed.
Jilli Robertson
I used one box of noodles and reserved half of the meat (which was delicious for sandwiches) when I saw how much it was making. It is crazy delicious.
TeaLeigh
Really really good pork. I used pork butt and it was a little too fatty. Next time I'll use a leaner cut and also papardelle pasta instead (lasagne noodles just were too random in size), but there will definitely be a next time. Lemon and arugula are important.
Mira
Pork shoulder is Boston Butt
Mira
Yes, that's what I do as I usually get a 3-4 pound Boston Butt.
Anne
This is a wonderful dish. Lacking fresh thyme I rubbed dried thyme and black pepper onto the pork after rinsing off the salt. I sautéed the vegetables in a Dutch oven, removed them, browned the pork and deglazed the oven with vermouth before returning vegetables and pork, adding homemade chicken stock.After cooking and shredding the pork I added broccoli raab that I had first cut up and sautéed with some garlic and dried hot peppers. It complemented the richness of the pork beautifully.
Martha 2017
To save on fat calories, I cut up raw pork tenderloin into medallions and sauté in olive oil with s and p then follow the recipe as written. Still great
Nick
I usually double the ingredients for steps 1 and 2 (pork, onion, fennel, broth) to have extra. This time did a 9 pound shoulder in the slow cooker, 9-10 hours on low heat. Came out delightfully soft and tender, great on the pasta plus enough leftovers for a salad and an omelette.
judi
This was amazing. I added herbs to the overnight brine and browned ahead as suggested by other reviewers. Used boneless pork butt and had to take out the smaller piece early. When the pork was falling apart tender, I removed it and set aside after shredding and added 2 cans of Italian tomatoes (crushed them before adding) and cooked until the sauce was thicker (added6 oz tomato paste). Had the sauce with the meat over home made pasta to rave reviews. This is definitely a keeper!
Me
No need to reduce the liquid as down as much as they said and no need to add butter. Followed it exactly but forgot to add more parsley throughout and didn't do arugula on top
Eric Chu
Delicious! Used a 5 lb bone in Boston butt, braised for 2 hr. Accidentally bought “oven ready” lasagna but worked out ok- just boiled for 5 min or so
Edgemont Kathy
Just incredible using the following: Organic boneless pork shoulder roast from Wegmans (2.2 lbs, braised for 70 min at 325), Wegmans low sodium organic chicken broth, and Wegmans Amore brand mafaldine pasta broken into thirds. WOW! I don’t know if all Wegmans have the same organic pork but this roast from the Harrison NY store was amazingly delicious. Wonderful recipe - served w 2013 Boxler Pinot gris.
Hung
Modified by adding grain mustard to broth to cook with the pork. And replaced thyme with fresh dill that I sprinkled generously at the end. Used butter also since the broth was quite rich. Definitely use the whole lemon and some zest for a nice contrast.
Anne
This is a wonderful dish. Lacking fresh thyme I rubbed dried thyme and black pepper onto the pork after rinsing off the salt. I sautéed the vegetables in a Dutch oven, removed them, browned the pork and deglazed the oven with vermouth before returning vegetables and pork, adding homemade chicken stock.After cooking and shredding the pork I added broccoli raab that I had first cut up and sautéed with some garlic and dried hot peppers. It complemented the richness of the pork beautifully.
Anne
I have blanched and sautéed cut up broccoli raab in a bit of olive oil with garlic and hot pepper flakes and added it into the sauce at the end. It is the perfect foil for the richness of the meat and sauce, I also browned the pork shoulder to impart a bit more flavor. Better the second day after flavors meld. I garnish with some baby arugala.
Janet
This was a hit with my guests on an unusually chilly May evening, even if I had to improvise because I could not get a fennel bulb or arugula. I added some ground fennel seeds and another celery stalk to the braising liquid. The pork shoulder was very fatty; I refrigerated the pulled meat and sauce separately so that I could defat the liquid somewhat. I'll try this dish again when fennel and arugula are in season. It was an easy prep, and I love any recipe that can be made a day ahead.
Nick
I usually double the ingredients for steps 1 and 2 (pork, onion, fennel, broth) to have extra. This time did a 9 pound shoulder in the slow cooker, 9-10 hours on low heat. Came out delightfully soft and tender, great on the pasta plus enough leftovers for a salad and an omelette.
PoBoyPrincess
This is one of my favorite dishes in the world, and I miss enjoying it at Maialino. I always thought the fresh pasta was crucial, though. Has anyone tried this with fresh pappardelle rather than dried lasagna noodles? I regularly make fresh pasta and may try this with a slightly rosemary-inflected version of pappardelle.
Steve Crozier
I made this with dried conchiglioni (large shells), and I *really* liked the al dente chew you can get with dried pasta.
M
Marinated the night before using porchetta flavors (garlic, sage, rosemary, parsley, olive oil and lemon zest), then browned in olive oil and braised at 300 in less liquid than suggested (1 cup chicken stock and 1 cup wine ) with onion and celery added. I cooked at 300 oven to an internal meat temp of 200 to shred the pork. I used spinach in the ragu and much less pasta.
Teresa
The amazing flavors of the dish will transport you to Italy! I made a few adjustments based on what I had and the desire to get a deeply rich tasting dish. After vegetables were sauteed, I cooked off some white wine before adding the stock. Made with a 3 lb boneless shoulder & adjusted oven time (@70 minutes). Added brandy to the reducing braising liquid. Omitted the EVOO in sauce. Used Pappadelle. The lemon juice is essential! Next time, I'll top with more arugula and/or crushed black pepper.
skyandstars
As I cook for two, has anyone tried using "country style ribs" for the pork? A pork shoulder is just too much meat.
Mira
Yes. The ribs are just cut up slices of pork shoulder.
trexgirl
I make this all the time and love it exactly as written. My only change now is I make it in my instant pot! Easy to modify the timing of I go big for parties or smaller for weeknight dinner. I do 15 minutes per pound of pork. Soooo good
ktrim0602
Has anyone tried to adapt this for the instant pot?If so would you share your steps?Thanks
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