miso braised pork shoulder

the sauce is really good, tastes the same as Japanese gyudon (the thin sliced beef with sauteed onions served on top of warm rice).

miso braised pork shoulder
serves 6

2 1/2 - 3 lbs pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
freshly ground pepper
canola oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 pack of baby carrots, or 4 carrots, cut into large chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 cup rice wine or dry white wine
1 cup water
3 tbsp miso paste, preferably red
2 tbsp soy sauce

noodles or rice
sliced scallions
sesame seeds

parchment paper

Preheat oven to 325ºF with rack positioned in lower third of oven. Season pork shoulder chunks generously with black pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium-high flame in a Dutch Oven. Working in batches, brown pork on all sides, adding more oil to the pan if needed. As pork is browned, transfer to a large bowl.

Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil over medium flame in a Dutch oven. Add onion and carrots and sweat vegetables about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning of onions (reduce heat if necessary). Add garlic and ginger to pot and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Add half the wine and half the water to the pot along with the miso paste and soy sauce and stir to combine, breaking up the miso paste with the back of a wooden spoon.

Pour remaining wine and water into Dutch oven and add pork and any accumulated juices. Stir to combine. Liquid should nearly cover pork. If not, add a little water. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Carefully press parchment paper down onto meat mixture in Dutch oven.

Cover pot with lid and transfer to oven. Braise for 1 hour. Remove from oven, check to see if you need to add a little more water (be judicious here). Give it a good stir, return to oven and braise until meat is completely fork tender, about another 1/2 hour.

Meanwhile cook rice or noodles, depending on your choice. Time it to finish when pork is done.

If the remaining liquid is fairly watery, transfer pork and carrots to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and tent with foil. Bring sauce in Dutch oven to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until slightly thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. Don’t overdo this, though—concentrating it too much will make it overly salty. If the broth/sauce is to your liking, proceed to the next step, using a slotted spoon to plate the meat and carrots and ladling the sauce separately.

Spoon noodles or rice into individual shallow bowls. Top with meat and carrots and ladle sauce over it. Garnish with scallions, sesame seeds, and serve.