Recipe
Impress Your Friends With This Braised Pork Butt Steak With Red Wine and Egg Noodles
No, this is not a recipe for the arse of a pig. The term "butt" goes back to the old English use of the term as "the widest part." The widest part of a pig is its shoulder where you find the cuts people refer to as pork butt steaks/chops, Boston butt, and pork shoulder chops. With just a bit more love (red wine loves everyone), this often tough and cheap cut is transformed into a rustic and belly warming dinner.
For the last 19 years, I had no idea what the word "braised" actually meant. All I knew is that if I ordered something on a menu featuring said word I was about to be served a juicy hunk of meat. It sounded time consuming and something to be left for the chefs to handle. But braising meat is key for students.
Basically, it means you can throw simple ingredients together in liquid all in one pot, toss it in the oven, forget about it for a while, and then open the lid to a masterpiece that will have you questioning how such an easy recipe produced such a decadent meal. Here's the first recipe I used to braise pork butt and that my belly, busy schedule, and wallet have found comfort in.
Red Wine Braised Pork Butt Steak
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
- Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 2 lb. pork butt steak or pork shoulder; preferably bone-in
- 1/2 bottle bold fruity red wine
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 onion optional roughly sliced
- 3 small carrots optional roughly chopped
- 8 oz. mushrooms optional half-inch slices
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound wide egg noodles
- Parsley for garnish optional
Step 1
#SpoonTip: Use whatever veggies you've got! Shallots, potatoes, canned tomatoes, greens, fennel, etc. all go well with pork.
Step 2
#SpoonTip: Don't have a big enough oven-proof pan? Transfer everything to a rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with aluminum foil before going in oven.
Step 3
#SpoonTip: To check if your pan is hot enough, flick some water drops on it. If the water evaporates in a second or two, it's ready. If not, try again in a minute.
Step 4
Step 5
#SpoonTip: In my dish I used egg noodles but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Step 6
#SpoonTip: If your pork and veggies soaked up all the wine just add half a cup of the leftover wine to the mushrooms.