An easy, luxurious, and always surprising dish, where the
milk reduces to curds and the pork becomes fork-tender.
But you’ve got to use a roast from the shoulder end,
either a boneless rib roast or a piece of shoulder.
Other cuts and meats you can use: To my surprise, a
friend suggested I try this with bone-in chicken thighs,
and it worked beautifully. Much quicker too. Also veal
shoulder.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
One 2- to 3-pound boneless pork rib roast or shoulder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
At least 4 cups whole milk
How to make
Braised Pork with Milk
Put a heavy pot with a lid or a Dutch oven that will
hold the roast snugly over medium-high heat and add the
oil, swirling to coat. When the oil shimmers, add the
roast. Brown well on all sides, turning the meat as necessary;
the process will take about 10 minutes, perhaps
longer. While the meat is browning, sprinkle it with salt
and pepper.
Add enough milk to the pan to come most of the
way up the sides of the roast. Bring to a boil, then turn
the heat to low so the liquid bubbles gently (adjust the
heat as necessary), partly covered, for at least an hour,
turning the roast once or twice.
Cook until the roast is quite tender and the milk is
reduced to small nut-brown clumps (curds), anywhere
from 1 to 2 more hours. If the milk begins to dry out
before the roast is cooked, add 1/2 cup milk, repeating if
necessary. When the pork is done, transfer it to a warm
serving platter.
Spoon off most of the fat from the sauce and add
1/4 cup water. Turn the heat to high and reduce, scraping
the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge
the bits of pork. Carve the meat into slices, pouring half
of the sauce over the roast and passing the rest at the
table. Serve immediately.