Pork Agrodolce

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 150 min
Servings: 12
Yield: 12 servings

Description

Italian meets barbecue in Chef's John's easy recipe for pork shoulder braised in 'agrodolce,' a sweet and sour sauce featuring tomato paste, honey, rosemary, and anchovy.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 anchovy fillet, or more to taste, mashed
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Brush a baking dish with olive oil.
2 Whisk tomato paste, vinegar, honey, mashed anchovy, green onions, garlic, rosemary, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper together in a large bowl to make the agrodolce.
3 Cut pork shoulder into roughly 3-inch pieces. Add to the bowl of agrodolce and mix by hand until coated. Transfer pork and sauce to the prepared baking dish.
4 Bake in the preheated oven, flipping pieces over halfway through, until pork is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add a splash of water if pork appears too dry. Skim off fat as desired.