Tuscan Pork Roast

New Year 2019. Black-eyed peas. Cabbage. The ritual. Rémy stayed up until 11:30 this year — personal best, again — and Colette made it to midnight for the first time, and the look on her face at the stroke of twelve was worth every minute of tomorrow's cranky aftermath. Luc was on his phone at midnight, texting, which is what thirteen-year-olds do at midnight on New Year's, and which I'm choosing to interpret as "social connection" rather than "ignoring his family."

Made a pork roast for New Year's Day — slow-roasted, eight hours, the way I do. The house smelled like January and garlic and hope. Because that's what a new year is: garlic and hope. You season the meat and you put it in the oven and you trust that time and heat will do their work, and eight hours later you pull out something tender and rich and better than what you put in. That's the whole metaphor. That's the whole year. Put in the work. Apply the heat. Trust the time. Pull out something good.

This Tuscan Pork Roast is exactly what I made that day — the herbs, the garlic, the low-and-slow oven time that fills a whole house with something that smells like it means something. If you’re going to start a new year with a metaphor, it might as well be a good one, and this recipe is the one I come back to every January 1st without fail.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 8 hrs | Total Time: 8 hrs 20 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 to 4 lb boneless pork shoulder roast
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped

Instructions

Make the herb paste. In a small bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Stir until a thick paste forms.
Score and season the roast. Pat the pork roast dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, make 8 to 10 shallow cuts across the surface of the meat. Press the herb paste firmly into the cuts and rub it all over the exterior. For best results, cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
Sear the roast. Preheat oven to 275°F. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the pork on all sides until deeply browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the roast to a plate.
Build the base. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine.
Slow-roast. Nestle the seared pork roast on top of the vegetables. Cover the Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Roast for 7 to 8 hours, until the pork is fork-tender and easily pulls apart.
Rest and serve. Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest, covered, for 20 minutes before slicing or pulling. Skim excess fat from the braising liquid and spoon the juices over the meat when serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tuscan Pork Roast — Eight Hours, One Oven, All the Hope You Need