The Chef
Zak Pelaccio of 5 Ninth

Servings
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 5-to-6-pound pork shoulder (skin on, preferably)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8–9 cups chicken stock
1 1⁄2 apples, roughly chopped
2 heads garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 large onions, quartered
3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 4-inch pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into 4-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
12 sprigs thyme
10 fresh Thai chilies, lightly crushed
6 scallions, trimmed
4-inch knob ginger, peeled, roughly chopped, and smashed
3 tablespoons coriander seed
2 tablespoons black pepper
Handful of crushed parsley stems
1⁄2 cup maple syrup

Glaze
1 cup maple syrup
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon coriander seed
2 fresh Thai chilies, lightly crushed
1 apple, roughly chopped
Garnish: 2 radishes, thinly sliced

Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Score the pork shoulder, and season with salt and pepper. Set a large casserole over medium-high heat, and sear pork on all sides. Remove meat from casserole, and deglaze with 1/4 cup stock. Add apples and vegetables, and cook until soft. Return pork to casserole, and add herbs, spices, and syrup. Add stock until it comes approximately 2/3 of the way up the pork shoulder. Bring to a boil, then braise in the oven until pork is tender, about 51/2 to 6 hours. Remove from oven, and allow the pork to cool in the liquid. (Can be prepared a day in advance and kept in its liquid.) glaze: In a small saucepan, reduce the maple syrup by 1/3. Add vinegar, coriander, and chilies, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Add the apple, and simmer another 10 minutes. Strain, and keep warm.

Recommended Wines
Pinot Nero Riserva Sant Urbano Hofstatter 1998, Italy

2000 L'Aventure Optimus Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California

Villarei Albariño Rias Baixas 2003, Spain

La Calice de St. Pierre Chateauneuf- du-Pape 2000

2001 Gewürztraminer Herrenweg Turkheim Zind Humbrecht, Alsace, France

Best With
Creamed Savoy Cabbage

Photograph by Richard Pierce