Pork Roast with Spiced Apples

The first dusting of snow on the peaks. Cattle work this week. Patrick rode in the truck. He pointed out two heifers I had not noticed. He sees things I do not. The work is shared.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.

Venison roast from the doe. Slow oven. Three hours. Garlic and rosemary.

Tomorrow I move the herd to the upper pasture. That is the next thing.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

The venison roast I put up earlier in the week reminded me why I keep coming back to this method — slow oven, minimal fuss, the house smelling right by the time the work is done. I don’t always have venison on hand, but a good pork roast with apples holds the same weight: something warm waiting for you after a long day of fence posts and cold starts and whatever else the ranch asks. Patrick would have liked this one.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 min | Total Time: 2 hrs 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 to 3 1/2 lb bone-in pork shoulder or loin roast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work well)
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 small onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, smashed

Instructions

Preheat and season. Heat oven to 325°F. Mix salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger in a small bowl. Pat roast dry and rub the spice mixture all over the surface.
Sear the roast. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside briefly.
Build the base. Add onion and garlic to the pot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to loosen any browned bits. Pour in the apple cider and scrape the bottom of the pot clean.
Add the apples. Scatter the sliced apples around the pot. Sprinkle brown sugar over the apples. Nestle the roast back in on top.
Roast low and slow. Cover tightly and roast in the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 190°F and the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
Rest and serve. Remove from oven and let rest, covered, for 15 minutes before slicing or pulling. Spoon the spiced apples and pan juices over the top when serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork Roast with Spiced Apples — When the Slow Oven Does the Work