1/30/23

Braised Pork & Cabbage

A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

JUMP TO RECIPE

This is one of those recipe where science (or some sort of Slavic magic) happens and ordinary, rustic ingredients get transformed into something truly special (seriously, I'm obsessed with this recipe right now).

The pork pieces become as soft as butter and the cabbage takes on a faint whisper of a sauerkraut vibe and it all happens because of the tomatoes.

The acid in the tomatoes tenderizes the pork pieces and breaks down the connective tissue and fatty bits so what’s left are tender, tasty bite-sized chunks of perfectly seasoned meat.

Braised Pork & Cabbage | A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

The tomatoes and dill brighten up the cabbage ever so slightly where you’re reminded of sauerkraut for just a second. Then your tongue relaxes because it’s not actually getting hit with that punch of vinegar brine and realizes the tomatoes brought just enough acidity to the party to balance the richness of the bacon grease (or butter) used to cook the cabbage.

You may look at the recipe and think, Surely I don’t need to cook this on the stove AND in the oven

But… yeah, you do.

Braised Pork & Cabbage | A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

I’ve tried to figure out a way to eliminate one or the other but each cooking process serves a separate purpose.

Cooking everything on the stove renders the liquid from the cabbage and starts the cooking process for everything, then baking it all uncovered in the oven reduces the liquid while verrrrry slowly finishing the meat (hence the butter-soft texture).

The natural sugars from the tomatoes caramelize the cabbage and pork while the rendered drippings create crispy bits and edges.

Braised Pork & Cabbage | A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

INGREDIENTS FOR BRAISED PORK & CABBAGE

Pork – something marbled like shoulder roast, butt or country-style ribs 

Onion – a big one, sliced

Cabbage – shredded or sliced very thinly

Crushed tomatoes – one can will do it

Bacon drippings – or butter if you were bad and didn’t save your bacon grease

Salt & pepperobviously

Herbs – dried thyme and fresh dill (you can sub dried dill if needed)

Braised Pork & Cabbage | A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

HOW TO COOK BRAISED PORK & CABBAGE

  1. Cut pork into chunks, season with S&P then brown in a large skillet. Remove from pan.
  2. Sauté onions in pan drippings.
  3. Shred cabbage then add to onions with salt and bacon grease (or butter).
  4. Add tomatoes, a little water and seasonings, cover then simmer about 20 minutes.
  5. Finish in the oven, baking uncovered about an hour.

Braised Pork & Cabbage | A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

I typically serve this with simple buttered noodles or boiled potatoes and hunks of good crusty bread (and a thick, dark beer like a stout or porter).

I’ve often thought about adding some uncooked rice to this recipe then let it cook in all the pot likker but I’ve never tried it. If you do, please comment and let me know how it goes! I’d probably use about a cup, adding it to a 13x9 baking dish then pouring the skillet contents over the rice.

Braised Pork & Cabbage | A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

A FEW NOTES ABOUT COOKING BRAISED PORK & CABBAGE

Use a fatty cut of pork like a shoulder roast, butt or even country-style ribs (provided they’re not too lean). Lean meat will become dry and overcook when cooked this long.

You will need a 14-inch skillet (or wider) for the recipe to cook correctly in the oven, otherwise transfer everything to a 13x9 baking dish before baking.

Substitute 2 teaspoons dried dill for fresh if necessary.

Caraway seeds are a great addition to this recipe! Use about 2 teaspoons if desired.

Don't drain the tomatoes (you actually can't because crushed tomatoes are pretty-much sauce but I know someone will ask).

Recipe for Braised Pork & Cabbage

Braised Pork & Cabbage

Braised Pork & Cabbage

Yield: 6-8 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 1 H & 45 MTotal time: 1 H & 50 M
A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

Ingredients

  • 2.5 lbs pork (see notes)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 medium head of cabbage
  • 1/4 cup bacon grease or butter
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

  1. Cut pork into small chunks (about 1.5 inches in size), trimming off any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 2.5 lbs pork, salt & pepper to taste
  2. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or dutch oven (see notes) over medium-high heat until shimmering then, working in two batches, brown pork on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove pork and set aside. 2 Tbsp olive oil
  3. Sauté onions in pan drippings over medium heat for 5 minutes. 1 large onion, sliced
  4. While onions are cooking, cut the cabbage in half then remove the core. Chop each half of the cabbage into very thin slices (as thin as you can cut it - like you're shredding it). 1 medium head cabbage
  5. Add bacon grease or butter to the onions then add cabbage and salt. Sauté cabbage about 15 minutes or until the volume is reduced by about half (the cabbage will cook down as it releases water). 1/4 cup bacon grease, 2 tsp salt
  6. Add crushed tomatoes, water, dill, pepper, thyme, and pork pieces to cabbage then stir well. 15-oz can tomatoes, 1 cup water, 3 Tbsp dill, 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme
  7. Reduce heat to low, cover, then simmer for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees while everything cooks on the stove.
  8. At this point, the liquid should almost cover the cabbage and pork. If not, add a little water until the liquid covers at least 3/4 of the ingredients but don’t submerge everything – we want the tops of the pork pieces showing.
  9. Place skillet in oven (or transfer everything to a 13x9 baking dish then place in oven) then cook, uncovered, for 1 hour or until most of the liquid is cooked out and the cabbage and pork are browned and lovely.

Notes

  • Use a fatty cut of pork like a shoulder roast, butt or even country-style ribs (provided they’re not too lean). Lean meat will become dry and overcook when cooked this long.
  • You will need a 14-inch skillet (or wider) for the recipe to cook correctly in the oven, otherwise transfer everything to a 13x9 baking dish before baking.
  • Substitute 2 teaspoons dried dill for fresh if necessary.
  • Caraway seeds are a great addition to this recipe! Use about 2 teaspoons if desired.
braised, baked, cabbage, pork, shoulder, boston butt, country style ribs, tomatoes, tomato, romanian, bulgarian, polish, russian, best, easy, how to, recipe,
dinner, main dishes
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16 comments:

  1. This looks like a perfect milder alternative to ribs and kraut for the non-kraut lovers in our house. I can't wait to try it!

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  2. I have pork chops in the freezer that need to be used - if I remove them off the bone and cut them up can they be used for this recipe - every time I cook pork it comes out tough as leather☹️☹️

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    1. It might work if you leave them on the bone, brown them then just nestle in the cabbage and broth before everything goes in the oven. Skip cooking the chops on the stove.

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    2. nothing lean...which except for a thin trim of fat along the edge of the chops..."pork chops are lean"...you "could use "pork steaks"(as they are cut from a shoulder roasts)... or country ribs WITH the bone and fat...Lean "boneless country ribs are too lean"...

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    3. Marinate! That will help.

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  3. Hi...For a switch up...I have cooked up some long grain rice, added sautéed chopped onion to the rice, salt/pepper/butter...Served it with the "tomato sauce over the top of it as a delicious side dish! Make extra sauce (double the recipe)...so delicious, you'll be sorry if you don't!...lol

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  4. Had to share this I said to my husband who is not a cabbage fan, I would never try this but we like everything this woman makes we are in mid 70's. Well no surprise there, we loved it. As did our picky daughter who was here for supper in her 50's. Will for sure make this again the only word to describe it is rustic good.

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    Replies
    1. You just made my day! I'm so happy to hear y'all enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!

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  5. We have several non-sauerkraut lovers, and none who like cooked cabbage, even. But they all ate this with gusto! Bravo! My daughter, who knew the ingredients ahead of time and was really apprehensive, said it wasn't anything like what she expected it to be - and had seconds. Thank you for one more great dish to add to the family repertoire of delightful dinners.

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    1. Thanks for letting me know! I didn't expect to love this either but it's seriously one of my favorites!

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  6. Hi Mandy. I stumbled on this recipe while just browsing for a pork-and-cabbage recipe for New Year's Day. My family is very happy that I did, and I it made for a wonderful dinner last night along with homemade hard rolls. I followed all ingredients, but made the cabbage slices rather wider than you called for to take it a bit farther away from having it look like sauerkraut. I also pre-salted the meat about 5 hours ahead to let it equilibrate a bit in the fridge.

    I love the fact that you have the exact ingredients called for in a step, following that step, and think this is a helpful addition that I haven't seen on other cooking `sites. My only 2 recommendations are that you might want to give a bit of a hint at to salt content for newer readers who might not have a great idea of how to salt 2.5 pounds of pork "to taste". For example, you might explain that this could be 10-14 grams of salt (I tend to salt between 1% to 1.25% by weight, where I'll be adding more salt later to sweat veggies). And you might want to revisit your prep time being 5 minutes. Even with the cabbage slicing being performed during the onion sauté (good idea), it's hard to imagine most cooks getting the onion prepped and the pork chunked up and salted within that stated 5-minute time frame.

    Many thanks again, both for the recipe and for your very clear presentation and explanations.

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    Replies
    1. I appreciate your thoughtful feedback so much, thank you!!

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  7. Is it okay to use pork belly?

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  8. Nice. I make something that looks, and probably tastes, similar except instead of tomatoes, I use 2 cups sauerkraut to 1 small head of cabbage and 1/4 cup paprika (as hot or smoky as you like it). Starts the same, in the pan with onions till they start to color, then cabbage till it colors a little too, then sauerkraut, paprika, dill and pork country ribs, lid on, and braise gently for an hour.

    Or a vegetarian version with carrots, mushrooms and very firm tofu or potatoes instead of pork. I add nutmeg and marjoram to the dill for the veggie version.

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  9. John Bridgman8/30/24, 5:22 PM

    Thanks for this recipe. I have been playing around with pork steaks and cabbage but never seemed to get it right... but cutting up the pork steaks reduces the cooking time enough to align with the cabbage and adding tomatoes (I had no crushed but did have a big tomato I could cut up) adds a lot to the flavour.

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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy