Pork Vindaloo

By lorik

A piece of boneless Boston butt is easy to trim and cut into cubes. However, a bone-in picnic roast will also work nicely. In addition to the bone, a picnic roast typically is covered with skin and a thick layer of fat. When trimmed, a 5-pound picnic roast will yield the same amount of meat (about 2 3/4 pounds) as a 3-pound Boston butt. Premeasuring the flour with the spices makes it easy to add them to the pot. Although vindaloo is not fiery, it is spicy and is therefore best served over rice to help temper the intensity of flavors. Aromatic basmati rice is particularly good. (See related content for more information on basmati rice.)

Ingredients

• 1 3-pound boneless pork butt (Boston butt), trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 medium onions, chopped coarse (about 5 cups)
• 9 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 3 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cupslow-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from thekitchn.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Season meat generously with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add half of meat to pot so that individual pieces are close together but not touching. Cook, not moving pieces until sides touching pot are well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn each piece and continue cooking until most sides are well browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer meat to medium bowl, add another tablespoon oil to pot, and swirl to coat pan bottom. Brown remaining meat; transfer meat to bowl and set aside.


2. Reduce heat to medium, add remaining tablespoon oil to empty Dutch oven, and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently and vigorously, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, and cloves. Stir until onions are evenly coated and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.


3. Gradually add broth, scraping pan bottom and edges with wooden spoon to loosen remaining browned bits and dissolve flour. Add tomatoes, vinegar, mustard seeds, bay leaves, and sugar and bring to simmer. Add browned pork and accumulated juices, submerging meat under liquid. Return to simmer, cover, and place in oven. Cook for 2 hours.


4. Remove pot from oven. If serving immediately, spoon off any accumulated fat at surface. (Stew can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Spoon off congealed fat and bring back to simmer over medium-low heat.) Remove bay leaves, stir in cilantro, and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.