Smothered Vinegar Pork Shoulder with Apples and Kale

Hubby and I absolutely loved this one! I browned my 2.5 lb roast & onions on the stove in a regular pan. Moved to a black roasting pan & ended up cooking for an additional 20 mins so it was more like pulled pork. Removed the kale & onions, leaving most of the liquid in the pan. Shredded up the pork, added the apples and mixed well with the liquid so the pork soaked it up. That'll fix anyone's issues with the pork lacking flavour! Delicious!

We really liked this. The 2 hour cooking time result in a tender, sliceable roast. I think a longer time might be needed for a pull-apart effect, but that might be because my roast was 3 lbs.  Loved the sauce, though added 2 tsp. of apple cider vinegar at the finish for a little extra tang. I made this the first night with kale and sweet potatoes, then we ate it a second night with polenta and roasted apple & brussel sprouts. Didn't make the apple side that's part of the recipe. I did take the seasoning mix and rub it into the pork, then let the pork rest a half hour before starting the cooking process. Then I added the same amout of seasoning to the sauteed onions. As written, the seasonings seem a bit sparse, though again that might be because my roast was 3 lbs.  Please buy only certified humanely raised pork.

Umm. A meal in one dish. Apples, Kale, pork. Great. Flavors mellow.

Made to recipe with just one minor change: added a bit more chicken broth to moisten the onions before stirring in the kale.  We should have checked before the last 30min were up, because the kale was way overdone.  Still tasted amazing but should have come out earlier.  Great autumn dinner. 

So Good!

made this last night & it is truly comfort food. I read all the previous reviews & decided if the pork was bland then it needed a rub. I was leary at first of using the Allspice, only because I don't have a lot of experience with it, but mixed it with the salt,, pepper & cumin & rubbed the meat & let it sit for about 15 minutes before I seared it in the Dutch Oven. Other than that I prepared the recipe as written. It was delicious!!! I served it with mashed potatoes, my husband ate 3 helpings. I tasted it today & the flavors have all meshed & its even better. Yum, thank you Cooking LIght for creating another "keeper"

Excellent dish! I just made this winner recently and it's perfect for these months where it's not quite warm enough to leave comfort food behind. Prep / total hands on time is about 20 minutes (longest time being in browning the meat) so this is a great option when you are super busy but want a quality meal. A few modifications: 1) our shoulder was ~4 lbs total (bone-in) but cook time didn't change; 2) I added more liquid to compensate for the larger shoulder, but in the end, I don't think it needed the extra liquid; 3) added 1 tbsp. of smoked paprika and coriander in lieu of allspice & 1/2 tsp of ground red pepper to the base & 4) thinly sliced my garlic to melt into the liquid in lieu of mincing. I also did not do the apple step and served with garlic smashed red potatoes. What a wonderful meal! The pork was tender with an addictive vinegar undertone and the potatoes had a ready made "gravy" from the sauce. Wouldn't hesitate to serve for a crowd; it's a keeper! Enjoy!

Made this during an ice storm and it was FANTASTIC. Warming, delicious. The KALE honestly ended up the superstar in this recipe. It soaked up all the other flavors in the pot and was so tender and amazing. My boyfriend teased me for how much I was raving about it, and he is stubborn to accept kale... he tried it and apologized and was like "YOU'RE RIGHT IT'S AMAZING." Haha. Definitely a good recipe, will use again! Perfect for cold weather. If I could manage prettier presentation, I would serve for guests, even.

My husband was adamant that he didn't like kale. This recipe changed his mind. Yay! Cooking Light!

This was delicious...Hubby LOVED it!! Will make again right away. Perfect for winter dinner, warm, cozy,comfort food with great flavor. This one is a winner.

The kale, onions and apples were great, but unfortunately they carry all the flavor in this dish. The pork roast, while wonderfully tender, is all but flavorless without any marinade or rub.

Have made this dish twice now, and it is delicious! Also left the skin on the apples as others mentioned, otherwise followed the recipe and it turned out great both times! Definitely putting this into regular rotation.

The whole family loved this. Used a 2 1/2 lb. roast and the entire bunch of kale for a family of 4 and only a small amount of pork remained. The kale onion mix was fabulous. Like others we didn't peel the apples.

The apples would make a nice side dish with other recipes. I didn't peel the apples (as shown in the photo). 3 minutes was not enough time to soften the apples so I microwaved them a bit and returned them to the pan. The kale and onion sauce was delicious; the perfect accompaniment for the pork.

Simple and delicious

This was one of the best recipes I've made from Cooking Light. My husband isn't a big fan of kale but he loved this. I didn't peel the apples and that was fine but next time I'll slice them thinner so they get softer.

This dish was simple and exceeded our expectations. The pork roast was tender and flavorful and the kale and apples were both delicious.