The Most Flavorful Pork Is Made With Just A Splash Of This Fall Staple (You'll Never Go Back)

Pork isn't just a fall-favorite dish — it's also often among the more affordable fresh proteins available. It's one of the best underrated cuts of meat for steak and fills your home with heavenly aromas when cooked for hours, but it gets even better when it features another pillar of autumnal flavors. If you've got a jug of apple cider handy, you can take pork to a whole new level by infusing it with a quintessential taste of fall.

We're not talking about literally injecting apple cider into a piece of meat. A common way to introduce an essence of apple cider is by braising pork in a splash of the flavorful liquid. This works especially well with those ultra-cheap shoulders many folks pass by at the grocery store. Whether you're using a highly rated Dutch oven or tossing it into a slow cooker, cooking the meat slowly in the liquid allows the protein to absorb the flavor of the apple cider, infusing it with sweetness and acidity that complement a savory, well-marbled pork shoulder.

This method of improving pork can be done with store-bought apple cider or homemade cider prepared in an Instant Pot. For the most flavorful results, toss fresh apples and complementary aromatics in with the meat, such as fennel, garlic, and rosemary. The shoulder's marbling slowly renders with all those flavors, and you end up with a rich, sweet, and savory pork dish that tastes like fall on a plate.

While pork shoulder may be the most flavorful cut, it's certainly not the only player in the game that can be elevated with sweet apple cider. Another affordable cut to consider is tenderloin. By marinating the meat in apple cider and any other ingredients like balsamic vinegar that can upgrade the dish, you're infusing it with the taste of fall before it ever starts cooking. Roast the pork in the oven, and while that's making your home smell like a professional chef is at work, take the remaining marinade and create a flavorful gravy to spoon over the meat and some crispy, roasted root vegetables.

Let's not leave out the most famous cut of pork: chops. With those, you can make an apple cider-based braising liquid before cooking the meat. With your mix at the ready, brown the pork chops and then coat them in your sweet, acidic concoction, allowing the chops to absorb those fall flavors as they finish cooking. While the pork is resting, reduce the liquid to create an apple cider sauce that can be drizzled over the chops when serving.

Adding ingredients to a marinade, sauce, or braising liquid can further complement the apple flavor. Think along the lines of mustards, maple syrup, and warming spices like nutmeg and clove. If you find that cider alone isn't providing enough acidity, consider tossing in a splash of apple cider vinegar to introduce some tang while doubling down on the staple fall flavor.