Dairy Free Haitian Citrus-Braised Pork

Total time5 hr 55 min

Prep time25 min

Cook time1 hr 30 min

4.5

(25)

Bright citrus, fresh herbs, and a double-cooking technique come together here for a deeply satisfying pork dish rooted in Haitian home cooking. The marinade — built from orange juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, scallions, thyme, and ginger — does serious work overnight, pushing flavor all the way into the bone-in shoulder before it ever hits the heat. A long, gentle braise makes the meat fall-apart tender, and then a hard sear in coconut oil gives every piece those irresistible caramelized edges. Because the entire recipe relies on whole ingredients and coconut oil rather than butter or cream, there's nothing to swap out or second-guess — it's naturally free of dairy from start to finish. The turmeric adds a warm, earthy undertone that plays beautifully against all that citrus brightness. Finish with a scatter of fresh parsley and a squeeze of lime, and you've got a showstopper that tastes like it took far more effort than it did.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the pork

2 ½ lb bone-in pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
¼ cup fresh orange juice
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 scallions, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp fine sea salt

For braising

½ cup water

For searing

2 tbsp coconut oil

For serving

2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)

Instructions

1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, scallions, parsley, thyme, ginger, turmeric, and salt. Add the pork shoulder chunks and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight for deeper flavor.
2
Transfer the pork and all of the marinade into a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Add the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and braise for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the pork is completely tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest piece reads at least 195°F (90°C) — the meat should pull apart easily with a fork.

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