Honey Pork
Browned pork shoulder turns tender in a glossy honey-soy sauce as it simmers. Adding the vegetables in stages keeps the peppers bright and the carrots just soft enough.
Recipe link
Prep time15 min
Cook time1 hr
Total time1 hr 15 min
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- Granny's Recipes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Est. calories / serving
- 470
Ingredients
Honey Pork Skillet
- 2 pounds pork shoulder — cut into 1-inch cubes, bones and excess fat removed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 envelope brown gravy mix — about 1 ounce
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar — or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ginger — ground
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 4 carrots — sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 1 yellow onion — cut into wedges
- 1 green bell pepper — cut into 1-inch squares
Garnish
- scallions — thinly sliced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the Pork: Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes, removing the bones and any large pieces of excess fat. Pat the pork very dry with paper towels.2 lb pork shoulder
- Brown the Pork: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork in a single layer, working in 2 batches if needed, and cook about 15 minutes total, turning occasionally, until deeply browned on several sides. Return all the pork to the pan.2 tbsp vegetable oil, pork
- Make the Sauce: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the brown gravy mix, water, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and garlic salt until smooth. Pour the sauce into the pan and scrape up the browned bits. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 20 minutes. Check a piece of pork; if it is still firm, continue simmering 10–20 minutes, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time only if the sauce becomes too thick, until the pork begins to yield when pierced with a fork.1 envelope brown gravy mix, ¾ cup water, ¼ cup honey, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp ginger, ½ tsp garlic salt
- Add the Vegetables: Stir in the carrots, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Add the onion and green bell pepper. Cook uncovered 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender, the pepper is crisp-tender, the pork is fork-tender, and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.4 carrots, 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper
- Serve: Spoon the hot pork, vegetables, and sauce over steamed rice. Top with scallions and sesame seeds, if using.scallions, sesame seeds
Notes
- Pork: Pork shoulder is the right cut because it stays juicy and becomes tender during simmering. Tenderizing time varies by batch, so use fork tenderness rather than the clock alone.
- Vegetables: Slice the carrots about ¼ inch thick. Add the carrots first and the green pepper last so the vegetables finish at the same time and the pepper stays crisp-tender.
- Sauce: The gravy mix, soy sauce, and garlic salt all contribute salt. Reduced-sodium soy sauce may be used if preferred. If the sauce is thin after the vegetables are tender, simmer uncovered for 3–5 minutes; if it becomes too thick before the pork is tender, add a small splash of water.
- Make Ahead: Cut the pork and vegetables and whisk the sauce up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate them separately, then brown and cook the pork just before serving.
- Storage and Reheating: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a covered shallow container for up to 3–4 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet or microwave, adding a small splash of water if needed, until the pork and sauce reach 165°F.
- Variations: Apple cider vinegar may replace the red wine vinegar. Hot egg noodles may replace the rice.
Serving Suggestions
- . steamed rice with Spinach Salad
Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)
Yield
6 servings — Serving size: About 1½ cups pork and vegetables
Some ingredients could not be modeled and may meaningfully change the totals. Treat these values as a rough estimate.
- Calories
- 470
- Carbohydrates
- 19 g
- Protein
- 27.5 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Saturated Fat
- 10 g
- Cholesterol
- 110 mg
- Sodium
- 570 mg
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Total Sugars
- 15 g
Equipment
- Large skillet or Dutch oven (Use a wide vessel large enough to brown the pork in uncrowded batches and simmer the complete recipe.)
- Clean plate (Use to hold browned pork between batches when needed.)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Knife and cutting board