Pork and Cider Casserole

Pork and Cider Casserole is the ultimate comfort food. Delicious melt-in-the-mouth pork in a tangy cider sauce. Perfect for autumn evenings.

This has always been one of my favourite recipes, and certainly one of my favourite pork recipes. 

There are some meals that I go through phases with. I’ll eat them loads for a while (especially if I’m working on a recipe). Then, they’ll get forgotten until I’m searching my blog for something different to add to our meal plans. 

Then there are things like this pork and cider casserole recipe (or the chicken version) that we probably eat at least once a month, all through autumn and winter. 

I love a casserole on a busy Saturday. After a day of driving the kids to lessons and tackling the challenge of washing and drying school uniforms without being able to hang them outside, a filling, warming casserole with creamy mash or crusty bread is perfect. 

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Why I Love Easy Pork and Cider Casserole

I adore this recipe for pork and cider casserole because:

• It’s a long bake, so the meat is wonderfully tender, but the active cooking time is fairly low. 
• A cider casserole simmering away for hours means that your house smells wonderful. 
• The sauce is perfect for bread. 
• You can reheat leftovers easily. 
• Pork with cider is just the perfect combo, like grown-up pork and apple. 
• There’s nothing like sitting around and sharing a big casserole when the weather is bad. 
• Pork is much cheaper than lamb or beef, but this casserole has tons of flavour. 

Ingredients For Pork and Cider Casserole

Pork in Cider and Cream Casserole is a simple recipe without any complicated ingredients. When I make it, I use:

Diced Pork – If you can’t get diced pork, chop up some steaks or chops for your pork in cider recipe. 

Bacon – Any kind is fine. The day I took photos, I used smoked streaky bacon, but I’ve also made this recipe with back and unsmoked. 

Butter

Red Onion 

Shallots 

Carrots 

Cider

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Chicken stock

Crème Fraîche– I don’t recommend low-fat options, as they can separate when added to hot liquid.

Tarragon

Wholegrain Mustard

Cornflour – If you don’t have cornflour, plain will do. 

Water

You’ll Also Need

I use a sharp knife, a chopping board, and a peeler to prep my veggies. A jug and whisk for the stock and crème fraiche, and a spatula to stir everything together. 

I cook my cider and pork casserole in a large cast iron Dutch Oven. This has a lid and is suitable for use on the hob and in the oven, so you don’t need to worry about transferring your casserole before baking. 

If you don’t have a flameproof and heatproof dish, start in a large pan on the hob before transferring to a lidded ovenproof dish to bake. 

How to Make Pork and Cider Casserole – Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Melt the butter in a large, lidded, flameproof, heatproof dish over medium heat on the hob. 

Step Two

Add the pork and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often until browned. If your pork chunks are really big, you might want to chop them a little smaller. 

Step Four

Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork and leave it in a bowl to one side. Leave any juice in the dish and add more butter if you need to (I generally don’t).

Step Five

Add the onions to the dish and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring often.

Step Six

Stir in the bacon and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often until the bacon is browning. If your bacon is stuck together, don’t worry. It will come apart as it cooks, and you stir it. 

Step Seven

Return the pork and any juice that’s collected in the bowl, and add the shallots. Stir in. 

Step Eight

Add the carrots and a good pinch of black pepper. 

Step Nine

Pour in the stock and the cider and stir together well. The cider will fizz up a bit, but this is fine. 

Step Ten

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C (fan-assisted).

Step Eleven

Bring the casserole to a simmer, stir, making sure you scrape the bottom of the dish, and remove from the heat. 

Step Twelve

Cover and carefully place in the oven. Bake for two hours. 

If you haven’t got time to leave it for this long, one will do. But two is better. 

Step Thirteen

Mix the crème fraîche, cornflour, tarragon and mustard with a splash of water in a bowl or jug. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, but you shouldn’t be able to see any flour. Add a little more water if you need to. 

Step Fourteen

Remove the casserole from the oven and carefully stir in the creme fraiche mixture. If it’s too dry, stir in a cup of water or more stock. I think water is fine. 

Step Fifteen

Return to the oven uncovered and bake for a further 30 minutes. 

Top Tips

Most of my tips are included in the instructions, but:

• Use a big dish. 
• Preheat the oven so the temperature stays even, and you don’t put a hot casserole into a cold oven. 
• Add more water if you need to; if it’s too watery, simmer on the hob for 15 minutes before serving. 
• Use dry cider and full-fat crème fraiche.
• I prefer lean pork, but that’s just my preference.

What to Serve with Pork Casserole

This casserole doesn’t have potatoes, so I often serve with fluffy mashed potatoes. The kids like crusty homemade bread to dip in the sauce. 

Other potatoes would be fine, too. 

Variations

While I think this pork and apple cider casserole recipe is perfect, there are a few things you could do differently. 

Cider

There are a few alternatives if you don’t want to or can’t use cider. 

Alcohol-free cider would be my preference, as the taste is similar. But I realise that this isn’t always an option. 

You could use apple juice. But because apple juice is sweeter than dry cider, I’d only use half the amount and increase the stock to compensate. 

Another option is just using more stock, but the flavour would be vastly different, and you’d use the tang. 

Crème Fraiche

Creamy pork and cider casserole with crème fraiche is fantastic. But you can still get the creaminess with a splash of double cream, soured cream, or Greek or natural yoghurt. 

Whatever dairy you add, I recommend using the full-fat option. 

If there are any special diets dairy-free alternatives could work too. 

Leeks

Pork leek and cider casserole would be lovely. But I think it’s a bit much with the shallots and onion, and I prefer to just add carrots. 

Carrots

Large, chopped carrots are fine. But I sometimes make this pork casserole with top and bottomed (not peeled) chantenay carrots, which are my absolute favourites. 

Pork Chops in Cider Casserole

If you don’t have diced pork, you can chop up some pork shoulder steaks or chops instead. 

Leftovers

Pork and cider stew can be reheated on the hob or in the oven the next day. I’d simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding extra water or stock if needed. 

Make sure the pork is piping hot before serving. 

Disclaimer: While I aim to be as accurate as possible, any advice in this post, including but not limited to, cooking times, quantities, nutritional information and storage and freezing guidance is based on my own experience. Please use your own skills, knowledge and judgement, and get up to date food safety information. 

Storage

Remove leftover pork cider casserole from the cooking dish and place in a clean tub or dish. 

Once cool, seal and cover. Place in the fridge for 1-2 days.

I don’t recommend freezing. 

FAQ

Other Recipes 

If you enjoy this recipe for pork in cider casserole, you might also want to try these casserole recipes:

• Sausage and Chorizo Casserole
• Pork and Apple Casserole
• Sausage and Beer Casserole
• Minted Lamb Casserole
• Beef and Red Wine Casserole
• Sausage and Butterbean Casserole
• Leftover Roast Pork Stew

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