Madeiran Pork with Wine and Garlic (Carne Vinha d’Alhos)

Name: Madeiran Pork with Wine and Garlic (Carne Vinha d’Alhos)
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients: 5 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1- to 1½-inch chunks; 2 cups dry white wine; 1 cup cider vinegar; 10 bay leaves; 6 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 6 whole cloves (optional); Kosher salt and ground black pepper; 1 cup dry Madeira; ¼ cup minced fresh oregano

By Diane Unger

4-6 Servings

2½ hours 50 minutes active, plus marinating

Free

This recipe is free for a limited time. 12 WEEKS FOR $1 TO ACCESS EVERY MILK STREET RECIPE. Learn More.

Carne vinha d’alhos, or pork with wine and garlic, is a traditional Christmas dish from the Portuguese island of Madeira and the precursor to the spicy Indian curry called vindaloo. To make it, chunks of pork are marinated in a heady mixture of wine, vinegar, garlic and herbs for up to a few days before they’re cooked until tender. The meat is subtly tangy, lightly garlicky and fragranced with herbs, with browned bits that provide great depth of flavor. The version that we learned to make in Madeira informed this recipe, but to achieve results as delicious as what we tasted there, we opted to use pork shoulder rather than leaner loin. But shoulder is a cut that requires lengthy cooking to become tender, so rather than a quick 30-minute simmer, we oven-braise the pork for about 1½ hours. From there we stay true to what we were taught: brown the meat after simmering to develop rich, flavorful caramelization, reduce the marinade cum cooking liquid to a light glaze, and finish the pork by coating it with the reduction. In Madeira, the pork typically is piled onto crusty rolls to make sandwiches, but we think it also is great with mashed or roasted potatoes alongside.

4-6

Servings

Tip

Don’t use an uncoated cast-iron Dutch oven. Enamel-coated cast-iron is fine, but in an uncoated cast-iron pot—even in one that is well seasoned—the acidity of the marinade may react with the iron, producing metallic “off” flavors. A stainless steel cooking surface is fine, too, but avoid aluminum unless it has been treated to make it nonreactive. After simmering the pork, be sure to drain the pieces on a rack as directed. This helps ensure nice caramelization when the pork is browned in the skillet. Finally, when skimming the fat off the braising liquid, be sure to reserve it for browning the pork.

2½ hours

50 minutes active, plus marinating

5 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1- to 1½-inch chunks

2 cups dry white wine

1 cup cider vinegar

10 bay leaves

6 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

6 whole cloves (optional)

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 cup dry Madeira

¼ cup minced fresh oregano

Ingredients

5

pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1- to 1½-inch chunks
2

cups dry white wine
1

cup cider vinegar
10

bay leaves
6

medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1

tablespoon dried oregano
1

teaspoon red pepper flakes
6

whole cloves (optional)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1

cup dry Madeira
¼

cup minced fresh oregano

Directions

01

In a large Dutch oven, stir together the pork, wine, vinegar, bay, garlic, dried oregano, pepper flakes, cloves (if using) and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 48 hours.
02

When you are ready to cook the pork, heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Set the pot, uncovered, over medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Re-cover, transfer to the oven and cook until a skewer inserted into the pork meets just a little resistance, about 1½ hours, stirring once about halfway through.
03

Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork and garlic to the rack, removing and discarding the bay and cloves (if used); set aside. Tilt the pot to pool the cooking liquid to one side, then use a wide spoon to skim off as much fat as possible; reserve the fat.
04

Add the Madeira to the pot, bring to a boil over medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced to about 1 cup, 15 to 20 minutes; set aside. Remove and discard any large bits of fat on the exterior of the pieces of pork.
05

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved pork fat until barely smoking. Add the pork and cook, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until well browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.Remove the skillet from the heat and add the reduced cooking liquid. Return to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the pork is lightly glazed and begins to sizzle, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper, then stir in the fresh oregano. Transfer to a serving dish.

Featured in

Shop the Milk Street Store

Mains

Velvety Turkish Scrambled Eggs with Yogurt

Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken and Mushrooms

Spaghetti with Pancetta, Parmesan and Herbs

Harissa-Honey Lentil Salad with Almonds

Reviews

Bill O.

August 21, 2022

Great dish

I made this with a side of mashed cauliflower to keep the carbs down. I loved the pork. I probably crisped it a bit more than the recipe called for, but it came out a lot like char siu, which I love, but without the sweet flavor profile. Highly recommend.

Aimee G.

Thank you for your comment! Your comment is currently under moderation and will appear shortly.

Jen C.

Made it for the Oscars and everyone really liked it. It had a bit too much oregano for my tastes so next time I'll cut down on that, but otherwise a very flavorful dish! I served it with spaetzle and broccoli.

Jim V.

Just purchased full package fir my husband . We have retired and we love MilkStreet . We retired in the country and don’t have cable or good channels ( PBS) to show up . So this is the next best thing. We can watch his shows on line .. very excited...

Michael M C.

Had this last night and it was a 4 for 4, i.e., we all loved it. Even my 11 year old daughter who normally doesn’t like pork liked it. Very strong and different flavors. The smell while cooking was incredible.

John E.

Can you do the braising in the slow cooker to avoid heating up the oven (its finally Summer in New England).

Cynthia R.

I grew up eating this dish... I am 3rd generation in the US... and my grandmother made this especially during the holidays.

There were two different versions of this since one Grandfather came from Madeira, and the other came from San Miguel. The San Miguel version was different but tasted very similar. It was however, after marinating for a few days, fried in LARD... then drained on paper, and packed in a LARGE container and covered over by MORE LARD, liquified and left to solidify and into the spare fridge it went for the holidays. SO GOOD!!!

Jennifer B.

Delicious, we didn't have Madeira so used marsala, I think it was ok. Yes, definitely marinate overnight. We served with couscous and roasted vegetables, wonderful.

Nicole G.

Nice! I cooked this using a sous vide circulator (165 degrees, 24 hours) but otherwise followed the recipe.