Go Back

Milk Braised Pork and Grits with Mustard Greens and BBQ Fried Peanuts

​​As the largest producing region of corn and peanuts in the state, you could say that in Southwest Georgia, grits (and goobers) really do grow on trees. This recipe marries stone ground Southwest Georgia grits, crunchy Georgia peanuts and spicy local mustard greens with Maiale al Latte, Italian for pork cooked in milk, and wouldn’t look out of place on a Columbus fine dining menu.
Serves 8-10
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds boneless Georgia pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut in two equal pieces GG logo
  • 4 cups thinly sliced Vidalia onions GG logo
  • ¼ cup minced garlic
  • 3-4 sprigs of fresh sage 
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil GG logo
  • 6 cups whole milk GG logo 
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 (2-inch) lengths of lemon peel, white pith removed

Instructions
 

  • For serving:
    Finely chopped parsley
    1 recipe Sauteed Mustard Greens
    1 recipe Fried BBQ Peanuts
    Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a large, wide-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high heat just until smoking. Season pork shoulder pieces generously with salt. Sear until brown on all sides without crowding the pot, one at a time if necessary. Remove to a plate and set aside. Decrease heat to medium low and add butter to melt. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent and soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Increase heat slightly. Add cayenne, garlic, lemon peel, sage sprigs and bay leaf, and cook for half a minute more until garlic is fragrant. Splash some of the milk into the pot and scrape up all the browned bits as it comes to a boil. Return pork shoulder to the pot, and cover with remaining milk and the cream. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer pot to oven. Cook pork for 2 hours covered, then uncover, turn pork pieces over and cook for 1 ½ hours more until fall-apart tender. The curds and whey will have separated because of the lemon peel. It will look broken – continue on to the next step.
    Remove pork with tongs and set aside. Transfer pot back to the stove. Remove and discard sage stems, bay leaf, and lemon peel. Simmer gently over medium heat, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, or until reduced by half. Meanwhile, shred the pork into bite sized pieces and keep warm. 
    Skim off most of the fat from the top and discard. Taste and season with salt, freshly grated nutmeg, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. 
    Transfer half or all the remaining liquid in the pot to a blender and puree until smooth or use an immersion blender to emulsify into a sauce. Keep sauce warm until ready to serve. 
    To serve: Spoon the grits onto each place and top with the sauce, then some of the shredded pork, then more sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and crushed fried peanuts. Arrange mustard greens on the side. Serve with more sauce at the table. Extra sauce can be frozen for later use – defrost, heat slowly, and blend as needed to re-emulsify.