Pork Shoulder Pot Pie

Pork and cornmeal. Collards and vinegar. Flour and lard. Classic pairings brought together in this Pork Shoulder Pot Pie, the perfect meal to warm the kitchen on a cold winter day. We made ours with leaf lard and pork shoulder from the pastured pigs raised in Madison County, Georgia by farmer Benji Anderson. Leaf lard is found around the kidney and loin of the pig and makes for the cleanest lard and the flakiest crusts.

For the Crust

1 ¼ cup flour

¼ cup cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ cup cold rendered leaf lard

¼ cup ice water

For the Filling

2-3 lbs. pork shoulder

3 cinnamon sticks

1 large bunch collards, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 lb. rutabaga, peeled and diced

1.5 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 bulb fennel, sliced

1 tsp. each coriander and cumin

2 Tbsp rendered leaf lard or other fat

2 Tbsp. flour

3 ¼ cup chicken stock, divided

½ cup cider vinegar

Mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Quickly cut in the leaf lard. Add 6-8 Tbsp. cold water and knead the dough just until it comes together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight. Roll out the dough into a single round and freeze for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 300F.

Rub the entire pork shoulder with 2-3 Tbsp. of kosher salt. Cut 3 slits in the meat and insert a cinnamon stick in each. Roast for 1½ hours. Pull the meat.

In the final 30 minutes of the pork’s cooking time, mix together rutabaga, sweet potatoes and fennel with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender.

In a pan, braise collards with onion, garlic and cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Cook until just tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

For the gravy, warm together 2 ½ cup chicken stock with ½ cup apple cider vinegar. Melt 2 Tbsp. leaf lard in a pan. Add the flour and cook while stirring for 3-5 minutes until a roux forms. Gradually add warmed liquid, whisking over medium heat until gravy thickens. Salt to taste.

Heat the oven to 350F. Score the crust and bake on a parchment-lined sheet for 15 minutes, or until it begins to poof up.

Combine the pork, vegetables, collards and ¾ cup chicken stock in a cast iron pan. Top with gravy and turn gently to distribute evenly. Slide the par-baked crust onto the filling to cover.

Finish baking the pie for 20-30 minutes or until bubbling with a golden brown crust.

Recipe by Sarah Lockman, Pastry Chef at The National