By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 11, 2026
Serves 4
628 cal · 135 min
Pork Cooked in Milk
Recipe GLPR7ddc4f78a37fbd
This classic Italian dish features a tender pork shoulder braised slowly in whole milk with butter, prosciutto, and aromatic vegetables. The milk creates a delicate, slightly reduced sauce that becomes silky and rich, while the pork becomes impossibly tender and succulent. A simple yet elegant main course that showcases the beauty of gentle, low-and-slow cooking.
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Ingredients
2 pounds Boneless pork shoulder, about 2 pounds
4 cups Whole milk
1½ ounces Butter
1½ ounces Prosciutto, finely diced
1 Onion, finely diced
1 clove Garlic clove, smashed
1½ Bay leaves
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Directions
Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels and season generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Once the butter is foaming, carefully add the pork shoulder and brown it on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes total, until a golden crust forms. Remove and set aside.
Add the diced onion to the same pot and cook until softened and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the diced prosciutto and smashed garlic clove, cooking for another minute until fragrant.
Pour the whole milk into the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.
Return the pork shoulder to the pot and nestle it into the milk. Add the bay leaves.
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for about 2 hours, turning the pork every 30 minutes or so, until the meat is very tender and reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the pork from the pot and place on a cutting board. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Discard the bay leaves and garlic clove. If desired, skim any fat from the surface of the milk sauce.
Slice or cut the pork into serving portions and return to the pot to warm through, or serve with the sauce spooned over top.
Comments
Every ingredient is a standard stock item at any Charlotte grocery chain—pork shoulder and prosciutto at Harris Teeter or Food Lion butchers, milk and butter everywhere—so no special trips required. The dish is genuinely cheap per serving; pork shoulder runs $2–3 per pound, and you're stretching four servings from a 3- to 4-pound cut, plus the prosciutto and dairy are modest. The stated 135 minutes is honest for a braise that needs low, gentle cooking to tenderize the meat and curdle the milk into a silky sauce, though hands-on time is short. It's a forgiving, one-pot weeknight dinner that reheats beautifully and fits a family meal, though it demands patience and is not fussy; the trade is that it anchors an evening around a fixed timeline and works best with simple sides.
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