Slow roasted Berkshire pork shoulder with golden crackling and a rich pan gravy.
Serves 5- 6 people
INGREDIENTS
2.5 - 3 kg Berkshire pork boneless shoulder roast
1 head of garlic
10 sprigs of thyme
5 sage leaves
2 sprigs of rosemary
4 shallots
1 bulb of fennel
1 green apple
300 ml white wine
1 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
200 ml chicken stock (for gravy)
1 tablespoons cornflour
Fine sea salt (for brine)
Flaky salt (for roasting)
DIRECTIONS
Dry brine the pork.
Ask our butcher to pre-score the skin and tie your shoulder. For the best crackling, you need the skin as dry as possible. Place the rolled pork on a tray with a wire rack, season generously with fine sea salt and rub all over the pork skin. Place in the fridge uncovered overnight for 24 to 72 hours to dry out. If you want to season the inside of the roll with herbs, lay the pork flat skin side up, untied, and repeat the same process above.
Turn your oven on to 220°C. Pull the pork out of the fridge and wipe the salt cure off the skin. It is fine if some remains in the scored sections. Set aside and let it come to room temperature.
If seasoning the inside of your pork (optional), lightly toast 1 teaspoon fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium heat. Add them to a pestle and mortar and crush to a fine powder. Add 4 cloves from 1 head of garlic, a tablespoon of flaky salt, a few sprigs of thyme and 4 sage leaves. Add a drizzle of olive oil and mix until you have a paste.Spread the paste on the meat side of the pork shoulder, not the skin side. Roll the pork up tightly, centre your string in the middle of your roll and tie firmly, then work your way to each end tying string 2.5 cm apart. If you are skipping the seasoning step, just let it rest at room temp.
Get a large baking tray with a wire rack ready. Roughly chop the apple, shallots, fennel and scatter them into the bottom of the tray. Crush the remaining garlic with the back of your knife and add to the tray along with thyme, rosemary and sage. Pour in 300 milliliters white wine and season with salt and pepper.
Place the wire rack on top of the vegetables and sit your pork on top, skin side up. Rub a small drizzle of olive oil over the skin, then season generously with flaky salt. Place into the hot oven and keep a close eye on it until the skin starts to crackle and blister (about 20 minutes). This can burn quickly so keep an eye on it.
Once the crackling has formed, turn the oven down to 170°C and slow roast until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 75°C. Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest for 30 minutes before carving.
While the pork rests, prepare your vegetables to your liking and make the gravy.
For the gravy, strain your pan juices into a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Add 200 milliliters chicken stock and stir to combine. Mix 1 tablespoon cornflour with a little cold water to form a smooth paste, then whisk it into your gravy base a little at a time until you reach a nice thick but runny consistency.
Slice your pork to your desired thickness. Plate up with your vegetables, ladle over the gravy and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
