When I say slow, I mean slow – seven hours minimum – but this is a really low maintenance recipe.
Serves: 8-10
Time: 7 hours
Ingredients
- 3kg Shoulder of Pork de-boned and rolled.
- 2 level tablespoons of fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon black peppers
- 1 teaspoon crushed chilies
- 6 Large cloves of garlic peeled and roughly chopped
- Juice 2 small organic un-waxed lemons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 150ml dry white wine.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 2300C.
- Grind the fennel seeds, sea salt, peppercorns and chilies together with a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic cloves and pound into a rough paste.
- Cut deep slits in the pork skin with a sharp knife. Using your hands smother the paste over the pork working it into the slits.
- Place the pork on the wire rack in the roasting tin.
- Cook skin side up for half an hour then remove from the oven and turn the heat right down to 1200C.
- Turn the joint over and pour the juice of one lemon and the olive oil over it.
- Return to the oven and cook for at least 7 hours checking it every couple of hours. (You should be aware that the meat is cooking – it should be sizzling very quietly. If there’s no sizzling turn the oven up slightly).
- About halfway through spoon the excess fat and squeeze more lemon juice over the meat.
- About half an hour before the meat is due to be ready take it out of the oven and turn the heat to 2200C.
- Transfer the meat skin side up to a clean oven proof dish and when the oven is hot put it back to crisp up the crackling for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest.
- Pour off any excess fat from the original roasting tin and add the white wine and 150ml of water.
- Heat gentle and working off any sticky burnt on residues. Once worked off transfer to a small sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and keep warm.
- Carve the roast into chunky slices poring a little of the pan juices over each portion. Good with mashed potatoes and green beans.