With fennel, garlic and chilli

Prep time: 15 min

Cooking time: 4h 30 min

Ingredients

• 1.3kg shoulder of pork for six adults
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp fennel seed
• 2 dried chillies, crumbled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 lemons, juiced
• 1 tsp Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 230°C.
2. With a sharp knife score the pork, making every other score deep enough to just cut the meat.
3. Mix the garlic, fennel seed, chilli, salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, put the ingredients in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin.
4. Rub into all surfaces of the meat, ensuring it penetrates the score marks.
5. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting tin and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the crackling begins to blister.
6. Mix the olive oil and two-thirds of the lemon juice. Turn the oven down to 110°C, turn the joint over and baste with half the lemon juice/oil mix.
7. Cook for another 3-4 hours, turning and basting occasionally.
8. Lift the pork onto a carving board and deglaze the pan with the remaining lemon juice. Neat carving will be a problem – it’s easier to break the crackling off and carve into thick chunks.