Slow-roasted pork shoulder

By Birgitta

This sumptuous dish is based on a recipe by the late Edna Lewis, who specialised in the rib-sticking, soul-feeding dishes of the American South. Brining the pork first, then cooking it slowly before blasting the skin in a hot oven gives you juicy, tender pork, perfect crackling and a rich, savoury sauce - what more could you want for your feast?

Ingredients

• For the brine:
• 1 bone-in pork shoulder
• 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
• 2 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced lengthways
• 12 bay leaves
• 2 onions, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and quartered lengthways
• 1 bottle red wine (or port)
• A good slug of double cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 40 g flaky sea salt per litre of water
• 60 g demerara sugar
• 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
• A couple of cloves
• 1-2 dried chillies or 1 tsp chilli flakes
• A couple of bay leaves

Preparation

Step 1

Put the ingredients for the brine in a large pan and warm gently over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from the heat, cool, then chill. Put the pork in a big clean plastic bucket or tub, add brine to cover and leave in a cold place for 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/ gas mark 2. Remove the meat from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Using a small, sharp knife, cut 12 evenly spaced slits into the skin about 2cm wide and 3cm deep. Mix together the salt, pepper and thyme, and spoon a little into each slit, followed by a sliver of garlic and a bay leaf - let the bay stick out a bit so you can remove it easily later. Sprinkle any remaining seasoning over the pork.

Scatter the onions and carrots in the base of a roasting tin and put the pork on top, skin-side up. Pour in the wine, lay a piece of greaseproof paper over the pork, then seal very tightly with two layers of foil. Cook for four to five hours, until the meat is spoonably tender. Remove from the oven and up the heat to 220C/425F/gas mark 7.

Remove and discard the bay leaves, then cut the skin away from the meat, and cover to keep warm. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan, pressing on the veg to extract as much liquid as possible. Skim off most of the fat. Slice the skin into thick strips, place on an oven tray and roast until puffed up, crisp and golden, 10-13 minutes.

To make the sauce, simmer the pan juices until reduced by half, stir in the cream and heat through. Roughly carve the meat, and serve with the sauce and crackling on the side.