beer-roasted pork

By mhyde

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 12 whole cloves, finely crushed with a mortar and pestle
• 5-1/2 pounds (2-1/2 kilograms) bone-in pork shoulder, with the fat scored (ask the butcher to do this or use a very sharp knife to create a diamond pattern)
• 2 cups (500 milliliters) beer
• 3 medium red onions, cut into quarters
• 2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed or peeled and cut into cubes
• 4 large parsnips, scrubbed or peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken
• 3 star anise pods
• 2 heaping tablespoons white mustard seeds

Preparation

Step 1

For the sauce

1/2 – 3/4 cup (120 – 180 milliliters) vegetable broth
1 tablespoon light, fruity jelly, such as elderflower or apricot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Ground pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Combine the salt and cloves, sprinkle onto the scored surface of the pork and rub into the scores with your fingers. Place the meat, scored side up, in a deep roasting pan and roast for 1-1/2 hours. Take the pan out of the oven, pour the beer over the meat and arrange the red onions, sweet potatoes, parsnips, cinnamon, star anise and mustard seeds around the meat. Roast for another 60 minutes, stirring the vegetables and spooning the juices from the pan over the meat every 20 minutes or so. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes until most of the crackling is crisp — mind that it doesn’t get too dark. Transfer the meat and vegetables to a large dish, cover with aluminum foil and set aside.
For the sauce, pour the juices from the roasting pan into a medium saucepan, discarding the cinnamon and star anise. Add 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) of the broth and bring to a boil. Whisk in the jelly and mustard and season to taste with pepper. Taste the sauce and if the beer flavor is too strong, add more broth. If you prefer the sauce more concentrated, let it cook down for a few minutes. Cut the pork roast into 1/2-inch (1-1/4-centimeter) slices and serve with the sauce and vegetables on the side.