This type of dish is not part of the Italian tradition—these long roasts of big chunks of meat, be they chickens cooked whole or legs and shoulders of various animals (with some exceptions, of course). It is a staple in English-speaking countries though, and I must say, I am a sucker for a good roast. It then makes sense that I borrow heavily from Gordon Ramsey’s video on how to make pork belly roast. Use this video to better understand my recipe.
The shoulder, in particular, is a delicious cut that is also easy on the pocket. It is meaty (unlike the belly) but also rich in fat and connective tissue, which brings a lot of flavor to the table. I used a deboned and vacuum-sealed pork roast. A high-end (free-range, etc.) piece but from a supermarket. It is usually recommended to buy it from the butcher in order to get a nice crackling skin, as the butcher’s meat is bled and dried much better. Notwithstanding the supermarket meat, I got excellent results. Let me explain how below.
Ingredients:
- Pork shoulder – mine was deboned and tied into a roll
- A fennel bulb
- Apples
- White potatoes
- Red wine (of good quality)
- A pinch of brown sugar
- Fennel seeds
- One juniper berry
- A couple of cloves
- Sage (fresh)
- Rosemary (fresh)
- A bay leaf (dried or fresh)
- Salt & pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Recipe:
- Open and untie the pork. Wash it, dry it well, oil it, and season the side without skin with salt, pepper, fennel, rosemary, and sage. Only put salt on the skin side. Salt should be generous as this is a big cut. Let it rest for about 20 minutes if possible.
- Now sear the pork skin in hot oil (EVO or a seed oil if you are afraid of burning the oil). This will dry out the skin nicely before hitting the oven and it is an important step if, like me, you are using packaged meat. You can do steps (2) and (3) into a large pan and then move everything into a tray or work directly with the tray.
- Then remove the pork and add to the tray/pan apples, potatoes, and the fennel bulb, cut into big chunks. The flame should remain high so that they brown before going in the oven.
- Now put the fruit and vegetables in a tray and place the pork shoulder rolled out flat with the skin facing up.
- Pour at least two generous glasses of red wine into the tray (avoid wetting the pork skin in the process). Add water until the liquids reach just below the pork skin. We are not using stock here so a generous amount of wine is important. Add the bay leaf.
- Put the tray on the stove and bring it to a boil. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (Celsius) in the meantime. Set it to “static” (not “fan”).
- Once boiling, place the tray in the oven for 3-4 hours. If you don’t have as much time, bake it for 2.5 hours at 160 and finish it 15 minutes on grill mode. Keep an eye on it though and adjust the timing based on how ready/burning it looks. Don’t ever take the suggested cooking time in recipes too seriously.
- Once ready, remove the pork and the fruit and vegetables. Leave the liquids in the tray and place the tray on the stove on a high flame until they have thickened, turning into gravy. You can add a tablespoon of flour to the liquids to help the thickening.
- You are ready to serve! Cut the crackling pork with a bread knife and plate it with the fennel, apples, and potatoes, pouring the gravy on top.
Enjoy this with a nice glass of full-bodied red and quality company.
PS I would recommend following this dish with a leafy salad, seasoned with (EVO, salt and) plenty of lemon juice to clear the palate.
Italo's Kitchen 