Slow roast pork shoulder with apple and cider gravy recipe.

Ingredients

For your pork:

• 8kg boneless Herefordshire pork shoulder, skin on
• Cornish sea salt (generous)
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1tbsp thyme leaves
• 1tbsp sage, finely chopped
• 1tsp fennel fronds
• 1tbsp Tracklements Dijon mustard
• 1tbsp rapeseed oil

For your roasting base:

• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 bulb garlic, halved
• 1 fennel bulb, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 thyme sprig
• 5 sage leaves
• 2 Bramley apples, peeled and chopped
• 500ml Legges Vintage English cider
• 500ml Potts’ chicken stock

To serve:

• Buttery baby potatoes with sea salt and spring onions
• Apple, celeriac and spring greens salad, with toasted walnuts and a cider vinaigrette
• Legges Vintage English cider

Method

Prepare your pork shoulder by patting the skin completely dry (leave it uncovered in the fridge for a few hours beforehand, if possible), rubbing the meat side only with garlic, thyme, sage, fennel fronds, mustard and rapeseed oil, and seasoning the skin heavily with sea salt, working it into the cuts.

To build the base, spread onions, carrots, garlic, fennel, apples, sage and thyme in a deep roasting tray. Place the pork on top, skin side up, then drizzle with rapeseed oil.

For the ultimate crackling, start with high heat. Roast the joint at 220°C (200°C fan) for 25–40 minutes, until the skin is bubbling and crisp. If it’s not quite there, give it another 10–15 minutes before carefully lifting off the crackling and set it aside on a wire rack to keep it dry.

Now it’s time for the slow cooking to commence! Scrape the base well to release flavour, add cider and stock to the tray, cover tightly with baking paper and foil, then roast at 160°C (140°C fan) for 4.5–5 hours, until the meat pulls apart easily.

Tip: It’s ready when a fork twists with almost no resistance.

To make the gravy, remove your shoulder of pork, strain the liquid, and press or mash the soft apples and vegetables through the liquid (or blend if you’d like it smoother). Simmer to adjust the thickness and seasoning.

Tip: If the gravy feels sharp, a tiny splash of honey or apple juice smooths it without tasting sweet.

Prior to serving, return the crackling to a hot oven (200–220°C) for 10–15 minutes to crisp it!

Recipe & Images: The Skinny Pig OBO Legges Farmshop