Pork With Crackling James Martin Food

JAMIE'S 6 HOUR SLOW ROAST PORK SHOULDER (+ MY FENNEL CRACKLING!)

Steps:

• As soon as you bring it home, unwrap the pork and dry the skin well. Leave it loosely wrapped in the fridge so the skin can dry out overnight. At least an hour before you want to cook it, take the pork out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.
• Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7 (If you have a fan oven, lower the cooking temperatures by 10-20 degrees).
• Place the pork on a clean work surface, skin-side up. Get yourself a small sharp knife and make scores about 1cm apart through the skin into the fat, but not so deep that you cut into the meat. If the joint is tied, try not to cut through the string. If you're worried about this, just ask the butcher to score it for you, but ask for the 1cm scores - the crackling will be easier to break.
• Mix the sea salt, black pepper and ground fennel seeds together well. Rub the seasoning mixture right into all the scores you've just made. Gently pull the skin apart to make sure the mixture get right down into the fat. Brush away the excess from the surface of the rind then turn the joint over to season the underside of the meat.
• Place the pork, skin-side up, in a roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes, or until the skin has started to puff up and you can see it turning into crackling.
• At this point, turn the heat down to 150-170°C/325°F/gas 3. Cover the pork snugly with 'tent' of waxed paper to protect the meat and then a double layer of tented tin foil to keep in the heat. Put the joint back into the oven and roast for a further 4½ hours.
• Remove the pork from the oven, take off the waxed paper and foil, and baste the meat with the fat in the bottom of the tray. Carefully transfer to a board, then skim all but 2 tablespoons of excess fat from the tray into a jar, and keep it in the fridge for another day.
• Add all the veg, garlic and bay leaves to the tray and stir them into the fat. Place the pork back on top of everything and place back in the oven without the foil to roast for 1 further hour, or until meltingly soft and tender.
• Transfer the meat to a serving dish or platter, cover again with the waxed paper and tin foil and leave to rest while you make the gravy.
• If there is a lot of fat in the tray, spoon some of it away, then add the stock (or replace with water,) and place the tray on the hob. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up all those lovely sticky tasty bits from the bottom of the tray.
• If you want a dark gravy, add a spoonful of molasses and/or a little organic cocoa powder and cook the gravy gently for a few minutes. before pouring it through a sieve into saucepan.. Use a spoon to really push all the goodness from the veg through the sieve to thicken and flavour the gravy.
• Season to taste and cover. When you're ready to serve the meat bring the gravy back up to the boil and transfer to a warmed gravy boat to serve it at the table.
• To serve the meat at the table, pull it gently apart and give everyone their fair share of the FABULOUS fennel crackling!

PORK AND CRACKLING

Steps:

• Lay out your pork on a board and rub some salt and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary into the scored lines, trying to get this into every bit by pushing and rubbing in. In a pestle and mortar smash up the fennel seeds, then the garlic and remaining chopped rosemary, and rub this into the meat ? not the skin, or it will burn. Place in a large roasting tray with the balsamic vinegar, bay and olive oil. Leave for about 1/2 hour to marinate.
• Meanwhile, preheat your oven to its highest temperature and brown the bones. Rub the skin of the pork with lots of sea salt ? this will help puff it up and dry it out. Place the pork directly on the bars at the top of the oven. Finally add the browned bones and vegetables to the leftover balsamic marinade, add 570ml, 1 pint water and put into the oven directly under the pork. As the pork cooks all the goodness drips from it into the tray. This liquid will then become your gravy. You also get quite charred bar marks on the base of the pork.
• The pork will take about 1 hour to cook. After 20 minutes turn the temperature down to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the oven on the rack and place on a piece of foil to save any juices. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Finish off any vegetables that you are going to serve with it and make a gravy out of the juices in the tray which was underneath the pork.
• Put the bones, the liquid and the vegetables into a large pan. Add some water to the tray that contained the bones and vegetables, as there will be some Marmite-like, sticky stuff on the bottom to the tray which is very tasty. Reboil the water, scrape off all the goodness from the bottom of the tray and then pour everything into the pan. Bring to the boil, shaking occasionally, remove any oil, grease or scum from the top, then pass the contents through a sieve, discarding all the vegetables and bones. You can reduce and then correct the seasoning, to taste.

ITALIAN-STYLE ROAST PORK WITH CRISPY CRACKLING

Steps:

• Pound the garlic, bay, pepper, 1 tsp sea salt and 1 tbsp of the fennel seeds using a pestle and mortar, then stir in 1 tbsp oil. Place the pork, skin-side up, in a clean sink and pour over a kettleful of boiling water (this tightens the skin - the first step towards great crackling). Drain, pat dry and place, skin-side down, on a chopping board. Rub the garlicky paste all over it, then roll up the loin and tie it at intervals with kitchen string. Arrange the onion and lemon in the centre of a roasting tin and sit the pork on top, skin-side up. Rub the rind with the remaining salt and leave at room temperature, uncovered, for 1 hr.
• Heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Rub the skin of the pork with the remaining oil. Lightly crush the remaining fennel seeds and scatter over the meat. Roast for 30 mins, then turn the heat down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and continue to roast for 1 hr 20 mins. Remove the pork, cover loosely and leave to rest for 30 mins. If your crackling isn't crisp, pop the joint under a hot grill for a few mins, but watch it as it will burn very easily.
• Meanwhile, make the gravy. Tip away all but 1 tbsp of fat from the tin and put on the hob. Add the flour and mix with the onion and lemon, scraping any bits from the bottom. Pour in the Marsala and let it bubble, then gradually add the stock and any of the resting juices, and simmer gently for 8-10 mins. Season, if needed, and strain through a sieve before serving.

DANISH PORK WITH CRACKLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F Dry pork roast as much as possible with a paper towel.
• Using a sharp knife, cut halfway through the fat layer (but not the meat) in horizontal lines 1/2" apart. Then make vertical lines 1/2" apart, making a cross-hatch pattern.
• In a small bowl, combine the salt, cloves, mustard seeds, and crumbled bay leaves. Rub the mixture into the pork roast, making sure to work it into the fat layer.
• Place in a deep roasting pan and roast for about 30 minutes or until top is crackling and golden brown. Reduce heat to 350°F and carefully pour the water into the pan.
• Cook another hour, or until meat reaches 160°F.
• Remove crackling from roast, cut roast into slices, and serve crackling with the roast.