Slow-Roast Pulled Pork Shoulder with Crackling

Serves 8 to 10 · about 6 hours (20 mins hands-on) · Uses: 1 x 2.4kg organic shoulder of pork

Put it in the oven by late morning and by early evening it yields to a fork: soft, deeply savoury pork for piling into baps, with shards of crackling on the side. Made for Bonfire Night, and just as good for any gathering through the colder months.

From the butchers

The shoulder works hard, so it is well marbled and full of the connective tissue that melts during a long, gentle roast. Our butchers bone and roll it, then add a layer of fat and skin across the top before tying it, which means crackling over the whole joint and meat that stays moist all the way through.

Ingredients

• 1 x 2.4kg organic shoulder of pork, boned and rolled, skin on
• 1 tbsp flaky sea salt, plus extra for the skin
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, bashed
• 300ml dry cider or cloudy apple juice
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar

For the slaw: ¼ red cabbage, finely shredded; 2 carrots and 1 apple, coarsely grated; 3 tbsp mayonnaise; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; juice of 1 lemon.

To serve: 10 soft brioche baps, pickled red onions or gherkins, and barbecue sauce if you like.

Method

1. At least an hour before cooking, pat the skin completely dry with kitchen paper. If it isn't already scored, score it at 1cm intervals with a very sharp knife, cutting into the fat but not the meat. Rub a little salt into the skin and leave the joint uncovered in the fridge. (You can do this the night before.)
2. Take the pork out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Mix the paprika, sugar, cumin, fennel, pepper and 1 tbsp salt, and rub it over the exposed meat at the ends and underneath, keeping the skin dry. Wipe the skin once more and rub over a little more salt.
3. Scatter the onions and garlic in a roasting tin and sit the pork on top, skin side up. Roast for 30 minutes, until the skin starts to blister.
4. Turn the oven down to 150°C (130°C fan). Pour the cider and vinegar into the tin, not over the skin. Roast for about 5 hours, adding a splash of water if the tin looks dry, until the meat yields easily to a fork. For pulling it should reach at least 90°C in the thickest part.
5. If the crackling isn't crisp all over, slice it off in one piece, put it on a tray and return it to the oven at 220°C for 10 to 15 minutes, watching closely, until puffed and crunchy.
6. Rest the pork, loosely covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Make the slaw by tossing everything together and seasoning well.
7. Snip off the string and pull the meat apart with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Skim the fat from the juices in the tin, then stir the juices back through the meat with a pinch of salt.
8. Pile the pork into warm baps with the slaw and pickles, and add a shard of crackling to each one.

Leftovers

Cool any leftover pork quickly and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Reheat until piping hot. It makes exceptional quesadillas, loaded jacket potatoes or a quick ragù for pasta. Keep the crackling in an airtight tin and crisp it again in a hot oven for a few minutes.

Allergens: mustard and egg (slaw dressing), gluten, egg and milk (brioche), sulphites (cider and vinegar). Check the labels of your baps, mayonnaise and sauces for other allergens.

Thank you from the farmers and butchers.