Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Apple Cider Gravy and All the Trimmings
There are few things more rewarding than a patiently cooked slow roasted pork joint that’s prepared first thing and ready just in time for Sunday lunch. Served up with a sweet and flavoursome apple cider vinegar, crispy roasted potatoes and slow roasted seasonal veg – you’re going to struggle to enjoy this recipe only on a Sunday!
What is the Best Way to Cook Pork Shoulder?
Perfectly cooked pork shoulder commands juicy and tender meat that’s enveloped in a crispy and crunchy crackling, The secret is to heat the oven to full whack, allowing the skin to puff up and crackle, before reducing the temperature right down to cook the meat low and slow over 2-6 hours (depending on the size of your joint).
It may seem daunting to cook your meat for so long, but the reality is that you can put your feet up with a crisp apple cider whilst the oven does all the hard work for you!
How to Get the Perfect Roasted Potatoes Every Time
You can serve your slow roasted pork shoulder with mashed or roasted potatoes – but roasties are a must in our home!
To get perfect roasties every time, boil your potatoes for 3-5 minutes (until starting to break up) before draining. In a colander, toss your potatoes around roughly until you get a fluffy coating on each side – this will help them to crisp up around the edges.
Next, heat some duck fat, goose fat or some beef dripping and butter in a deep sided baking tray until melted and scorching hot. Carefully place your potatoes into the tray using tongs – they should sizzle when they meet the fat. Cook for 45 minutes and be sure to turn them regularly for an even cook on all sides.
The result – perfectly cooked roasted potatoes that are crispy on the outside and fluffy and light within. Season with salt pepper and fresh rosemary then enjoy! Hungry yet?
Homemade Simple Apple Sauce
We use Organic Braeburn Apples Sourced from Kent to make our simple apple sauce. They’re juicy, sweet and the perfect base for a tangy apple sauce to perfectly compliment your pork.
Simply peel, core and roughly dice your apples before adding to a saucepan with 50g Berkeley Farmhouse Butter and 50g caster sugar. Cook on a low to medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring regularly until the apples have broken down into a puree.
Serve in generous dollops alongside your juicy pork, perfectly roasted potatoes, delicious seasonal veg and rich apple cider gravy – perfection!
SLOW ROASTED PORK SHOULDER RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
- 2kg 7 Day Dry-Aged, Free Range Pork Shoulder
- 500ml Apple cider
- 2 white onions
- 5 parsnips
- 5 carrots
- 1kg potatoes
- 2 tablespoons Maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Wholegrain mustard
- Handful fresh sage
- Sprig rosemary
- 100g goose or duck fat
- Himalayan salt
- Cracked black pepper
METHOD
- Before you begin, remove the pork shoulder from the fridge to allow it to come up to room temperature, this will take around 1 hour
- Preheat the oven to 220C
- Prepare the meat by using kitchen paper to pat the surface as dry as you can get it, then score the skin in a criss-cross motion deep enough to cut through the fat but not into the meat (being careful not to cut the string) – season the skin generously with Himalayan salt and season the underside with salt and pepper
- Place the pork shoulder into a deep baking dish around twice its width and roast skin side up for 30 minutes, until the skin is puffed up and golden
- Remove the meat from the oven to cover it with tin foil, before reducing the temperature to 140C and returning the meat to slow roast for around 4-6 hours
- In the final hour of cooking, prepare the veg by peeling the onions, parsnips and carrots – roughly cutting them into chunks
- Make a sauce by mixing the apple cider, mustard and maple syrup in a small jug
- Remove the meat from the oven and carefully transfer it to a clean board, then add the vegetables and sauce into the bottom of the baking dish along with the fresh sage leaves - placing the meat back on top of the veg and returning to the oven once more (uncovered this time) for around 1 hour
- Prepare your potatoes by peeling and cutting into quarters (around 5cm chunks), then bring them to the boil in salted water for 4-5 minutes
- Meanwhile, add the fat of choice into a separate roasting tin and heat in the oven until melted and piping hot, then drain your potatoes and carefully add them to the hot fat – season with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary then place back into the oven (make sure you turn your oven back up to 180C before putting the potatoes in)
- Turn your potatoes every 15 minutes or so, after 45 minutes they should be perfectly crispy and cooked through – and everything else should be ready
- Remove the meat and veg from the oven and place onto a large serving platter, cover with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes
- All that’s left to do is make the gravy – skim any fat from the pork shoulder baking tray and heat the liquid to a simmer on the hob, stirring with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan for 3-5 minutes until you have a rich, dark gravy – add a little more apple cider if you prefer a looser gravy and finally strain into a gravy boat
- Serve up your tender, juicy, succulent pork shoulder with all the trimmings and your delicious apple cider gravy – finish with a dollop of apple sauce if desired
Thomas Joseph Butchery Organic & Free Range Meat
Prepare a delicious feast for family or friends with the finest Free Range, Dry-Aged slow roasted pork joint and seasonal root vegetables.
Our Seasonal Organic Veg Roasting Box provides all the trimmings to serve alongside your succulent pork shoulder. You’ll get 4 varieties depending on what is freshly ready to harvest – from potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, butternut squash and garlic.
Together with the unbeatable flavour and tenderness of your slow roasted pork shoulder, get ready for empty plates and expect to serve second helpings!
