Any ideas for a "special" roast pork?

[BernieBear]

My Mums birthday at the weekend and I am cooking a birthday dinner for her. She likes roast pork the best, but I would like to make it a bit more special than just your usual roast pork. Any ideas, tried and tested? She is allergic to wheat and my ds is allergic to nuts and egg. Have checked the usual suspects: Jamie, Nigella, Gordon, Waitrose , but thought "the ladies in the know" could help.

Many thanks

BB

[tomps]

I've never done it, but the NIgella recipe where you start cooking the pork th enight before sounds fantastic. Now I am hungry.

[Molesworth]

Another vote for Nigella's 24 hour pork - easy and delicious

[BernieBear]

Right, will take a look. I have "Feast" is it in that one, or another one?

[crumbs]

Nigella Lawson?s Slow-Roasted Aromatic Shoulder of Pork


1 shoulder of pork, skin scored (approx 9.5kg)
6 garlic cloves
1cm length fresh ginger
2 fresh red chillies or 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp sherry or rice vinegar


The pork takes 24 hours to cook, which is no cause for alarm, because for about 23 hours and 55 minutes you are ignoring it absolutely. And it makes your house smell like a home should.

So, if you?re planning to eat this for Sunday lunch, at about Saturday lunchtime, preheat your oven to the hottest it will go. Sit the pork skinside up on a rack over a roasting tin. Pound together the peeled chopped ginger and garlic with the chilli, adding a tablespoon of oil and two of vinegar when they?re squished and pastelike.

Using your fingers, rub this paste over the scored skin, pushing bits into the cut lines of rind. Stagger across to the oven and put in the tray, leaving it for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, into the bowl in which you mixed the paste, pour the remaining oil and vinegar. When the pork?s had its half hour, remove it from the oven, switching it to 120˚C/gas mark ½ as you do so. Now turn the pork over; I find it easiest to lift it by hand wearing ovengloves. It makes them dirty, OK, but there is the washing machine?

Pour the oil and vinegar over the underside (which is now uppermost on the rack) and put the pork back in the low oven, leaving it there for 23 hours. (Actually, you could leave it longer. One of the joys of this is that it cannot overcook.) Anyway, after 23 hours, or 30-40 minutes before you actually want to eat, turn the oven back to the highest it will go, remove the pork and turn it back crackling-side up. Put it back in the oven for 30 minutes, in which time it will get hot and crisp, though you can give it another 10 if you feel it needs it.

Remove, slice off the crackling in a horizontal swipe of the knife and break it into manageable pieces, then start carving or pulling at the tender meat.

Serves 12 very generously. Suggested accompaniment ? creamy potato gratin.

(My notes ? I?ve never done such a big piece of pork, but have done this with a 3.5kg piece, which I roasted for 14 hours and which served 6-8. It sat perfectly for an hour before serving - luckily - disorganised as ever!)

[BernieBear]

Oh fantastic, thanks crumbs. Think I will try that if I can work out the timings! Thanks for your help - will let you know how it goes.

BBx

[BernieBear]

crumbs - quick question when you are doing the smaller joint of pork which you noted in your notes do you also halve the rest of the ingredients, i.e. the vinegar, garlic, chilli, ginger and oil? Am deffo going to do this! Also going to make the chocolate orange cake from Nigellas Feast book which is gluten free although my ds can't have it! Am off to bed soon due to ds's harsh waking up hour but any advise would be great! Many thanks again

[Overrun]

Nigellas sounds lovely, but just in case you want an alternative, what about slow roasted pork with crushed fennel seeds and garlic? Jamie has a recipe for that, in his new book, I am afraid I cant' remember the name now

[BernieBear]

[Overrun]

Its really nice yum yum

[BernieBear]

After rapid conversation with mother - she doesn't like fennel! B*gger! Will try it another time definately. Thanks Overrun.

[crumbs]

Hi BB. Yes, I think I sort of halved it.

I've done this a few times now. It's worth pre-ordering your meat, my butcher was horrified when I asked for 9kg - he only had a smaller piece, which was more than ample anyway. Nigella is famously "never knowingly undercatered" !

I think she says in the blurb that you can do any mixture of herbs/spices you like, so if you stick to the basic principle of oil/vinegar/flavouring, you can play with it to suit your mum. TBH, the flavour's not strong anyway - you can't really detect the chilli or ginger in any great depth.

Be warned, the outside of the joint gets really quite charcoal-ly - I was worried first time I did it. (Actually, the first time I did it, I put it in for the whole 24 hours and had to rescue it early as it wans't such a big piece.) It does mean you lose a certain amount of meat. BUT, the "charcoal" surrounds a really moist inside, almost like hog roast, really fab. Also, be warned that you don't get any juices for gravy, which is why (I guess) she suggests something like gratin dauphinoise. Or you could do your gravy separately, maybe get some bones for stock?

I hope it goes well for you - shout if you need more info

[BernieBear]

Great thanks. Will report back x

[satine]

I just wanted to say that the 24 hr roasted posrk really is absolutely fabulous. Don't worry about getting such a massive joint - I promise you it will all be eaten - in fact I've only ever had a few pathetic leftovers, as whatever is left on the joint is scavenged very quickly!

[crumbs]

Satine - how big is a 9kg piece then?! - I imagined having to hire an industrial-sized oven!!! Does it fit into a normal-sized roasting tray?

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but I really found that the 3.5kg piece was quite big.

Thanks

[satine]

Sorry, when I said such a large joint, I didn't mean anything quite as big as 9 kg!! I usually ask my butcher how big it needs to be to feed x number of people.

[crumbs]

Think you could feed the street on 9kg

[BernieBear]

Yes, got the pork from butcher yesterday and was quite disturbed by the size of a 3.5kg joint. Got him to halve it. Now I just have to work out how long to cook it for.

[crumbs]

Well, definitely NOT 24 hours, IMHO. I'd put it in before bed, just remember to give yourself enough time to do the initial "blast" then turn it down.

[satine]

I have cooked mine for 24 hours (I didn't worry about the weight of it - just gave it an initial blast, then turned right down and turned the joint over a couple of times and added a splash of water in the pan - mine's a fan oven and dries everything out) and I think it's the length of cooking that gives it such a melting consistency inside. Have faith, Bernie!

[BernieBear]

Hello, and welcome to yet another "Nigella fantistic" thread. Yep the slow roasted pork was a hit! Just like a hog roast in fact as you mentioned crumbs. I think I won't cook a joint smaller than 3.5kg (mine was around 1.75kg and could have done with about 30mins less (I cooked it for 7 hrs)) but it was still pretty fantastic and I can totally understand why you need such a big piece of meat, it certainly becomes a lot smaller. Considering there were only 3 adults and my ds (2.9) there is only a "sandwich" worth left! Thank you ladies - you came up trumps.

On top of that I also did her Chocolate Orange Cake for pud which is another of the worshipful Goddesses' wheat free cakes and that was an even bigger hit. Very easy to make and my mum was commenting on how well the Cava (she brought it!) complimented it! She has taken the rest of the cake home with her (I kept the Cava for the "after mother syndrome aftereffects!".)

Thanks again.x

[crumbs]

Hi BB, I've been wondering how you got on, and I'm glad to hear that it went so well! Interesting to see that you got the right results on a small piece with a shorter cooking time. It would have been cinders if you'd done it for 24 hours!

I think my in-laws are inviting themselves for Easter, so you've inspired me to do this recipe again for them.

[ScottishNewbie]

@crumbs Hi!
I know it's incredibly cheeky to post on such an old thread, but I am a little bit desperate for help and if you're still around, I'm hoping you wouldn't mind helping me out.

I plan to cook Nigella's Aromatic Pork this weekend for my inlaws. Feeling rather stressed as they "love their meat".

I have ordered a 3.5kg rolled boneless pork shoulder from my butchers after reading you had success with a similar size...and then realised that Nigella's was bone in. Was yours?
Do I need to quickly call and ask to change?
Also would you recommend about 14 hours if I do go ahead?

Thanks so much!

[SisyphusDad]

I second slow-roast shoulder of pork, but I use Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's 'Pork Donnie Brasco ('put it in the oven and fuggedaboutit') recipe. I marinade it the night before then put it in the oven at about 9am on 220°C for 30 minutes then down to 120°C. By 7pm it's cooked to perfection and in the meanwhile drives they boys (and me!) crazy with the delicious smell!

The approach also works really well with shoulder of lamb.

[SisyphusDad]

@ScottishNewbie, just read your last post (). Both the pork and the lamb I do are boneless and it works absolutely fine. For me, 8-9 hours works perfectly, but I use smaller joints (fewer mouths, although bigger stomachs!). Not sure to what extent a bigger joint might need more time though, I'm afraid, but HFW's recipe uses a large joint and does specify 16 hours plus.

Good luck and enjoy!

[ScottishNewbie]

@SisyphusDad
Thank you so much for your reply! I know I resurrected a mega old thread....but trying to impress inlaws calls for desperate measures haha