Pork is such a wonderful meat and one of my favourite cooking methods is braising. This Spiced Braised Pork Recipe is based on a recipe by Bill Granger in his book Feed Me Now.
I have adjusted the recipe to my taste and availability of ingredients in the UK (Bill is Australian). Also, as the pork produces lots of juices I didn't want to waste so created a sauce which for me enhances Bill's recipe.
My other love of this braised pork recipe is its versatility. The cooked pork is delicious served with vegetables, the cold pork is lovely pulled from the bone and made into a salad, or a cold, spicy pork sandwich.
I have adjusted the recipe to my taste and availability of ingredients in the UK (Bill is Australian). Also, as the pork produces lots of juices I didn't want to waste so created a sauce which for me enhances Bill's recipe.
My other love of this braised pork recipe is its versatility. The cooked pork is delicious served with vegetables, the cold pork is lovely pulled from the bone and made into a salad, or a cold, spicy pork sandwich.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 5lb/2kg pork shoulder, keep bone on
- 4 large shallots, peeled
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2"/5cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 red chillies
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp ice cold butter, chopped into tiny pieces
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Gas 4
- Put the pork into a large, roomy roasting tray. Put the shallots, garlic, ginger, soy, honey, pepper and olive oil into a food processor and blitz to form a thick paste. Smear the paste all over the pork - skin and meat included.
- Snap the chillies to open them slightly and throw into the roasting tray with the cinnamon, and star anise, pour in the stock. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
- Take the pork from the oven and increase the temperature to 220°C/Gas 7. Remove the foil, baste the pork with the pan juices and return to the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until well coloured.
- Remove the pork from the oven and place to one side to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
- Strain the pan juices through a fine sieve into a small saucepan. Place over a high heat and reduce by one third. Drop in the tsp of ice cold butter and over a medium heat shake until all the butter has melted and the sauce is shiny and glossy. Serve with roast, slow-roasted or fresh seasonal vegetables. The pork is also lovely cold pulled from the bone and made into a salad or a sandwich.
