Slow Roasted Pork Leg
- 3 1/2 kg Shank end leg of pork
- 2 onions
- 3 pears
- 15 Juniper berries
- 1/2 stick of cinnamon
- 10 cloves
- 1 tbsp dark molasses sugar
- 1 salt to taste
- 1 pepper to taste
- 2 1/2 cup water or white wine (your preference)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 dash olive oil
- Make sure the skin of the pork is well scored.
- Salt the skin well and leave it to sit for several hours.
- You can do this the day before and leave the roast uncovered in your fridge overnight.
- If you chill it overnight, ensure you bring it up to room temperature before you start the rest of the preparation.
- Turn your oven on to heat to 240 celcius
- slice the onions and pears into slivers and layer on the bottom of deep roasting pan.
- Make the shape and size of the mound roughly the same size as the bottom of your pork roast.
- Lightly crush the juniper berries and cinnamon.
- Spread them and the other spices and sugar over the pear and onion.
- Sprinkle a little salt over it.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the pear/onion/spice layer.
- Use paper towels to remove the moisture drawn out of the pork by the salt.
- Wipe the skin clean and then LIGHTLY resalt it including the meat surface.
- Grind black pepper over it.
- Place the pork on top of the pear and onion layers.
- Pour your water or wine into the base of the roasting pan.
- Don't pour it over the meat.
- Place the roasting pan into the hot oven and leave for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and either cover it with a tight fitting lid or cover it well with several layers of tinfoil.
- Turn the oven down to 140 celcius and return the pan to the oven.
- Cook for around 7.5 - 8 hours.
- Remove the pan from the oven every 1.5 hours or so, uncover the meat and baste it with the juices/water/wine mixture.
- Re-cover and return to the oven.
- At the end of the cooking period, remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven heat up to 210 - 220 celcius.
- Remove the pork from the pan and drain the collected juices, pear and onion into another dish.
- Put the pork back into pan with the cut side of the meat downward so all the skin is exposed.
- Do NOT cover it.
- Place the pan back into the hot oven and leave for 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Put a sieve over a pot and drain the juices/pear/onion into it.
- Use the back of spoon and press the onion and pear through the sieve.
- This will be the basis of your sauce.
- Check the pork.
- You are looking for the skin to become browned and crisp.
- The areas where the skin was in contact with the pear/onion layers may blacken.
- Don't worry about it.
- Remove the pork from the oven and cover lightly with tinfoil and leave it to rest for 20 minutes or so.
- Skim the fat from the surface of your sauce base.
- Put on to an element, bring it to the boil and reduce it by one third.
- Remove the skin from the pork and cut into strips (you'll probably need to use scissors for this).
- Carve the pork and place on a platter with the crackling.
- The pork should be tender enough to almost fall apart.
- Turn the sauce onto high heat and ensure it is boiling furiously.
- Add 1 tablespoon of COLD butter and stir in quickly.
- This should thicken the sauce.
- Serve!
pork, onions, berries, cinnamon, cloves, molasses sugar, salt, pepper, water, butter, olive oil
Taken from cookpad.com/us/recipes/333111-slow-roasted-pork-leg (may not work)