Forever Roasted Pork
- 4 pounds pork leg or shoulder
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
- Gray salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- About 1/4 cup Fennel Spice, recipe follows
- Bring pork to room temperature by removing it from refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot.
- Add the onions, cover pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until light brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the sage and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook until the onions cease throwing off water, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, allow to cool on plate.
- Peel back the pork skin, and spread a good amount of the fennel spice and add the onions directly on the fat layer.
- Fold the skin back over the onions and tie closed with kitchen string.
- Season well all over with the remaining fennel spice.
- Arrange the meat on a rack in a casserole pan lined with foil, drizzle with more olive oil and cook until the meat is very tender, about 8 hours.
- It is ready when it pulls away easily if picked at with a pair of tongs.
- It is often easiest to cook the meat overnight, or put it in the oven in the morning and let it cook all day.
- It does not need to be attended.
- Variations: This dish can be simplified or made more elaborate depending on your taste.
- You can omit the onions and simply season the meat with the fennel spice.
- You can roast aromatic vegetables until caramelized and add them to the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Or you can add another layer of flavor to the onions: mince fresh rosemary and fruits such as oranges, kumquats, Meyer lemons, apples, pears, or quince, and cook with the onions, or make a paste of garlic and fresh or dried chiles and add to the onions.
- 1 cup fennel seeds
- 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons white peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- Put the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat.
- Watch carefully, tossing frequently so the seeds toast evenly.
- When light brown and fragrant, pour the seeds onto a plate to cool.
- They must be cool before grinding, or they will gum up the blades.
- Pour the seeds into a blender and add the salt.
- Blend to a fine powder, shaking the blender occasionally to redistribute the seeds.
- Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.
- Yield: about 1 1/4 cups
pork, extravirgin olive oil, onions, sage, salt, freshly ground black pepper, fennel spice
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/forever-roasted-pork-recipe.html (may not work)