Pork Shoulder Roast with Crispy Crackling
Ingredients
2.5kg boneless skin on pork shoulder
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 onion
2 cups alcoholic cider/ non-alcoholic apple juice
Salt + pepper
Method
Pat the pork skin dry with paper towels. Leave in the fridge uncovered for at least a few hours – preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Drizzle the pork skin with the olive oil and sprinkle over the fennel seeds. Season generously with salt and pepper and rub all over the skin. Flip pork over and drizzle with a little more olive oil and salt and pepper.
Peel garlic clove and dice roughly. Chop onion into large wedges and place with the garlic in roasting pan. Place the pork (skin side up) on top of them.
Pour the cider/juice into the pan, taking care not to get any on the pork.
Pre-oil the Roasteasy *and drape over the pork and place in the oven.
Turn down oven to 160°C and roast the pork for 2 1/2 hours.
Remove the pork from oven and add some more liquid if the pan is dry.
Turn up oven to 240°C and return pork for 30 mins or until skin is crisp and crackly.
Rest for 10 mins (while still covered with the Roasteasy).
NOTE: This recipe is for a 2.5kg pork shoulder – adjust cooking times to suit smaller/larger roasts.
If you are struggling to get crispy skin, place pork under oven grill (while still covered with Roasteasy as this prevents splattering).
*See how to pre-oil Roasteasy here.