Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder With Plum Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 1tbsp fennel seeds
• 1tbsp coriander seeds
• 2tsp brown sugar
• 2tsp sea salt flakes
• 2.8kg boned pork shoulder joint, rolled and tied, skin scored
• 400ml dry white wine
• 400ml chicken stock
• 12 plums, halved, stones removed
• 2tbsp honey
• 3tsp Chinese five spice powder

Method

1. Dry-roast the fennel and coriander seeds in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant (30 seconds). Crush in a pestle and mortar, combine with sugar and salt and massage into the pork skin. Refrigerate, uncovered, for about 2 hours so the skin can dry out, or you can leave it overnight.

2. Heat the oven to 150C, gas 2. Put the pork on a trivet or rack over a roasting tin, and roast for 4 hours. After 3 hours, carefully drain off the fat (you can keep it for roast potatoes) and add the wine and stock to the tin. Return the pork to the oven for the last hour.

3. For the sauce, put the plums on a lined baking tray, drizzle over the honey and the five spice and put into the oven.

4. After the hour, take out the plums. Increase the oven to 220C, gas 7. Roast the pork until it starts to crackle - about 40 minutes. Pour off the juice into a jug and pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes so it’s easier to scoop off the fat. Put the juices into a pan with half the plums, bring to the boil and then simmer for a few minutes. Whizz with a stick blender and keep warm (if the sauce is too strong or too thick, add a little more stock) while you cut or pull the pork, and serve the remaining plums on the side.