Two Ways with a Joint of Pork (& a few accompaniments)

An ongoing theme on this blog is my ever-pervasive need to tinker with the traditional Sunday roast. I know many chefs who would burst out at this point 'but if you have a truly fabulous piece of meat you don't need to do fancy things with it!' and they do have a point I admit, there is something truly primal in the pleasure of a good piece of meat roasted with nothing more complex than a little salt. However, I rebel on this as it is a matter of principle. In this house to have anything other than a truly fabulous piece of meat for dinner on a Sunday is anathema, and I can't always have it plain.

Although most of the meat we eat in this household these days is free-range (and in fact all the chicken in this house is that, or organic, I flatly refuse to prepare battery chicken any more, it is slimey, smelly and a waste of money and a precious avian life), but it does mostly come from a supermarket (I'm ever a sucker for a '2 for 3' deal). At the weekend however, that is not an option. The chicken must be organic, the lamb raised on a welsh hillside, the pork or beef rare-breed and free-range. When such a ceremony is accorded a meal as it is with the Sunday roast, I really think it is worth the extra expense and since we started this policy every single roast has been a total delight.

Over the last few months I have been privileged to have several truely outstanding pieces of pork come through my kitchen, and I have used totally different ways of preparing them. Here, both recipes are for boned shoulders of pork, for which I used 1 rolled free-range shoulder from our local Aubrey Allen butcher, and an un-rolled rare-breed shoulder of pork from the Essex Pig Company. Either method would work equally with a boned and rolled loin or even a spare-rib roasting joint, but I would only recommend belly of pork for the second recipe, as the amount of fat it gives off during cooking would over-power the milk-and-orange sauce, whereas when roasted on a rack the precious fat can be spooned off and used later to saute anything from lardons to potatoes, croutons to cabbage. Both recipes feature coriander seeds as a dominant spice, because I think it is pork's best friend and also a much-ignored flavouring. However if you'd rather use fennel seeds, or even caraway, do so - I just happen to have a couple of kilos (really!) of coriander in my cupboards.

Continue reading for 'Pork in milk with orange and bay' and 'Rack-roasted Pork with coriander seed and chilli rub'......

Pork in milk with orange and bay - Serves 4

1.3kg/3lb boned pork loin or shoulder

3 garlic cloves

2 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. maldon sea salt

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. butter

1 pint/600ml full fat milk (or semi-skimmed, and a spoonful of cream)

3 long strips of zest from a thoroughly-scrubbed orange (use a vegetable peeler)

3 bay leaves (dried or fresh)


In a pestle and mortar bash together the garlic, coriander and salt, then stir in the olive oil. Take a small sharp knife and use it to create little pockets in the meat, into which you can push the spice mix. Try and space these out fairly evenly over the sides, and get some into the fat layer under the skin too.

In a casserole dish heat the second tablespoon of oil and the butter, watching the heat carefully to make sure the butter doesn't brown and burn. When its nice and hot (this could take some time if you're using something as heavy as le creuset, in which case wait 'til it's quite hot, then add the butter), and add the pork. Brown it really well all over. Try and use your hands to turn it as piercing it will let some of the juices out, but I appreciate not everyone has my asbestos fingers so use two wooden spatulas if you can't. Be careful when browning the skin-side as it will spit like the devil (and hot pork fat REALLY hurts!).

Turn the heat right down and add all the remaining ingredients to the pan, whisking well if you've used cream-and-milk rather than just milk. Slowly bring to a boil, add some freshly-ground black pepper (you shouldn't need salt, as it went in with the herbs), put on a lid and transfer to an oven, preheated to 150^oC/Gas 2. Leave completely alone for roughly 1¹/₂ hours, and bear in mind most casseroles take up most of the space in the oven, so plan your accompaniments accordingly.

Remove the casserole from the oven and check the pork for done-ness (no pink juices) and the thickness, and seasoning, of the sauce. The milk should be fairly curdled - don't be put off, it is manna from the gods. If you like your crackling really crisp, take a very sharp knife, remove the pork skin and pop it on a baking tray back in the oven for ten mins to crisp up. Fish out the orange peel and bay leaves from the pan, and if you feel the sauce needs a little thickening, simmer it on the hob until it is thick and caramelised.

Serve with something simple from the stove, like a really creamy mash, which can be given some crunch with the addition of a handful of breadcrumbs and parmesan on top, putting it in the oven to crisp-up whilst the meat is resting and the pork sauce reducing. Needs no gravy, just a generous spoonful of the milk-sauce on each plate!

Rack-roasted Pork with coriander seed and chilli rub - Serves 4

1.3kg/3lb Loin, Shoulder or Belly of Pork

2tsp. Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp. Dried chilli

2 tsp. Maldon sea salt

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

6 Potatoes, skinned and chopped into 3 pieces

2 lemon husks, or the flesh from a lemon used for my Roasted Mozzarella recipe.


Pound together the coriander seeds, chilli and salt until fine and well mixed. Take half of the spice rub, mix in the olive oil and push into little holes in the meat, made using a small sharp knife. Pat the skin dry with kitchen towel and then rub the remaining spice rub into the skin, getting it right into the cracks.

Parboil the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for just three minutes, drain, return to the pan and shake around to rough up the edges. Tip into a roasting dish, along with the lemon. Place the pork on a rack over the potatoes and roast for 30mins at 200^oC, then turn down to 150^oC and give it a further 1hr 15 minutes, turning it once to ensure the crackling crisps evenly. If you're using Belly, spoon off the excess fat from time to time to stop the potatoes getting too oily.

Remove the meat, wrap in foil and leave somewhere warm to rest, and give the potatoes a blast in the oven at 200^oC to crisp up whilst you finish any other accompaniments. I recommend stir-fried red cabbage with caramelised apples:

Take 1 crisp red-skinned apple and slice roughly, removing the core but keeping the skin on. In a large wok or saucepan, heat 1 tsp. oil and 1 tbsp butter. Add the apples and leave alone to caramelise, turning only once to make sure they get golden on both sides. Remove to a plate. Add another 1 tbsp. oil to the pan, get it really really hot and add 1/4 large red cabbage finely sliced. Toss in the hot oil until wilted, about 10 minutes. Whilst the cabbage is cooking, stir together 1 tbsp icing or caster sugar, 1 tbsp. cider vinegar, 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1 pinch salt and a few shakes of soy sauce. When the cabbage is cooked to tender (taste a bit!), stir in the vinegar mixture, turn up the heat very high for two minutes, tossing the cabbage constantly. Serve.