Aromatic Slow Roasted Chinese Roast Pork Shoulder
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott/Not Quite Nigella
Serves 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus overnight drying time)
Cooking time: 4.5-5 hours
- 1 boneless pork shoulder (mine was 1.7 kilos/3.7pounds), rind scored
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons five spice powder
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 onions, peeled and cut in half
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2 star anise
- 3 bunches choy sum
- Sesame oil
- Steamed rice to serve
Step 1 - The night before, remove the pork from the packaging and press down with paper towels on top to remove any moisture. Store uncovered in the fridge to dry out the skin (you can wrap foil or cling film around the meat so that it doesn't dry out). If you don't have time to do this, don't fret, you can still get crunchy crackling (see end of recipe).
Step 2 - The next day sprinkle salt and oil over the scored rind and rub into the rind. Preheat oven to 260C/500F and place the pork laying it out flat in a deep sided baking tray. Roast for around 30 minutes or until the skin starts blistering. Meanwhile while it is cooking, place the five spice, soy sauces, water, brown sugar, onions, garlic and star anise in a saucepan and heat until the brown sugar has dissolved.
Step 3 - Reduce heat to 140C/284F. Pour the sauce over the pork and cover the baking tray with foil and scrunch to seal. Roast for 3.5 to four hours basting the meat and rind once an hour.
Step 4 - If you want super crispy crackling and it didn't crisp up when you first put it in the oven, remove the pork from the sauce and place on a foil lined tray. Turn the oven back up to 260C/500F and roast for 8-10 minutes watching carefully that it doesn't burn because of the sugar in the sauce. The rind should become puffy and crunchy.
Step 5 - To cook the choy sum, wash the vegetables and lay them out on two baking trays. Spoon over some of the sauce and roast for 12-15 minutes until wilted and cooked. Serve the pork and vegetables with rice.