Kettle-braaied deboned pork neck with honey-mustard sauce
Pork neck is an economical cut and highly underrated. It’s a wonderful way to entertain a crowd, as it requires little effort and will serve many. A kettle braai with indirect heat over hot coals yields the best result – beautifully smoky and incredibly delicious – but you can also prepare it in a conventional oven.
Serves 6+
Preparation time 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes resting time Cooking time 60–80 minutes
YOU NEED
• 1,5–2 kg whole deboned pork neck, tied with string (if necessary) to form a log
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) smoked paprika
• 2–3 tablespoons (30–45 ml) Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped fresh rosemary
FOR THE HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) wholegrain mustard
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey
• cup (80 ml) mayonnaise
THIS IS HOW
For kettle braai cooking Prepare your kettle braai for indirect heat using a full chimney (50–60 briquettes). While you’re waiting for the coals to ash over (15–18 minutes), prepare the meat for the fire.
Place the pork on a clean plate or platter and season generously on all sides with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Use a pastry brush to cover the surface all over with mustard
(or rub it all over with clean hands), then sprinkle the entire surface with the rosemary.
Place the pork on a grid directly over the prepared hot coals for a quick grill on both sides (about 2 minutes a side), then transfer the pork to the indirect heat position and cover the kettle braai with a lid, vents open. Roast for 1 hour, then test the inner temperature with a thermometer – it’s ready when it reaches 75–80 ºC. Remove from the heat and leave the meat to rest, covered, for at least 10–15 minutes before carving.
Serve thinly carved with the honeymustard sauce on the side and your choice of salads or sides.
For oven roasting Place the prepared pork neck on a roasting rack over a roasting dish and roast at 180 ºC for 60–80 minutes – removing from the heat and checking for inner temperature as described above. Serve as suggested above.
Make the sauce Stir all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. >