Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
ROAST SHOULDER OF PORK WITH RHUBARB
You can’t beat slow-roasted pork, and I’ve teamed it with rhubarb, which has an acidity that cuts through the richness of the meat.
CARB COUNT: 15g per person
Serves 6
1 shoulder of pork (about 3.5kg/ 7lb 10oz), bone in
For the brine
500g (1lb 2oz) rock salt 100ml (3½oz) dark soy sauce
5 star anise
3 dried chillies 50g (1¾oz) knob of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
For the pickled rhubarb
1tbsp Erythritol (or an alternative sweetener, see box on page 73)
100ml (3½fl oz) cider vinegar 3tbsp clear honey
8 thin sticks of rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 10cm (4in) lengths
For the rhubarb purée
200g (7oz) butter 60g (2¼oz) Erythritol (see box page 73) 600g (1lb 5oz) rhubarb, chopped
First, make the brine. Pour 6ltr (10½pt) cold water into a large saucepan and add the salt, soy sauce, ginger, star anise and dried chillies. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the salt. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Place the pork in a large container and pour on the cooled brine, including the star anise, chillies and ginger. Cover with a lid or clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 140°C/fan 120°C/gas 1. Lift the pork from the brine and place it in a roasting tin. Roast for 4-5 hours, until the meat is very tender and can be shredded with a fork. While the pork is in the oven, prepare the rhubarb.
For the pickled rhubarb, pour 100ml (3½fl oz) water into a pan, add the Erythritol, cider vinegar and honey, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes. Lower the heat, add the rhubarb and simmer very gently for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. (You can prepare this up to a week ahead and keep it in a sterilised jar in the fridge.)
To make the purée, warm the butter and Erythritol in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the rhubarb and sweat gently until very soft, about 8-10 minutes. Pour into a jug blender and purée. (You can also do this with a stick blender.) Pass through a sieve and keep warm.
Once the pork is cooked, let it rest for 20 minutes.
Pull the meat into flakes with a fork and serve with the pickled rhubarb and rhubarb purée.