Braised pannage pork shoulder roast

Easter recipe from Emily Galloway and The Considerate Carnivore

Emily Galloway is a local blogger and foodie, and a massive fan of Consider Carnivore, the excellent local butchers at Locks Heath.

You can follow her on Instagram here.

You can read about their ethical ethos and the exceptional meat they supply on their website and also on instagram.

Emily Galloway cooked up a storm with this stunning beer braised pork shoulder with crackling using pannage pork from The Considerate Carnivore at Locks Heath.

Pannage pigs are reared just down the road from us in the New Forest – the only place in the UK to still rear these animals making them special for Hampshire and an absolute treat.

The New Forest was declared a royal forest by William the Conqueror in 1079 and the pannage tradition dates back to those days.

Domestic pigs are released into the forest to snaffle fallen acorns and nuts across the forest floor.

They love the feast which is poisonous for the wild ponies, donkeys and cattle that roam with them.The result is a meat that is darker than most pork and has unique and delicious taste with a distinct earthiness to it.

You can sample this unique Hampshire delicacy with pannage pork from the Considerate Carnivore – although we suspect it’s a short season so be quick!  Ask them to score the fat of the pork about 3/4 of the way through – the beauty of a proper butcher!

INGREDIENTS

• Pork shoulder joint, approx 1.5kg with fat scored
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoong dried sage
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 250ml beer
• 2 large white onions
• 4 carrots
• Olive oil

METHOD

1. The day before cooking grind the salt, fennel seeds, sage and peppercorns in a pestle and mortar.
2. Pat the pork dry with kitchen towel.
3. Rub half the salt and spice blend onto the fat, making sure to rub into the scores. Rub the rest into the meat itself.
4. Cover with cling film and leave overnight in the fridge.
5. Bring the meat to room temperature about 2 hours before cooking
6. Preheat your oven to its highest temperature.
7. Peel and halve the onions and carrots and place in the bottom of a roasting dish.
8. Pat the pork dry again and then brush the fat cap with olive oil. Then place the pork, fat cap up on top of the vegetables and put in the oven for half and hour.
9. Reduce the oven temp to 160 fan and carefully pour the beer into the roasting tray, making sure not to get any liquid on the pork fat.
10. Cook for 90 mins or until the core temp is 79c.
11. Remove from the oven, strip the crackling and put it back in for longer until it’s as crispy as you like it.
12. Slice the meat and serve with the crackling alongside – and of course some roasties, gravy and veg!