Adapted from a recipe by Danielle of food blog Beyond the Plate.
The bone-in, skin-on cut is loaded with crushed fennel seeds that burst with flavor in
the first 30 minutes of cooking, then fully infuse the meat with their anise-like aromas
over an extended cooking process. In the meantime, a thick layer of pork fat slowly
disintegrates and intensifies the “porkiness” of the meat before cooking the soffrito of
vegetables on which the meat rests.
This recipe serves 12, but is easily scalable for bigger or smaller dinners. Just be sure to
adjust the cooking time accordingly, depending on the size of your meat – 9 hours for a
5kg cut and the full 12 hours for a 6kg cut. Try to buy a skin-on shoulder, if you can as
it helps to keep the meat moist and packed with pork flavor during the cooking process.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and roughly chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 medium red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled and smashed
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 turnip, chopped
A large handful of fresh thyme sprigs
One 5-6kg pastured pork shoulder, skin-on and bone-in, skin scored
Olive oil
A bottle of white wine
Method
Preheat the oven to maximum. Rub olive oil all over the pork shoulder, then pound the fennel seeds with the salt in a pestle and mortar and rub this mixture all over the pork, pushing the seeds into the scored skin or meat. Set aside.
Put the chopped vegetables into a large roasting tray, and place the prepared pork
shoulder atop the vegetables. Put the pork into the preheated oven for 20 to 30
minutes, uncovered, until it starts to color, then turn the heat down to 250F/ 120C
and cook the pork for 9 to 12 hours until the meat turns absolutely soft and comes apart with a fork. If you’re cooking a skinless shoulder cut, cover the tray with foil after you turn the heat down to prevent the meat from drying out during cooking.
When the meat is ready (i.e., meltingly soft), remove it from the oven and let it rest for
30 minutes before cutting. Transfer the vegetables into a saucepan large enough to fit, then pour in the bottle of wine and let the mixture bubble away on high heat until it thickens. This should take about 30 to 40 minutes, with the occasional stir.
While the sauce is being prepared, start on your vegetables; I served this with a side of baby spinach, wilted in the pan with some roasted garlic cloves, but you can use any leafy green or blanched beans, depending on your preference.
When ready, carve the meat and serve with sauce and vegetables.