Email to becky sims      

Recipe Categories: becky's HOME PAGEAPPETIZERS BakeSale BARS BBQ Beef beef BEVERAGES BREAD BreadMachine BREAKFAST BROTH CAKESandPIES CakesPiesMuffinsCupcakes Camping CANDY CASSEROLES CastIronCooking Chili COOKIES CookingwithCandyBars CookingwithKids CookingwithSoup CopyCat CountryKnowledge CountryWordMeanings CROCKPOT DeepFry Dehydrate Dessert-Frozen DESSERTS Diabetic DIABETIC Dips DRESSINGS DRYRUBS ETHNIC FathersDay FISHandSEAFOOD ForCodyKatelyn FourthofJuly FROSTINGS FRUIT Fruit gamedaysnacks GiftsinaJar Glaze GRAVIES GRILLING GROUNDBEEF Halloween HASHBROWNS HelpfulHints HillbillyCookin HillbillySayingsStories Holiday ICECREAM Leftovers LowFat LOWFAT MARINADES MEATS MemorialDayGrilling MICROWAVE Miscellaneous MothersDay OLDFASHION OldFashionRemedies OldTimeCooking OldWives39Tales OneDishRecipes PASTA PIZZA PORK POTATOES POULTRY PRESSURECOOKER Puddings PUNCH QuickandEasy recipecircuschef39srecipes RICE Rotisserie SALADandDRESSING SALADS SANDWICHES SAUCES Seasoning SIDEDISH SIDE_DISH SNACKS SopsandMops SOUPSandSTEWS Spices SpreadsSyrup Top10of2007 Top10of2008 Top10of2009 Top10recipesof2011 TopTenPecanDesserts Turkey Valentine39sDay VEGETABLES WILDGAME

Forever Roasted Pork




Source of Recipe


Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello


List of Ingredients




4 pounds pork leg or shoulder
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
Gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
About 1/4 cup Fennel Spice, recipe follows


Recipe



Bring pork to room temperature by removing it from refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, cover pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until light brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sage and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions cease throwing off water, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool on plate.

Peel back the pork skin, and spread a good amount of the fennel spice and add the onions directly on the fat layer. Fold the skin back over the onions and tie closed with kitchen string. Season well all over with the remaining fennel spice.

Arrange the meat on a rack in a casserole pan lined with foil, drizzle with more olive oil and cook until the meat is very tender, about 8 hours. It is ready when it pulls away easily if picked at with a pair of tongs. It is often easiest to cook the meat overnight, or put it in the oven in the morning and let it cook all day. It does not need to be attended.

Variations: This dish can be simplified or made more elaborate depending on your taste. You can omit the onions and simply season the meat with the fennel spice. You can roast aromatic vegetables until caramelized and add them to the bottom of the roasting pan. Or you can add another layer of flavor to the onions: mince fresh rosemary and fruits such as oranges, kumquats, Meyer lemons, apples, pears, or quince, and cook with the onions, or make a paste of garlic and fresh or dried chiles and add to the onions.


Fennel Spice Rub:
1 cup fennel seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons white peppercorns
3 tablespoons kosher salt
Put the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat. Watch carefully, tossing frequently so the seeds toast evenly. When light brown and fragrant, pour the seeds onto a plate to cool. They must be cool before grinding, or they will gum up the blades.

Pour the seeds into a blender and add the salt. Blend to a fine powder, shaking the blender occasionally to redistribute the seeds. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.