Ingredients
2kg Pork Shoulder
10 medium onions ( mix red and white,) roughly chopped
4 large golden delicious apples roughly chopped with skin in and pips etc left in
2 bulbs garlic chopped in half
4 teaspoons fennel seeds
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 litre chicken/vegetable stock
Olive oil
Salt
Ground black pepper
Plain flour 4 to 5 tablespoons
Method
Preheat the oven to 230°C
Place the onions, apples and garlic on the base of a deep tray.
Sit the pork on top, season with salt and pepper then drizzle olive oil over the pork and the veggies underneath.
Drizzle the maple syrup on top of the pork, then sprinkle the fennel seeds on top
Add 2 bay leaves to the veggies and place in the oven for 40 minutes
Reduce the temperature to 140°C and bake for 6.5 hours
Increase the temperature to 180°C for the last 30 minutes to finish the crackling.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest.
Place the tray with the veggies onto the cooker and sprinkle with the flour, stir and mix well.
Add the chicken/vegetable stock.
Place on medium heat and stir until the gravy thickens.
Mash the onions, garlic and apples into the gravy.
Drain through a sieve.
Remove the crackling off the pork and it will fall into deliciously moist pieces.
Serve with your choice of sides, I used creamy mashed potatoes and fresh
sweetcorn. Yum ! Well worth the wait.
