Notes

Free Cider Braised Pork Shoulder
Three Alternate Christmas Roasts!
Let's be honest, a dry turkey and some shrivelled veg is hardly the best way to enjoy Christmas dinner. Over the last few years we've tried some different recipes, just as Christmassy but easier to prepare and tastier. Here are our top three alternative Christmas Roasts with our top three vegetarian Christmas roasts to follow...

Maple Mustard Pulled Pork

Just saying it makes me salivate. The cooking time is long (8 hours) but it is totally worth it and the recipe here should feed four with a fair bit to spare!

Ingredients

200g of sea salt

300g of light Muscovado sugar (although any unrefined brown sugar should be fine)

A 2kg (4lb 8oz) pork shoulder (supermarket shoulders are fine if you're on a budget - the slow cooking will "melt" any pork)

100ml of maple syrup (steer clear of the artificially flavoured syrup for best results)

100g of English wholegrain mustard

2 tablespoons of English mustard powder

Ground pepper

Combine the sea salt and 200g of the sugar in a large food bag (big enough to put the pork in), add the pork and shake until the meat is covered. If no bag is available then any container with a lid should suffice although the mixture is more likely to stick to it rather than the meat). Leave in the fridge overnight (still in the bag or container).

The next day, take out the pork and wipe it down with kitchen paper. Preheat your oven to 140C/120C for fan ovens/gas mark 1. Mix the remaining sugar, maple syrup, mustard, mustard powder and some ground pepper (varying on personal taste - one teaspoon mildly peppery, 3 teaspoons for max strength). Take half the mixture and rub the pork with it. Place the meat on a rack in a roasting tin and roast for 6 hrs.

After these 6 hours are up, add the remaining mixture over the pork and roast for an hour more.

Then, take the meat out and rest for 30 mins on a plate loosely covered with foil. Tear the meat to serve, bon appetite! Due to the sweet nature of the meat opt for less sugary/fatty sides.

Roast Goose and Cider Gravy

We weren't big goose fans until a few years ago when a friend of mine cooked this recipe on a random Sunday afternoon (as you do) and we tried it one Christmas. This is a great alternative and goes as well with cider gravy as pork.

Ingredients - For the roast goose

4-5kg (9-11lb 4 oz) oven-ready goose, (make sure it is trussed and ready for roasting)

A bunch of thyme

6 small onions cut into halves

3 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of sunflower oil

Ingredients - for the cider gravy

1 tablespoon of sunflower oil


the goose's neck, chopped into a few small pieces

2 carrots cut into chunks

2 chopped onions

2 bay leaves

A smaller bunch of thyme

A 500ml bottle of cider (scrumpy preferred)

1 litre of chicken stock

4 tablespoons of plain flour

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C for fan ovens/gas mark 6. Remove all the fat from inside the bird (ask your local butcher if you are buying from them) and prick the skin all over wit a skewer or a small sharp knife. Season the inside (you'll have to get a hand inside the bird - best not to ask your butcher this... ) and stuff with the onions and herbs. cider braised pork shoulder with the oil and season liberally with salt. Sit the goose the right way up, in a large roasting tin. Cover with a large piece of foil making sure it's a tight fit. Place the meat in the centre of the oven for 1 hr 30 mins.

Next, take the goose out and place on a heatproof mat on your counter. Remove the foil and carefully ladle all the fat out of the tin into a (large) bowl. Lightly baste the goose. Cover with the foil again and roast for a further 1 hr 30 mins.

Once this further roasting has taken place, take the meat out and pour all the fat from the tin into a bowl, baste, then place back in the oven without any foil to brown for a final 30-40 mins until golden brown. After the goose is roasted - place on a tray or board and it's ready to carve immediately. Keep the tin to one side to finish the gravy...

While the goose is roasting, heat the oil in a pan until spitting hot, add the goose neck and fry until browned and caramelised. Add the vegetables to the pan and fry for around 10 minutes until brown and just starting to burn slightly. Add the herbs and then pour over the cider. Boil this down by around two-thirds, skimming off any froth that comes to the top. Add the chicken stock and reduce down to a half. Strain into a large jug and set aside.

Back to the tin, pour all the fat out but for about 2 tablespoons, keeping in any brown juices. Place the tin on the heat, scatter in the flour and stir to make a brown paste the texture of wet sand. Slowly add the cider stock mixture and stir to make a smooth gravy. Season to taste, then strain again into a gravy jug.

Braised venison

Venison was another meat we weren't really fussed about until a few years ago. I found it to be rather strong tasting and nothing really went with it. The trick with it is to braise it and this recipe is now a household favourite! And not just because it is extremely easy to prepare and takes less than two hours!

Ingredients:

2 carrots, chopped

140g swede, chopped

2 onions, chopped

3 celery sticks, chopped

Olive oil and butter (for frying)

1 crushed garlic clove

450ml beef stock

2 tablespoons of redcurrant jelly

1kg boned leg or shoulder of venison, cut into large chunks (the readily chopped stuff is fine but won't be quite as tasty)

5 tablespoons of plain flour, with have a teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper

450ml of dry red wine

2 thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C for fan/gas mark 4. Fry the vegetables in a little oil and butter in a heavy-based casserole dish (see picture) for 4-5 mins until golden. Tip in the garlic and fry for a further minute and then set aside.

Place venison into a plastic bag with seasoned flour and shake to coat (any plastic container will suffice but coating is easier with the bag). Add a little more oil and butter to the pan and fry the venison over a high heat (stirring occasionally) until well browned. Don't crowd the pan - cook in several batches if required. Set to one side along with the vegetables.

Add the redcurrant jelly and wine to the dish, and bring to the boil, scraping up all the bits that have stuck to the bottom. Pour in the stock, then add the thyme, bay leaf, meat and vegetables. Season to taste and bring to the boil. Cover and transfer to the oven for about 1½ hrs or until tender. Remove from the oven and check the seasoning.


Read More: https://darlenestable.com/cider-braised-pork-shoulder/