THE CHEF AND
THE BUTCHER
A Shoulder for me is the most underrated
cut. It’s cheap, too. It’s got beautiful meat,
fat, crackling and flavour. It’s easy to get
hold of, and it feeds a big group. It’s the
global issue of delicious., and pork is
the most consumed meat in the world.
Colin has been in the men’s room.
C Have you started without me?
A I was just explaining the reason behind
choosing the pork shoulder...
C Ah, I see. The butcher and the butcher!
Well, the chef is back! Pork shoulder is
something worth celebrating. You want
to buy one that’s not too big, then we’ll
put some onion, pear and garlic in the
base of the pan, then put the shoulder
on top, all compact.
A So far, so good.
C We’ll pour a hot stock and cider mix
into the pan. We want all the juice from
the shoulder to go into the vegetables as
well. You start your oven off high to blister
the skin, then turn it down and cook the
pork for four or five hours. Then you stick
your finger in under the skin.
A Sorry, what?
C If the meat moves, it’s cooked; if it
doesn’t move, it’s not cooked.
A This is messed-up. You don’t
understand the level of lunacy that exists
here! This is on a different level... I don’t...
C But that’s how you check it’s cooked!Remove pork from refrigerator and
set aside for 1 hour to bring to room
temperature. Preheat oven to 240°C.
Arrange onion, pear and garlic in the
base of a large roasting pan. Pat the pork
skin dry with paper towel, then season
generously and place on top of the fruit
and vegetables in the middle of the pan.
Set aside.
Place cider, stock and thyme in a
saucepan over medium heat and bring to
the boil. Pour into the base of the roasting
pan, being careful to avoid pouring over
pork skin. Place the pan in the centre of
the oven and roast for 30 minutes or until
pork skin blisters and begins to crisp.
Meanwhile, place sweet potatoes on
a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Reduce oven to 150°C. Place sweet
potatoes on the bottom shelf of oven.
Roast the potatoes and pork for 5 hours
or until the pork easily comes away
from bone and sweet potatoes are tender.
Remove from the oven. (If pork skin isn’t
crisp enough, increase oven to 220°C and
return pork to oven for 15-20 minutes or
until skin is crisp.)
Carefully remove skin from sweet
potatoes and discard. Transfer flesh to
a food processor with^1 / 2 cup (125ml)
cooking liquid. Whiz until smooth. Season.
Serve pork with pears, onion and mash.A I’ve been in this industry for years
and I’ve never heard that method. You’re
mental. Every month, this is just torture.
C We’re roasting sweet potatoes, too,
which we’ll whiz with the cooking juices
to make a mash. Then we’ll serve that
with the pork and the pears.
A After 12 months of working with you,
my good mate, the lunatic, you finish
with a great recipe, but I still don’t get
why you’re testing the meat like that.
C You know deep down...
A I’ve learnt by now. Give him a chance,
give it a go. Throw caution to the wind!
C You are always complaining!
A Sounds crazy, sounds stupid, sounds
ridiculous. But you’ve got to give your
mate a chance.
C Yes! I’m gonna do it anyway!CRISPY PORK SHOULDER WITH
SWEET POTATO MASH
SERVES 6-82.4kg pork shoulder (bone in)
2 onions, quartered
2 pears, quartered
1 garlic bulb, halved
2 x 330ml bottles pear cider
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
1 bunch thyme
4 large sweet potatoesDownload our enhanced @cfassnidge @fassnidge73 @askthebutcher_
App for Cook ModeLook out for more from Colin in
ON SUNDAY
INTERVIEWSAMANTHA JONESPORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHYSHARYN CAIRNSPHOTOGRAPHYJEREMY SIMONSSTYLINGKIRSTEN JENKINSHis pork shoulder recipe may meet with
approval from Anthony Puharich, but as for
how Colin Fassnidge plans on testing whether
it’s done... our butcher is mystified.46 delicious.com.auMEAT MARKET.